As I was about to head beddy-bye, a press release arrived from United States Representative Don Manzullo. It follows up on the earmarking of $250,000 to help a bit with extending Algonquin Road west of Huntley. I will point out again that $250,000 is not big money in highway projects, as you can see from the prior projects

The press release follows:

U.S. House Approves $250,000 Manzullo Secured to Help Extend Algonquin Road West of Huntley

(CRYSTAL LAKE) The U.S. House of Representatives tonight approved $250,000 in federal funds to help relieve traffic congestion in McHenry County by extending Algonquin Road west of Route 47 to the western side of Huntley.

The funding, secured by Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) is included in the 2008 Transportation-Treasury-Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill the House approved tonight. The funds must still be approved by the Senate and signed into law by the President. Manzullo will work with U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, both of Illinois, to make sure the funding is protected throughout the process.

The 2.7-mile-long project will extend Algonquin Road west from Route 47, cross Marengo Road and intersect with Harmony Road at Brier Hill Road just west of the Huntley High School campus. The federal funds would be used to design a grade-separated highway structure over the Union Pacific Railroad as part of the road project.

“This is a critical project that will ease traffic congestion in one of the fastest growing areas of McHenry County,” Manzullo said. “Algonquin Road is a vital east-west artery for motorists in the southern part of McHenry County. The extension will allow motorists a faster way to get to the west side of Huntley and westbound Interstate 90 by bypassing congested Route 47. I was happy to seek and secure federal funds for this important project.”

Transportation funding has always been Congressman Manzullo’s #1 priority for McHenry County. Over the last several years, he has secured more than $31 million in federal funds to relieve severe traffic congestion in McHenry County, including:

• $19 million ($9 million in 1998 and $10 million in 2005) for a new western bypass road around clogged Routes 31/62 intersection in Algonquin.
• $6.72 million ($1 million in 2004 and $5.72 million in 2005) to widen Route 47 to 5 lanes from Kreutzer to Reed roads in Huntley.
• $5.72 million in 2005 to widen Rakow Road from Randall Road to Route 31 in Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills.
• $1 million in 2004 for intersection improvement at Crystal Lake Avenue and Pingree Road in Crystal Lake.

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The photograph is from Congressman Don Manzullo’s press conference near the corner of Routes 62 (Algonquin Road) and 31 in which he and other called for Governor Rod Blagojevich to put Algonquin’s Western Bypass back into the state budget.