FORT WORTH (AP) - Denton County officials have broken ground on a $15 million project that will expand a nearly three-mile section of State Highway 114 fronting Texas Motor Speedway.

The project will focus on lane expansion for the highway from Interstate 35W to FM 156, a 2.95-mile stretch that is primarily a two-lane road and will be expanded to as many as six lanes of frontage roads.

Denton County commissioner Andy Eads says the lane expansion by Texas Motor Speedway, which hosts two NASCAR Sprint Cup races each year, is the first of three phases.

TMS says construction will be halted during the speedway's race weekends.  Officials say the project will be completed by September 2013.