The city of Fort Worth and the Texas Department of Transportation entered into an advance funding agreement for water main relocation work on US 287 and US 81 at Harmon Road in north Fort Worth during its Sept. 29 meeting.

What you need to know: Council approved an advance funding agreement with TxDOT for $3.75 million and an amended contract with engineering firm Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. for an additional $107,700 in engineering services for work on Harmon Road and portions of North Tarrant Parkway. The revised contract totals $522,800.

The TxDOT project involves reconstructing frontage roads and making intersection improvements along US 81 from I-35W to Harmon Road.

What else? In addition, council authorized $22.7 million in funding for eight high-priority transportation projects.

In Council District 10, $4.2 million was approved for the widening of Westport Parkway from SH 170 to Park Vista Boulevard.

From a new place to get pizza and burgers under one roof to an upcoming fitness training gym, take a look at 14 business updates around Keller, Roanoke and northeast Fort Worth. This list is not comprehensive.

Now open: 9 Ounce and Somm

The wine bar and cigar lounge offers Mediterranean- and African-inspired appetizers, skewers, desserts, fried foods and hot foods. Majid Shavandy serves as the restaurant’s general manager and head chef.

• Opened Sept. 22

• 9577 Harmon Road, Ste. 105, Fort Worth

• www.9ounceandsomm.com

Jimmy’s Burgers and Pizza

Owner Kris Copp calls wings, pizza and burgers “the American meal” and offers unique variations of pizza, like the crab rangoon pie and the hot Hawaiian pizza, topped with jalapenos and house-made hot honey. There is also a Hawaiian burger.

• Opened Sept. 29

• 4741 Golden Triangle Blvd., Fort Worth

• www.jimmysburgersandpizza.com

The University of North Texas will open its brand-new science and technology building in the spring after breaking ground in August 2024. Officials hosted a tour of the nearly complete facility Oct 9.

The collaborative space and research facility is for UNT’s growing biomedical engineering, life sciences, chemistry, kinesiology, psychology and data science research footprints on its Denton campus, according to the university website.

Two-minute impact: The four-story, 110,000-square-foot building is located at the southwest corner of West Mulberry Street and Avenue C in Denton.

The project was funded by $103.4 million in tuition revenue bonds authorized by the 87th Texas Legislature in 2021, according to UNT’s website.

Looking ahead: The official spring opening date for the research building has not been announced yet, said Amanda Lyons, assistant director of media relations at UNT.

She added that a ribbon-cutting ceremony will occur in early 2027.

AT&T is building its new headquarters in Plano and West Coast University in Richardson is planning renovations. Check out some of the latest construction filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

1. AT&T headquarters Central Utility Plant

Several TDLR filings were submitted for the new AT&T headquarters planned in Plano, including for a central utility plant to be used by the campus. A total of seven other buildings and three garages are included in filed plans for the headquarters, per previous reporting.

• Location: 5500 Legacy Drive, Plano

• Estimated timeline: Dec. 1, 2026-March 31, 2029

• Estimated cost: $1.05 billion (total from current filings)

2. Alliance Westport 12

AllianceTexas will have a new 600,000 square-foot facility to support 3 manufacturing lines, per a TDLR filing. The facility was first announced in March, per previous reporting. The facility will be near multiple logistics hubs, like BNSF’s Alliance Intermodal Facility, FedEx Ground Hub and Amazon Air Regional Hub.

• Location: 1501 Distribution Drive, Fort Worth

• Estimated timeline: Dec. 1, 2026-Sept. 1, 2027

• Estimated cost: $500 million

Texas environmental regulators have continued processing certain data center permits in the month since Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a permitting pause, according to a new report from FracTracker, an oil and gas watchdog group.

The details: Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality last month to "halt all permits sought by data centers" while the Electric Reliability Council of Texas audits proposed projects.

Yet as of Oct. 16, the TCEQ had moved at least 35 data center-related applications forward, per an analysis of TCEQ records.

Zooming in: The agency has issued public notices for three data center projects since Abbott ordered the pause Sept. 21. It also approved stormwater coverage, certified air emissions limits or assigned engineers to other projects.

"No permits have been approved," Andrew Mahaleris, the governor's press secretary, said Oct. 20. "In line with the governor’s directive, TCEQ has not taken and will not take any proactive actions related to the approval of data center permits."

"These actions do not signal an agency trying to pause," FracTracker said in the report.