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Union Pacific Railroad plans to spend $18.7 million to improve a 17-mile line that parallels a portion of the Hardy Toll Road in Houston.

Crews will remove and install new rail, 11 track switches and more than 45,000 concrete ties, spread more than 78,000 tons of ballast and renew roadway surfaces at seven grade crossings. The project will involve UP’s TRT 909 track renewal train, which can install rail and concrete ties in one pass. The train features 30 rail cars, each capable of carrying 210 concrete ties.

Last year, UP completed a $29 million project to improve a second line that parallels the toll road.

The Class I also plans to spend $11.2 million to improve a 75-mile line between Grand Junction and near Somerset, Colo. The project calls for removing and installing about 81,000 ties, renewing surfaces at 64 crossings, installing about one mile of new rail in various curves and spreading 43,700 tons of ballast.

Both projects are part of UP’s $3.2 billion 2011 capital spending budget, which provides funds for projects designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of the railroad's 32,000-mile network.