With the first Purple Line train due to leave the station in late 2022, we have some extraordinary news ---- a donor has come forward with a matching grant challenge and has offered a way to help us raise the funds necessary to get us over the finish line!!

This matching challenge is being done as a tribute to those who worked so hard in those early years to make this project a reality, some of whom are no longer with us and sadly won’t be able to take the first ride they dreamed of with us. Read on to see three whose hard work, perseverance, and elbow grease built the support and outreach to steer the way for the project becoming a reality.

Our donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, will match your donations up to $5,000!! Details of how this all works are at the end of the email, so please keep reading.

We are grateful to everyone who has taken a moment to remember Purple Line NOW in your holiday giving these past few weeks. (Please note: any donations that came in over the past month WILL count toward the matching grant challenge!) 

As we mentioned in our previous newsletter, we are at a difficult crossroads ---- our mission is clear, but we must find more funding to bridge us up to ribbon-cutting day.

Our benefactor wants to stress that donors are welcome to honor anyone who may have inspired them to activism, tributes to early volunteers, civil servants, and/or boosters who may have had to step back. They are all in our thoughts as we make this appeal to you.

And, there’s even more to this outreach of generosity!

This is not a one-time matching grant ---- our anonymous donor will match three-year pledges, as well as one-time donations. With your help, this will provide the financial support Purple Line NOW needs for advocacy work until the first ride when our group will disband, having achieved its goal!

If you let us know who you are thinking of as you donate, we’ll make sure to list them and a little bit about their service on our website. See the three below whose names are synonymous with the Purple Line, but we know there are so many more that deserve recognition and we hope you'll help us highlight them, too!

Harry Sanders conceived of the idea for a connecting spoke to WMATA’s metro that would serve the Maryland bi-county sector, providing much needed access to transit for residents and workers alike. Harry’s son, Greg Sanders, who is Purple Line NOW’s Vice President, grew up with parents who dedicated their volunteer hours to making the project a reality. In the photo above, Harry and his wife Barbara are at the New Carrollton Metro just after hearing that the Purple Line was named the local preferred option in 2009. Zoom in to see the signs they are holding in their arms! Harry’s approach to advocacy was to nudge, cajole, and educate in a gentle and helpful way. That philosophy lives with all of our Purple Line NOW volunteers to this day.

Barbara Steckel was President of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County and actively lobbied the General Assembly on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Maryland on a variety of issues. She was an avid supporter of the Purple Line and tried to convince the County Council not to rebuild the old railroad bridge over Rock Creek Park or to improve the railroad grade that the county had purchased for what was then to be called the Georgetown Branch Trolley. She was worried that users of the improved trail would become so enamored with it that they would be angry when light rail construction began and would fight the project. 

Keith Haller, a longtime advocate of the line and former Purple Line NOW Board Member, provided critical analysis, access to elected officials who could help, and a walking encyclopedia of how the process would work and how we could best position ourselves to help educate and encourage the community to come around to the idea of this light rail project. Keith’s big ideas, as he used to call them in our meetings, helped us see the bigger picture and reach “onward and upward” ---- a favorite phrase of Mr. Haller’s that we heard often.

With those three in mind, and countless others, we ask you to make a donation to Purple Line NOW and if possible, consider extending that donation over three years. So, for example, you might make a $300 total pledge at $100 per year for the next three years. And, our matching donor will double that each year! We appreciate all levels of donations. Every dollar helps us get to opening day.

For those of you unfamiliar with matching challenges, here are the details:

Our donor has offered to match EVERY donation, dollar for dollar, up to $5,000 per year for three years. This is a way for you to DOUBLE your donation! See, we told you it was big news!

And, the donor has generously agreed to match any donations that came in from individuals in the past few weeks, as well. We are grateful.

Purple Line NOW needs, on average, about $20,000 a year to accomplish its work, producing a bi-weekly newsletter, hosting free educational events, team meetings, and helping the community get answers to its construction-related questions. We rarely hold special events to raise money as we have always been funded by the generosity of donors who step up when the need arises.

