Successful Hump Lead Test Moves Southwest Parkway Project Forward

Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) officials have completed the construction of the hump lead at Davidson Yard in Fort Worth – part of the Southwest Parkway – and have announced this month that no further testing is required.
 
The hump lead is a vital part of operations at the Davidson Yard and was scheduled to undergo an intensive two week testing period, but with UPRR officials accepting initial testing, the project is one step closer to paving the way for construction of the Southwest Parkway.

The purpose of a hump lead is to lead rail cars to an incline, or “hump,” where the cars are separated from each other and then guided by switches onto destination-specific tracks.

With this milestone completed, the NTTA is another step closer to beginning construction of an overpass above Davidson Yard. The rail yard is critical to UPRR operations, as it connects U.S. companies to Southern California ports, the eastern U.S. and Mexican gateways. Equipped with 69 sets of railroad tracks, Davidson Yard is one of UPRR’s largest freight classification facilities, with more than 100 daily train movements to handle in- and out-bound trains.

The satisfactory evaluation also advances the construction of the SWP, an 8.7-mile limited-access toll road. It is part of a 28-mile roadway that will run from the Fort Worth central business district through southwest Fort Worth to Cleburne in Johnson County. The project will enhance the mobility between downtown Fort Worth and the rapidly developing areas in southwest Tarrant County.

Before construction of the actual roadway begins, terms of the formal agreement between the NTTA, City of Fort Worth, the Texas Department of Transportation, and UPRR must be finalized.  NTTA officials expect this important milestone to occur in fall 2009.