Six buildings to be razed for Algonquin bypass

More demolition work for the so-called Western Bypass of Route 31 in downtown Algonquin is slated to begin Monday, weather permitting.

Six vacant buildings are scheduled to be demolished by July 1, Illinois Department of Transporation spokesman Guy Tridgell said.

Grading work, tree removal and new storm sewers and other drainage improvements will follow through the end of the 2011 construction season.

The $70 million construction of the 4-mile bypass of Route 31 at Route 62 is being funded by the Illinois Jobs Now! capital program. A new stretch of road will be built west of Route 31 from Rakow Road to Edgewood Drive to allow traffic to bypass downtown Algonquin and the eternally clogged intersection of Routes 31 and 62.

“In 2011, you’ll basically see the skeleton of road take shape, with the actual construction taking place in 2012 and 2013,” Tridgell said.

The buildings to be demolished along Algonquin Road between Route 31 and Meyer Drive include Burnex Corp., the Algonquin Road House and Parkside Auto Center, plus other small buildings.

A few buildings already were demolished in the fall, and contamination cleanup on the site of the former Toastmaster building is still continuing, Algonquin village President John Schmitt said.

In the mid-1990s, Schmitt, then a village trustee, was part of a public advisory group that worked with engineers on several projects, including how to improve the intersection of Routes 31 and 62, he said.

“For me, personally, it’s very exciting,” to see the project moving forward.

Schmitt said he spoke about the Western Bypass project with state Sen. Pamela Althoff, a McHenry Republican, in the past few days.

“She assures me that the funding is still there,” he said. “This is very high on the IDOT list of things to get done.”