We have three years to go and hope you’ll join us on the final leg of our journey! All Aboard!

DONATE

In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• Stay Tuned for Exciting Purple Line NOW News!
• An Update on Tree Replacement Resources
• A Recap of Greater Lyttonsville Place/Woodside Community Advisory Team Meetings

Dear Friends,

We hope you had a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday and are staying warm and toasty as autumn turns to winter!

We are so grateful to everyone who has sent in a donation or clicked on the DONATE button below in the past few weeks! You will see an email in your inbox in the next few days entitled "The First Purple Line Ride" announcing an exciting way to help Purple Line NOW continue its work. We have received a generous matching donation challenge from one of our supporters and we will spill all the details early next week. In the meantime, we are grateful to all who are helping us through these next 3.5 years. Opening day will be here before we know it!

In case you missed our appeal a few weeks ago, please take a moment to have a look:

Purple Line NOW is approaching a turning point in the services we will be able to offer as we go forward in 2020. With visible construction all around our communities, it is easy for the community to believe our work is done, and by and large, it is thrilling to see our advocacy efforts (and yours!) over the years come into focus in such an exciting way.

For us, though, a nearly all-volunteer organization, with one quarter-time employee, fundraising has been difficult and dwindling over the past year, despite enthusiastic attendance at our very popular forums, a widely read bi-weekly newsletter, and increasing calls and emails from the community for problem-solving help due to construction woes. We simply cannot continue our work without the funding necessary to provide these services.

As we head into the holidays, we ask you to consider a donation to Purple Line NOW. We are working on a winter forum right now, and as you can see in the newsletter below, we continue to push out as much information as we can. Please click the black "DONATE" button below to help us continue our work and forward to any friends or colleagues who will benefit from the Purple Line once opened. As always, we proudly list all of our donors on our website and in all event literature. Thank you.

Share This Newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.

CONSTRUCTION NEWS TO KNOW

Resources for Replacing Trees

We often hear concerns about the number of trees removed along the route to construct the Purple Line. It is sad to see those tree go, even if their removal will bring about a transit line that will help reduce the number of cars (and their emissions) on our roads in just a few short years. Trees are important for environmental, aesthetic, and shade reasons and that's why we think it's so important to share resources available to private property holders in Montgomery County (where much of the tree loss has occurred) to plant new trees with support from the county.

In the September 25, 2018 edition of Purple Line NOW News, we reported on some of the reasons for loss of trees, especially along Wayne Avenue, in many cases, to accommodate increased volts and to prevent arcing. The builder emphasized in the previous Montgomery County Transportation and Engineering Committee briefing that they are not removing any trees unless “absolutely necessary,” but to maintain the same amount of lanes, they had to widen the road which meant more tree loss. The concessionaire is operating within the guidelines of the Maryland Forest Conservation Act and is replacing 80 acres of tree banks. Thirty overstory trees, along with 25 flowering trees, will be replanted adjacent to Wayne Avenue.

As we also reported, Tim Cupples from Montgomery County MDOT mentioned that he has been connecting folks to Tree Montgomery which will work with residents to replace additional trees. They are also working with the county arborist for advice on where replanting will occur, as well as tree maintenance after planting. Tree Montgomery is the primary county program for putting trees into homeowners yards and is in the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection.

We have since learned of two other programs available to residents for acquiring trees for their yards from the Planning Department: Shades of Green and Leaves for Neighborhoods. The county's program for street trees (from the curb in to about 10') is out of MCDOT and is run by Brett Linkletter.

(Thank you to Don Slater for informing us of some of these resources.)

Greater Lyttonsville/Woodside Community Advisory Team Meeting

On November 12, 2019, residents and CAT members gathered to hear an update on their segment of the Purple Line. Presenters for this CAT meeting were:

Gary Witherspoon
MDOT MTA Public Outreach & Communications, Deputy Project Director

Carla Julian
PLTC Sr. Manager, Public Affairs/Community Outreach

Mark Edsall
PLTC Area 1 Lead Structural Engineer

You can view the entire presentation on their website, but some of the highlights are below. Stations in this segment include Lyttonsville and 16th Street/Woodside.

