Man gets $168,323 in stimulus money to silence train horns at crossing near his home

[The Straight Story]

Greg McNeil of Hudson got $168,323 in stimulus money to silence train horns at crossing near his home

HUDSON -- Greg McNeil competed with city, county and state officials for Ohio's federal stimulus money and wound up winning $168,323 to silence train horns at a crossing near his home.

McNeil's project, on behalf of his homeowners association, was one of only 149 chosen last week by the Ohio Department of Transportation from 2,222 eligible to receive $774 million in infrastructure money. His is the only submission from a private citizen to receive ODOT's nod.

"I tell you, we were ecstatic," he said. "This was just tremendous."

Norfolk Southern owns the tracks that cross Twinsburg Road in Macedonia, where the number of trains has increased to 76 a day. Nearby residents in Hudson, Macedonia and Northfield Center Township don't mind the trains, just the horns.

McNeil, who owns a Web site design company, has lived in Hudson's Ashbrooke East subdivision just west of the tracks for four years. As vice president of his homeowners association, he volunteered in January of last year to find out how the crossing could become a quiet zone.

....

The engineering report last September recommended dividers in the center of the road and circuitry upgrades to lower the gates based on the speed of the train instead of when it reaches a certain point on the tracks. The cost for those improvements was $168,323.

McNeil appealed to public officials for state or federal help but struck out.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/04/greg_mcneil_of_hudson_got_1683.html

[dem629]

1. How much can I get to silence cars with loud booming bass noise coming from them?

[rfranklin]

7. Use your second amendment rights...

Jusr say you felt threatened by their presence.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. How does changing the crossing approach circuitry silence horns?

What am I missing here?

[The Straight Story]

3. I am guessing here:

That the horns are triggered by the circuitry, like the gates are (or would be).

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. Possibly, but there's still going to be a horn sounding at some point

.....if the horns are mounted AT the crossing and not the horns on the locomotive.

First time somebody family gets creamed by 12,000 tons they'll be singing a different tune, I'll bet.

76 trains a day is a lot of traffic.

[Ptah]

6. This quote from the picture caption at the link.

"That means trains won't have to blow their horns when they pass."

[IDemo]

5. Let me go out on a track here...

but isn't the intent of those nasty horns to keep motorists from getting their car tattooed with a UP logo?

[Snarkoleptic]

8. Can I get some stimulus money to mute the RW spin machine?