HUDSON, Ohio -- A man who wanted to silence train horns near his home asked for $168,300 in federal stimulus money. It paid off.

 

Greg McNeil's project was one of 149 selected by the Ohio Department of Transportation to receive a slice of $774 million in stimulus money -- and the only one based on an application from a private citizen.

 

The money will be used to make safety upgrades at a railroad crossing so trains won't have to blow their horns when they pass. The noise has been an issue for homeowners who live in Hudson and Macedonia.

 

McNeil said he submitted a proposal on behalf of his homeowners association March 3, the deadline for filing applications to the state.

 

"I kind of looked at it as a 'Hail Mary' pass," he said.

 

The Ohio Rail Development Commission recommended grade-crossing safety projects to ODOT for stimulus funding, said spokesman Stu Nicholson.

 

"There was some pretty hefty competition," he said. "For a homeowners association to go through that process and win out is not a small victory. It's pretty significant."

 

Trains are required to sound their horns at rail crossings as a warning to motorists. But the Federal Railroad Administration allows "quiet zones" if enough safety upgrades are made.

 

Ohio's first quiet zone is in Moraine, near Dayton, where barriers placed in the center of the road keep cars from going around the traditional crossing gates.

 

Norfolk Southern Corp., which owns the track near Hudson, did an engineering study of the rail crossing last September. The study 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.

 

McNeil said he hopes the project is finished by Labor Day.

 

Heidi Swindell, a government affairs liaison for the Summit County engineer's office, said McNeil deserves credit.

 

"I was so impressed at his tenacity," she said. "Here is a private citizen, instead of complaining about something wrong in his neighborhood, trying to find ways to fix it."