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The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA), city of Fort Worth and Union Pacific Railroad recently reached an agreement to build a temporary hump yard lead track that would enable NTTA to construct the Southwest Parkway toll road across Davidson Yard without disrupting yard operations.

The parties expect to complete the lead track’s design, construction and testing in about six months pending the agreement’s approval by the Fort Worth city council and NTTA’s board. The city council will consider the measure at its regular meeting today and the NTTA board will discuss the agreement during its regular monthly meeting on Nov. 19.

An 8.7-mile limited-access toll road, the Southwest Parkway is part of a planned 28-mile road that would run from the Fort Worth central business district through southwest Fort Worth to Cleburne. The parkway will be the first road built over a UP hump yard.

As lead track testing moves forward, the parties plan to negotiate a final agreement on all remaining issues associated with constructing Southwest Parkway across the yard.

"We understand the importance of Southwest Parkway to North Texas and are pleased that we have reached the basis for moving forward,” said UP Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Young in a prepared statement.