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Project Description

The Weatherford Loop Feasibility Study was initiated by the Texas Department of Transportation’s Fort Worth District in May of 2003. The purpose of conducting a study was to evaluate the feasibility of constructing a loop roadway, or portions of a loop roadway, around the City of Weatherford.

The need to conduct this study stems from the continued increase in population growth within the City of Weatherford and Parker County. The population of Parker County expanded from 33,888 residents in 1970 to 88,495 residents in the year 2000. Future population projections for Parker County show an estimated population of 258,140 residents in the year 2025.

The Texas Department of Transportation is planning for an adequate transportation system to handle future traffic growth. Thus, this study is being conducted to assist the Department in developing a plan to keep the residents of Parker County moving.

The study area for this feasibility study is roughly a ten mile by ten mile square centered on the City of Weatherford, with the southern boundary set at Interstate 20 (IH 20). There are two principal east-west roadways in Parker County. IH 20 is a four-lane rural freeway in the west to east direction that crosses through the southern portion of the City of Weatherford. From the east side of Weatherford to the west side of Fort Worth, IH 20 becomes a six-lane rural freeway. The second principal east-west roadway through the study area is US 180. The eastern terminus of US 180 is in Hudson Oaks, Texas, which is immediately adjacent to the east side of Weatherford. US 180 west of Weatherford is a non-access controlled four-lane rural highway. As US 180 passes through Weatherford, the typical section changes to mostly a five-lane urban arterial, with two-lanes in each direction, and a continuous two-way left turn lane in the center median. Immediately in the downtown area of Weatherford, US 180 becomes a “round-about” as it passes around the historic Parker County Courthouse and as it intersects with FM 51/SH 171 at the Courthouse square. Besides IH 20, there are nine principal roadways in Parker County: FM 51, FM 2421, FM 920, US 180W, Spur 312, FM 1884, SH 171, FM 2552, US 180E, all of which converge at the Courthouse square.

The goals of this study are to determine whether a loop roadway around Weatherford will reduce traffic congestion on existing city streets, to determine if a loop is feasible and cost effective, and to determine if a loop roadway can be constructed with minimal impacts to the natural and human environment.

The components of the feasibility study include the following tasks:

1. Public Involvement
2. Assembly and Review of Data
3. Evaluation of Existing Conditions
4. Evaluation of Social and Environmental Impacts
5. Alternatives Analysis and Evaluation of Future Conditions
6. Alternative Refinement
7. Feasibility Report with conclusions and recommendations