Residents, including Ben Whiteman, urge Weatherford to drop roundabout route in proposed bypass

At its regular meeting, the Weatherford City Council heard extended public comment urging the city to reconsider a proposed bypass route that includes roundabouts through older residential neighborhoods.

Ben Whiteman, who identified himself as a neighborhood spokesperson, told the council he and other residents oppose the route shown in the current thoroughfare plan and said a 2013 revision reinserted a plan element residents had rejected in 2002. "It's not gonna happen," Whiteman said, describing a return of the northerly route with roundabouts that he said would be impractical for large trucks and would require a wide mountable apron that could take part of Cherry Park.

Whiteman listed specific neighborhood impacts, including a daycare whose children regularly walk to Cherry Park and a string of properties with historic markers. "You'll be taking out part of Cherry Park, one of the most used parks in the city," he said, and warned that the geometry of a roundabout on West Columbia would make the route unsafe for children walking to the park.

A city staff member said staff will set up meetings with affected residents and will meet separately with north and south neighborhood groups. The staff response also said the intent of the project is to route through‑truck traffic to the Rick Williamson Loop so only destination trucks would remain in downtown areas. When asked about noise mitigation such as sound barriers, staff said no design work has been completed on that issue.

Other residents raised related concerns. Richard Woodman asked the council to consider construction hours because of a large elderly population near the proposed route, and Mary Jackson urged the council to avoid routing the bypass through older residential areas because she does not expect downtown shopping to return if that fabric is altered.

The council did not vote on any route at this meeting; staff said they will schedule outreach meetings and post information on a Heritage Square project website.