The Wright City Board of Aldermen approved two agreements with MoDOT for improvements to city streets at their July 24 meeting. 

The first of the two agreements, will overlay Second Street from Oak Street to Elm Street. Second Street is technically a state road as a part of Veterans Memorial Parkway. 

The city will contract with Magruder Construction, who is conducting a MoDOT project on VMP at a cost of just under $18,400. 

“I reached out to them to see what the city would have to contribute to overlay the full width of the road from Oak Street to Elm Street,” said Public Works Director Kyle Roettger. “They got back to me yesterday and the city’s portion to overlay the stretch from curb to curb will be $18,302.”

He continued, saying MoDOT was looking to start work soon, and said they would need an answer by the first week of August. 

Alderman Ramiz Hakim spoke in favor of the improvements, saying this was a way the city could save on some repairs before MoDOT abandons the street.
“Since MoDOT is going to abandon that road eventually, it’s eventually just gonna have to be absorbed by the city, so again, this is another common sense thing in my opinion,” said Hakim. 

Mayor Michelle Heiliger said the city was also considering repairing the sidewalks on the street while the project was underway. 

Roettger said the public works department had spoken to MoDOT about correcting some of the elevations on that road and unfortunately since the scope of the work will only include milling and an overlay, those improvements will have to wait. 

“There’s really no way we can actually make that less steep with this project anyway. I’m not saying that’s something we can’t look for in the future but this project is not going to address that,” said Roettger. 

He did however confirm that MoDOT will be filling a persistent and large pothole near the Wright City Police Department. 

That project will be paid for out of the city’s $6.5 million in bond funds for road improvements that were approved by voters in the April 2024 election. 

The agreement was approved unanimously. 

The board also approved a resolution for a cost-share agreement to make improvements to the intersection of Bell Road and the north outer road on Interstate 70. 

They had previously considered a proposal but had sent the agreement back to MoDOT and asked them for additional funding. 

Heiliger said the city had met with MoDOT again following their previous meeting and the department had agreed to pay for the project in full. 

According to Heiliger, the city had prepared a memorandum of understanding for the project with MoDOT to be signed by the city once the resolution was passed. 

Roettger said he was still waiting for permits for the project as it would require two traffic control plans to reroute motorists while the intersection is closed for construction. 

“During construction, so when we’re excavating, pouring and all that, we will shut the road down and detour, and then we’re going to submit a separate plan from when they’re not actually present, working on it,” said Roettger. “We will still keep one lane open, so it’ll be a one-lane road to enter that entrance.”

Heiliger also clarified the city would notify residents to use detours to get around the intersection while construction was underway. 

Roettger said once the permits for traffic control plans were submitted and approved, crews would get to work on the intersection “ASAP.”

The cost-share agreement was approved unanimously following an “enthusiastic” motion for passage from Alderman Karey Owens.