In 1997 a committee of concerned citizens and municipal officials began a process to address the congestion at the intersection of Illinois Route 62 (Algonquin Road) and Illinois Route 31, in the heart of the Village of Algonquin. After an 18-month feasibility study, it was determined that moving Route 31 out of downtown Algonquin and constructing an interchange between Route 31 and Algonquin Road was a critical component in relieving the congestion, and the Algonquin Bypass was born. Over the seven years since approval of the Feasibility Study, other engineering work has been completed, to the point where the Algonquin Bypass can be built, except........... As always, the biggest hurdle is construction funding. In 2000, it was estimated that the Algonquin Bypass would cost $39 million. Through the work of Congressman Don Manzullo, a $9 million earmark was secured toward the construction of the bypass in the six-year Federal Transportation Bill. Then Governor Ryan committed that the remaining funds necessary to construct the Algonquin Bypass would be provided as part of his “Illinois First” capital improvement program. Since that time, due to delays and design changes required by the Illinois Department of Transportation, it is now estimated that the Algonquin Bypass will cost $80 million to build. To make matters worse, the money committed to the project by Governor Ryan has been used on other projects outside of McHenry County, leaving the Algonquin Bypass pitifully underfunded. In 2005, an additional $10 million was earmarked for the bypass in the most recent Federal Transportation Bill by Senators Durbin and Obama to bring the current total funding to $19 million, over $60 million short of what is needed to build the project. Our federal elected officials have done their part toward funding the Algonquin Bypass, but at this time the State of Illinois is committed to contributing.......NOTHING. The McHenry County Better Road Coalition asks that the State of Illinois honor its commitment to assist in building the Algonquin Bypass immediately.