Planning for Southwest Parkway Continues

The NTTA, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the City of Fort Worth and Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) officially waived their termination rights Sept. 25 to a formal agreement and executed all associated agreement documents, paving the way for Southwest Parkway (SWP) construction to begin in and around the UPRR Davidson Yard in Fort Worth. 

The UPRR Davidson Yard agreement and the completion of construction across the yard is the key for a continuous SWP/SH121 corridor from Interstate Highway 30 to Altamesa Boulevard.  It is expected that the UPRR will proceed immediately with construction of their improvements.

The NTTA has designated a preliminary portion of initial construction work for the UPRR Davidson Yard as “Section 2C.”  It is expected that advertisement for the Section 2C construction package will take place in early December 2009, with an expected construction start date of March 2010.  The NTTA’s early construction package for Section 2C is intended to facilitate completion of UPRR’s work, and completion of key components of SWP/SH 121 that are heavily coordinated with UPRR construction activities.

The Southwest Parkway project has been divided into primary and subsections for construction. These designations include Section 1 IH 30/Summit Avenue, Section 2 Rogers Road to south of Arborlawn Drive, Section 2B At Hulen Street and UPRR Davidson Yard, Section 3 south of Arborlawn Drive to south of Overton Ridge Boulevard and Section 4 south of Overton Ridge Boulevard to south of Altamesa Boulevard.  These five sections are each expected to proceed from the design phase to construction starting in mid 2010.

In addition to the project sections listed above, an early phase of construction in Section 3 is expected to be started by TxDOT in November.  As a result of $133.9 million in federal stimulus money, construction of these local access improvements is expected to begin in January 2010, with the balance of Section 3 beginning construction at a later date.  Upon completion of final agreements with TxDOT, the entire Southwest Parkway Corridor is expected to open in early 2013.

Southwest Parkway, an 8.7-mile limited-access toll road, and 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.

For a monthly project update, please go to www.ntta.org/AboutUs/Projects/ and click on the “Southwest Parkway (TxDOT)/Chisholm Trail Parkway” Corridor Progress Report.