advertisement

---

An $85 million program aimed at upgrading 50 grade crossings and establishing a quiet zone in Orange County has been completed in the city of Orange, Calif., as part of the Orange County Transportation Authority's (OCTA) rail safety program.

A quiet zone and safety improvements at 16 crossings were completed in Orange last month.  Improvements include upgraded and updated warning devices, additional gate arms, extended and raised street medians, improved signage and coordinated traffic signals.

By law, engineers must sound their horns up to four times when their train approaches a crossing. In a quiet zone, trains will sound horns only if the engineer believes it is necessary for safety.

"This is something our city has been working toward for years, and I am excited our residents will finally have relief from noisy train horns rolling through town," said Orange Mayor Carolyn Cavecche in a prepared statement.

OCTA partnered with eight cities and Metrolink to implement the rail safety program, which still is under way in the county. Cities can apply for quiet zone status after completing required safety improvements.