31 Bypass Ground Broken As Algonquin Road Closures Set

Giant earthmovers at Algonquin's Route 31 Western Bypass site shut down for an hour Monday morning while officials conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for the project that's been underway since May.  Monday afternoon the Village sent out an alert that eastbound Algonquin Road lanes will shut down today, traffic both ways switching to the present westbound lanes for construction of the Bypass's planned interchange with Route 31.

Taking the microphone from Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, 16th District Congressman Don Manzullo gazed over the construction site and said, "It's like two Moses looking over the promised land."  Manzullo, Durbin, Algonquin Mayor John Schmitt, McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler and State Sen. Pam Althoff vied at giving each other the most credit for making the project, 20 years in planning, happen.  Schmitt was the apparent winner, showing considerable surprise when Althoff announced the main bridge over Algonquin Road would be named after him.

"Getting people home at 5 or 6 o'clock instead of sitting in Barrington looking at the village hall," was what the Bypass was all about, said Schmitt. "It took all of the people here--all of them to get it done," he said.