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Southwest Parkway/Chisholm Trail Progress Progress continues on the Southwest Parkway/Chisholm Trail project in Tarrant County as the NTTA, City of Fort Worth, Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) waived their termination rights Sept. 23 to the formal agreement that will advance the construction of Southwest Parkway (SWP) across and adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) Davidson Yard. This action, however, is contingent upon receipt of fully conforming and executing agreement documents from all parties by the deadline of Friday, Sept. 25. If this contingency is not satisfied, the NTTA reserves the right to terminate the agreement.
The UPRR Davidson Yard agreement was the lynchpin for the Southwest Parkway project to go forward. It is expected the UPRR will proceed immediately with construction of their improvements for the planned initial construction phase. In December 2009, the NTTA will advertise contracts for the UPRR Davidson Yard Section 2B of the Southwest Parkway project with construction anticipated to begin in March 2010.
Southwest Parkway, an 8.7-mile limited-access toll road, and a proposed extension known as the Chisholm Trail Parkway combine to form a 28-mile roadway that will extend from the Fort Worth Central Business District in Tarrant County to the City of Cleburne in northern Johnson County. The project, under consideration for more than 40 years, will enhance mobility between downtown Fort Worth and the fast developing areas in southwest Tarrant County, reduce congestion, and enhance safety and convenience for the traveling public. The portion of State Highway 121 between Farm-to-Market Road 1187 and U.S. 67 was designated as the Chisholm Trail Parkway by the Texas Legislature on Sept. 1, 2003.
The UPRR’s Davidson Yard is a strategic location for rail operations moving goods between the Midwest and Texas and Mexico and is a key rail terminal on the route between California, Texas and the Southeast. It is a 24-hour-a-day operation, 365 days a year, which handles between 60 and 70 trains a day.
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