Construction could begin this fall if Algonquin OKs bike path

The construction of a new bike path along Harper Drive in Algonquin could begin this fall if the village board approves funding for the project, officials said.

On Tuesday, the committee of the whole moved forward a proposal that calls for the village to allot $185,000 in motor fuel tax funds toward the multiuse path. The engineering and construction of the project is estimated to cost about $712,000, said Steve Ludwig, general services superintendent.

Beginning at Edgewood Drive, the path will run alongside Harper Drive and extend to Kenneth E. Neubert Elementary School, 1100 Huntington Drive. It will then link with the bike trail on Huntington Drive, which connects to the Fox River Trail and also leads directly to downtown Algonquin.

"This adds to the bike path linkage that we've been trying to build in Algonquin," said Public Works Director Bob Mitchard.

A $592,000 Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant, provided by the McHenry County Council of Mayors and the Illinois Department of Transportation, covers a majority of the project's cost, Ludwig said.

The village is expected to fund the remaining balance. The proposed $185,000 allotment of village funding provides a small financial cushion in case of unexpected additional costs during construction, Ludwig said.

Officials have been trying to set the project in motion for five years, but it was put on hold because the village lacked the appropriate funds, Mitchard said.

If the resolution is approved next week, he said, the village will have the green light to start fall construction.

"It's a really great project," Ludwig said. "It'll provide a regional connection to our path system, which is our intent to network the community together so we have many different ways of transport, whether it be walking, running or driving a car."