McHenry County could be big winner in state capital plan

The $29 billion construction spending plan that's passed the Illinois Senate and is headed to the House could fund long-awaited road repairs, village and school construction projects across the state.

State Rep. Mike Tryon, a Crystal Lake Republican, said southeast McHenry County is a big winner under the capital bill as it currently stands, noting the measure's inclusion of $80 million for the Western Algonquin Bypass and another $40 million to widen Route 47 through Huntley and north toward Woodstock.

"McHenry County is going to be a grand recipient," the Crystal Lake Republican said from Springfield. "We're going top come out of this very well."

That, he said, is largely because the county's legislative delegation has been "extremely noisy" as long-awaited projects, like the bypass, have gone unfunded or even had their funding taken away and spent elsewhere.

"We have a huge need and the projects are ready," he said.

Although technically out of McHenry County, Tryon said county residents also will benefit from a $16.6 million commitment in the plan to the construction of a full interchange at Interstate 90 and Route 47.

Huntley Village Manager Dave Johnson was buoyed by news coming out of the Senate for both Route 47 and the interstate interchange. "It's good news," he said. "No question about it."

"That's now shown on their (IDOT's) multiyear plan, which is great news for the project," he said of the interchange project.

A plan to construct a bypass around the western edge of Algonquin's downtown to alleviate traffic backups at the often-gridlocked intersection of Route 31 and Algonquin Road is also in line to receive funding. Algonquin Village President John Schmitt said he was "very pleased" that the project was part of the capital bill approved by the Senate.

"This specific plan for the relief of Route 31 and Route 62 goes back to an IDOT study from the mid-90s that was fully-funded under the Illinois first plan," Schmitt said. "We were supposed to be driving on it in 2006."

"We are very excited about this," he said.

But just how big is the slice of pie for Fox Valley school districts?

A laundry list of school districts are still waiting on construction money from as far back as 2002. The $26 billion plan doles out $148 million to districts waiting on those funds.

But no Fox Valley districts are included on that list.

Another $1.35 billion would be appropriated to school districts for construction projects. That, said Elgin Area School District U-46 spokesman Tony Sanders said, "could potentially be money we could apply for."

Projects at various community colleges across the state would also be funded under the plan. According to the legislation, Elgin Community College would receive $2.2 million for its Spartan Drive extension project.

McHenry County College in Crystal Lake would receive $671,600 for the construction of a greenhouse, and another $115,900 to build a pump house.