When Ivanka Lopes, junior, drove around a tight curve a few weeks ago, her car skidded off the shoulder of Wilson Avenue.
“It was snowing, and I had to get home,” Lopes said. “It was very scary.”
Lopes and her vehicle weren’t harmed, and Lopes said she continues to drive down Wilson Avenue two to three times a day despite the incident.
Map provided by the City of Chesterfield
Throughout 2023, the City of Chesterfield has been preparing to improve Wilson Avenue. In November, the City began appraising and acquiring the land needed to carry out the project. Construction is estimated to begin in the Spring of 2026 after the City finalizes plans with a construction company.
Wilson Avenue connects Wild Horse Creek Road to Clarkson Road and is frequented by students driving to school. Lopes said she avoided Wilson Avenue when first learning to drive, as it is narrow, curvy and often wet or icy.
Jim Eckrich, Chesterfield director of public works, said the city has been looking to improve the road since 1994. The project was revisited in 2021 due to resident requests.
Eckrich said the main problems with the road are the alignment of the road, danger at the intersection with Wild Horse Creek Road, lack of pedestrian accommodations and an inability to drain water efficiently.
“We don’t maintain many roads like Wilson, so this is a very different project for us,” Eckrich said.
The total cost of the project is $2.5 million, with $1.14 million being grant-funded. The road will be expanded from 18 feet to 22 feet wide with four-foot shoulders, and bike lanes and sidewalks will be added. The sharp curve near the intersection of Wild Horse Creek Road will be lessened and the intersection will be reconstructed.
“It’s a difficult project, but it’s certainly not impossible,” Eckrich said. “The worry right now is acquiring right-of-way from some of the adjacent property owners because it’s such an old road.”
Although the project was revisited due to resident complaints, Eckrich said there has been much debate over the road’s expansion.
“For a while, the residents in the area couldn’t decide if they wanted the road improved or not,” Eckrich said.
Jessica Aldenderfer, senior, lives off of Wilson Avenue, and her parents attended a town hall meeting about the improvements recently. She said she doesn’t think the project is necessary.
“Besides those two turns at the very end, I don’t think the road is that bad,” Aldenderfer said.
She said she is glad for the improved safety of the road but doesn’t think the road needs to be widened.
Aldenderfer said she uses the road almost every day as a shortcut to the Valley and her church. If the Wild Horse Creek Road intersection is closed, Aldenderfer said she and her family will need to take Baxter instead.
“It wouldn’t be awful, but it would just take a little more time which I wouldn’t be happy with,” Aldenderfer said.
