Western Bypass Progress Moves Forward
The Illinois Department of Transportation is expected to award a bid for the construction project in coming weeks.
View Western Bypass (Illinois Route 31) Construction in a larger map
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It appears the ball is officially rolling on the long-awaited Western Bypass in Algonquin.
The Illinois Department of Transportation opened up bids for the main construction contract on Friday. The lowest of 13 bids came from F H Paschen, which has its headquarters in Chicago, for $33,346,673.91, said Guy Tridgell, spokesman for the Illinois DOT, in an e-mail response.
IDOT now has 45 days to review the contract before awarding the bid, Tridgell said.
"The contractor has the option to back out or accept at that time," Tridgell said.
The purpose of the four-lane bypass is to relieve congestion at Route 31 and Route 62 downtown Algonquin.
On its northern edge, the Western Bypass will connect with Route 31 just north of Cary Road. The bypass will continue west of Route 31, will pass over Algonquin Road in the area where the Post Office is located and then will loop back over where the current Prairie Trail is located behind St. John's Lutheran Church and School.
The bypass will connect back with Route 31 at Huntington Drive at its southern-most edge.
Last month, grading and excavation work started on a portion of the bypass between Illinois Route 31 and Algonquin Road in Algonquin. That work is expected to be completed in November 2012.
Matt Collins
11:08 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
This is NOT going to help anything. They needed a North bypass but the politicians lacked the spine to make it happen. The backup on Eastbound 62 will be even worse because all the Southbound Rt31 traffic turning onto Eastbound 62 is going to have to merge. All you have to do is compare the backups at rush hour on 31 and 62 to see where the problems are. But these are the same geniuses who pushed through the "Tyvek Tower" at the corner. More politicians wanting to manufacture a legacy.
David
12:26 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Wow just make those couple of comparisons and you'll have yourself a real traffic study eh. how about not.. If you don't realize all of the different aspects of this project and take into account that it has more than one reason for construction, you'll soon feel very ignorant for being subjective and not factual. The amount of freedom the downtown area, and surrounding neighborhoods will experience will be immeasurable. These are in fact the people who fought for this in the first place. Then take for example, the people who are coming from 31 and want to go West. Every single vehicle that does not have to go through that bottle neck is one less than before.
cartman1966
11:37 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Agree, not going to help and probably hurt in the long run. A long time ago, when I moved to Algonquin, I heard there was going to be this northern bypass, roughly Haegar's Bend road north with a new bridge then connecting up north of Cary-Algonquin Road. There was even a sign up at the intersction of County Line and Haegar's stating "Future transportation corridor". I think the NIMBYs over there made them take it down.
Anyone ever wonder why there are only 6 bridges over the Fox between Dundee and Crystal Lake? Ever spend any time down in St. Charles or Geneva and note all the bridges?
It would take real political courage to get this done so that means not in my lifetime.
David
11:56 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
You're Ridiculous. You've failed to recognized what they are working with and what we are living with now. You better move to the middle of nowhere where you can complain or gloat about the open emptiness of nothing. We live in thee microcosm of the world and nobody can deny that. Further more, why the hell do we need more bridges?
Brian Whitaker
11:45 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
I agree with Matt and Cartman. This will change nothing except move the problem bottleneck further West.
I have been in ground transportation over 20 years and have not seen such ludicrous plans as this one and the crazy recommendation for Randall and Algonquin. That will be another nightmare.
David
11:59 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
What nightmare? You mean the amazing access, the unbelievably convenient six lane hwy, the overall capacity to handle Mchenry counties 2030 transportation plans. What are you referring to?
Soonwinner
2:31 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
The only traffic solution for Southeast McHenry County is a bridge over the river connecting KLASEN and an extended RT 25. But the politician with enough *alls has not been born yet. $millions of gasoline have been wasted because the bridge is not there.
Carol
3:14 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
When will the politician's wake up and do the right thing. Maybe they should try and sit in the traffic and SEE
Rob
5:13 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Remember this during the elections and let's put the RIGHT people in office.
Dennis
5:32 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
At least it is nice that it is election year! All this work being done at one time, Porky Pig would be proud of the duplication and waste... All of the work is only forty years to later than it should be. Only fools could OK the building to the west and NOT realize that the future was doomed to fail as far as roads were concerned... I see the word NIMBY being used, since most of the blocking of the corridor from 62 to Klasen was by ONE person who had the clout to stop it. The path is still there as an open space west of Haegers Bend. Living along side of RT 25 like I do meant that I would not like it either since 25 would get heavy traffic and make my area a corridor, rather than just another street. Both Dundee and Algonquin did not help by allowing new construction in the downtown areas. Their answer is to put a Tollway Bridge though my district to serve their purpose on Bolz Road.
On top of it they want the BRUNNER FOREST PRESERVE used for that purpose. That is not why I voted for Kane County to buy the place. As of now only one thing has been done since purchase, one farmhouse has been torn done. Years later and there is not a single road, path or bike trail though one of the last open places in northern Kane. There is even a skeet range there in the Google View and no access to it, what a boon to sportspeople in the area if that were open for use.
Doug Malcolm
1:50 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
Every morning I turn left onto 62 eastbound from Harrison. So far, the wait is reasonable but I wonder if after the bypass is built will the lights at 62 and Harrison be removed or will the wait be longer.
Ed Sapeta
8:24 am on Monday, July 9, 2012
All you trolls whining about the need for a Northern Bypass ignore the fact that all the traffic studies indicated that a Western Bypass was the most sensible solution to the congestion at Rt 62/31. Most of the effort for the Northern route was driven by Meyer Materials for purely selfish reasons. I think the current administration has done an excellent job running the town, balancing intelligent development and ecological sanity, along with fiscal responsibility. Go Algonquin, a great place to live, work and play.
Mike S.
8:16 am on Thursday, November 15, 2012
Traffic studies are politically driven jokes. This does not even pass the smell test. The other commenters recognize that most of the problem is getting over the river. I'm sure the bypass will help a little - it's like adding more parking spaces - but it doesn't do a thing for getting over the river. When you come home at 5:30 from the east and are stuck on 62 for 15 or 20 minutes because it's backed up almost all the way to 25, the Western Bypass will help how?
There was an advisory referendum about the northern bypass almost 20 years that passed 2-1. Thanks for the efforts on behalf of the actual voters.
chuck
1:23 am on Thursday, November 15, 2012
Just wait until all the properties at the south end start flooding.
RON MODRICH
4:58 pm on Monday, January 7, 2013
JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF OUR VOTE THAT DOES NOTHING.?????
David
12:06 pm on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The thing that people are neglecting to mention, is that the downtown area with the current buildings and shops are not going to go anywhere. Further more, they are not going to be moved from their foundations and re-located for a four lane highway. FOLKS, this is for the benefit of a other wise vibrant downtown area with scenic beauty and convenience. I couldn't agree more with all the people involved in this project. The construction of this monstrosity might push things further up the road, but it eliminates 62 and 31 from being the default