It’s Happening: Construction of Maryland’s Purple Line Set to Start This Year
Yesterday, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that a contractor has been selected to build the 14-mile Purple Line light rail in DC's Maryland suburbs. It's a milestone and a major relief following Hogan's long history of brinkmanship with the project.
Kelli Raboy at Greater Greater Washington posted the happy news:
After Marylanders elected Governor Larry Hogan in November 2014, it wasn't clear whether the long-planned light-rail line would even happen. But following a prolonged public show of support, Hogan announced that the Purple Line would get built if Montgomery and Prince George's Counties committed more funds and trains ran less frequently.
Four teams submitted bids in December, and Maryland selected Purple Line Transit Partners. Some have questioned the bidder's plan to purchase railcars from a company that made some of Metro's least reliable cars and has been plagued with delays in other cities.
After a series of state and federal approvals, construction should start late this year for a planned opening date in spring 2022.
Progress on the Purple Line, however, is also a bittersweet reminder of Hogan's other big transit policy decision -- killing Baltimore's Red Line so he could shift hundreds of millions of dollars to road expansion projects.
Elsewhere on the Network today: PubliCola posts an update on Seattle's precarious bike-share situation. And the Dallas Morning News transportation blog reports that a North Texas toll road builder has filed for bankruptcy.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
‘Duped’: Blowing the Whistle on an Illegal Temporary License Plate Business
Temporary license plates exist so that people who buy cars can drive them before receiving metal plates. But drivers found another use for them during the pandemic: buy a temp tag on the black market and you can keep your car anonymous and off the books.
Another Cyclist Attacked in Oakland
A passing car’s passenger assaulted cyclist David Colburn on Wednesday while he was riding his bike on San Pablo in Oakland. The passenger “…leaned out a window to intentionally smack me in the head.”
How Auto-Centric Infrastructure is Making Us Sick
Instead of endless promises to fix America's "crumbling roads and bridges," filmmaker Andy Boenau argues we need to talk about our crumbling minds and bodies — and how our autocentric infrastructure approach contributes to them.
Talking Headways Podcast: Undoing Autocentric Design in a Michigan City
A Michigan city tries to undo the mistakes of the past. It's hard.
