Fort Worth concludes deal with UP on overpass
Written by jrood
Ft. Worth City Council members wrapped up a complicated deal with Union Pacific that will allow construction of an overpass for the Southwest Parkway over the Davidson Rail Yard along West Vickery Boulevard, according to The Star-Telegram.
The overpass is one of the
trickiest parts of the Southwest Parkway, a planned toll road that will stretch
from the west side of downtown Fort Worth into Johnson County. The bridge
requires numerous footings in the rail yard, but the railroad objected to any
construction activities that would disrupt its traffic.
Negotiations over the $95-million
overpass dragged on for months and ended only when the city agreed to build a
temporary hump lead in the yard to help sort rail cars during bridge construction.
The preliminary agreement was signed in January but was delayed until this
month as both sides worked out details and Union Pacific tested the hump lead.
The parkway is a joint
venture of the city, the Texas Department of Transportation and the North Texas
Tollway Authority. The three groups are still negotiating a way to fund
construction of the road’s main lanes.
