Wright City is preparing to upgrade Stuermann Road, which has been described as one of the worst residential streets in the city, by widening and repaving about a quarter-mile of the road.

Stuermann Road is located at Wright City’s southern edge, along Highway H, and is the only road providing access to two subdivisions with more than 250 homes. It’s a construction road that was abandoned by a home builder more than a decade ago, that the city has made work in order to serve those homes.

City officials say the first quarter-mile of the Stuermann Road isn’t quite wide enough for two cars to pass each other, causing drivers to frequently put their wheels on the edge of the pavement or into gravel and grass on the side. Poor drainage also allows water to flow beneath the paved surface and undermine its integrity, requiring more frequent repairs.

Public Works Director Kyle Roettger told city aldermen in January that he has received a cost estimate of $90,000 to widen the problematic section of road by 4 feet and then repave the entire width of road for that quarter mile. Roettger said the work would also include construction of a drainage channel so that water isn’t washing out the sides of the road.

Roettger added that water and sewer pipes will have to be replaced as part of the project, but that will be the responsibility of Public Water Supply District 2.

The Wright City Board of Aldermen gave preliminary approval on Jan. 26 to solicit contractor bids for the construction. 

Aldermen said the entire road improvement will be paid for by special $500 fees that were charged to homebuilders developing the two subdivisions. Those fees have now accumulated to about $100,000.

“When that road was annexed (into the city), it was in shambles ... it was a gravel road,” said Alderman Ramiz Hakim. “Every home that was built there had to pay a $500 fee that specifically went to that road, could not be used for anything else. Now since those subdivisions have been built up and there’s no empty lots ... we’re ready to finally have a conversation about it.”

Hakim noted that he is one of the residents who has lived off Stuermann Road for a number of years and believes it is “the worst residential road in the city,” but that he advocated for Wright City to delay road improvements until the project was funded by the special home building fees.

Aldermen also noted that having a special, dedicated funding source for Stuermann Road is why this project is moving forward while other significant street repairs are being delayed. The city has received complaints about deterioration on sections of Westwoods Road, Indian Head Lodge Road and Edgewater Circle, all of which serve one or more neighborhoods. However, aldermen have not yet funded major repairs for those complaints because they are seeking outside grant funding for the projects.

City Administrator Jim Schuchmann estimated that accounting for time to select a contractor and get all the work scheduled, the Stuermann Road project will be done within a six-month window.

“It might be done sooner if everything fell in place, but the safe bet is to say by fall,” Schuchmann noted.