ALGONQUIN – When Gary Overbay, chairman of the McHenry County Economic Development Corp. board, spoke at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Algonquin Western Bypass, he said people have been trying to make the bypass a reality for 16 or 40 years, depending on whom you ask.

The remark received a laugh from the crowd gathered to celebrate the construction of 2.11 miles of four-lane divided highway west of downtown. But finding a way to fix congestion at Routes 31 and 62 had been on the mind of McHenry County residents for quite a while.

Research into a solution for traffic began about 40 years ago.