Western Bypass agreements approved by Algonquin

The Algonquin village board has approved various agreements to move forward with the construction of the so-called Western Bypass of Route 31, officials said.

The agreements, approved in a special board meeting Tuesday night, give the Illinois Department of Transportation the land necessary for construction of the new, two-mile stretch of road that will allow traffic to bypass downtown and the busy intersection of Routes 31 and 62 from Huntington Drive to Elmwood Court, officials said in a news release. Also, the McHenry County Conservation District’s Prairie Trail will be reconfigured to include better access to Towne Park.

“The Western Bypass is a significant addition to Algonquin’s transportation network and will greatly enhance mobility through the village and McHenry County,” Algonquin Village President John Schmitt said in the release. “It’s been a long, tireless effort by many parties, but we now have a solution which will reduce traffic congestion, improve flow and allow downtown to become a more pedestrian-friendly commercial district.”

Village Manager Bill Ganek said the agreements come after months of behind-the-scenes work involving a number of staff people and attorneys for all the parties. “They are very complex agreements, we’re talking 115 pages long,” he said. “It’s definitely significant.”

Earlier this year, IDOT awarded the $4.9 million contract for grading and excavation to Ryan Incorporated Central, a Wisconsin-based company with offices in Elgin. Work began in May and is expected to be completed in November, officials said.

IDOT spokesman Guy Tridgell said that F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates LLC of Chicago submitted the lowest among 13 bids on June 15 for the main construction contract. The company’s bid was $33,346,673.91; IDOT has 45 days — or until July 30 — for review, Tridgell said.

Upon completion of the Western Bypass construction, IDOT will transfer jurisdiction of Main Street between Huntington Drive and Elmwood Court to Algonquin.