UPRR Getting Rails Ready for Northpark Closure

2/21/25 – The UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) has started preparing rails that it will place in one 200-foot long section across 10 lanes of Northpark Drive traffic.

The closure of Northpark for the installation is still scheduled for March 5-7.

UPRR is prepping the rails in the old northbound lanes of Loop 494 immediately north of Northpark. I can’t wait to see how they maneuver a section this large into place. It will be like trying to lift something the length of 10 20-foot cargo containers placed end to end.

Work to Date on Rail Prep

So far, UPRR has fused individual sections of rail into two long sections and placed them side by side. They have also started to stack railroad ties next to the rails. Presumably, at some point, the rails will be positioned on the ties before they move together.

The 17-second video below dramatizes how long the sections of rail are. The drone is moving almost as fast as the white vehicle that enters the frame a few seconds in.

Video taken afternoon of 2/21/2025

Here’s an overhead perspective that lets you gauge length by the number of cars backed up at the red light.

*Overhead shot shows length of rails between red brackets. Section equals the length of 11-12 vehicles waiting for red light.* *Workers had not yet completed laying all ties to the left end of the rails.*

As I was leaving, another 18-wheeler showed up with more ties.

*Shot from other end shows how flexible solid steel can be in long lengths.* *Note rail on left.*

UPRR appears to have straightened the rail on the right so that workers can line up ties against it.

Welding the track in a single section improves strength and safety by reducing the risk of rails shifting. I will post more details about the track prep as the effort progresses.

The new track will stretch under and across ten full lanes of traffic. Those include:

Three lanes of westbound traffic over a bridge yet to be built
Three lanes of eastbound traffic over the same bridge
Two westbound surface lanes, one for turning north, the other for turning south
Two eastbound surface lanes, one for traffic entering from the north and the other for traffic entering from the south.

Northpark Closed March 5-7, But with U-Turn at Railroad

To put the track in place, UPRR needs to close down Northpark Drive in BOTH directions simultaneously to work with massive cranes.

Ralph De Leon, project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, stressed that the remainder of Northpark Drive will remain open so that people may access businesses.

Just plan on getting across the tracks some way other than Northpark. Contractors will construct a U-turn just before the track closure so that people can get to/from nearby businesses, such as Dunkin’ Donuts.