The team gave a quick overview of the entire project and then focused on the work that has been completed over the past year or so on this segment of the line. As you know, a year and a half ago, the Talbot Avenue Bridge was deconstructed to make way for a stronger and wider bridge with sidewalks. The Purple Line will pass under the new bridge, next to the CSX tracks. The new bridge, as well as the Lyttonsville station itself, will incorporate elements from the historic bridge.

In Rock Creek Park, the demolition of the remaining bridge over Rock Creek was completed, while construction of retaining walls continues.

At Lyttonsville Place, Phase One of the Montgomery County DOT parking lot has begun and on Stewart Avenue, utility relocation continues, along with the installation of the storm drainage system. For those who have children who attend Rosemary Hills Elementary School, you may have noticed that last summer, crews began pile driving for the Talbot Avenue Bridge. The former bridge has been completely removed.

Photo Courtesy of PLTP and MTA MDOT

On 16th Street (from the CSX corridor to Spring Street), tree removal continues, and the grading along the CSX tracks has started.

Looking ahead six months, you can expect the mass excavation to continue in Rock Creek Park. Crews will also begin the installation of a temporary bridge across Rock Creek so that construction crews can have access to the west slope. At Lyttonsville Place, the water and sewer relocation will be completed, while the installation of retaining walls will continue. The Noland Plumbing building will be demolished and the foundations for the Lyttonsville OMF administration building will begin, along with the erection of a new WSSC radio tower.

At Rosemary Hills Elementary, crews will complete the pile driving for the new Talbot Avenue Bridge while students are on holiday break. 

Along 16th Street, tree clearing will continue and slab at the Spring Street Shopping Center will be demolished. Please note that Spring Street will close between 16th Street and 2nd Avenue to traffic in late spring of 2020 while the demolition of the existing bridge occurs. The closure duration will be limited to 7 months. See the Spring Street Detour below.

Photo Courtesy of PLTP and MTA MDOT

As always, you can see the complete presentations at the MTA/MDOT website: Community Advisory Teams. The team encouraged everyone with concerns to call the Purple Line Hot-line at 240-424-5325. They will get an answering machine instead of a real person because they want a record of concerns. A text of the message left by the caller will be forwarded to the outreach team and they will respond as soon as they can.

PURPLE LINE NOW NEWS AND EVENTS

• Next Purple Line NOW Forum: Stay tuned for an announcement of the next Purple Line NOW forum happening late winter 2020!

PURPLE LINE NOW ACTION

Can You Help Purple Line NOW Continue Its Work?

If you haven't already given this year, would you consider a donation to Purple Line NOW? We have reprinted the appeal here as it contains all the bits you might want to know about what we do with your donations - those dollars work hard!

As we reported earlier this year, we here at Purple Line NOW have shifted our energy from our prior focus of advocating for funding and approval of the project to the daunting task of keeping communities along the Purple Line corridor up-to-speed regarding breaking news, construction woes, and exciting new developments being built around the new line.

Purple Line NOW operates on a very small budget and, as you know, we don’t hold special event fundraisers. Instead, we rely on an email outreach to our most dedicated supporters to help us meet our bottom line each year during our fall appeal campaign.

To that end, we ask for your financial support so that we may continue our work. Donating is easy via our secure link or by sending a check through the mail – all the information to do so can be found on our website.

Below, you will read what it is we do each year with your generous donations. As always, we are happy to answer any additional questions you may have. Just shoot us an email or give us a ring.

A reminder: Purple Line NOW does not receive underwriting grants from any source, government (local or otherwise), nor are we a membership organization (we do not ask for annual dues). We operate solely on donations from individuals and businesses like you who care about the Purple Line and whose generosity allow us to continue our work each year.

How Will Purple Line NOW Use My Donation?

As we said, Purple Line NOW exists on a very slender budget. Our work is done by a dedicated and hardworking group of volunteers, as well as one quarter-time employee. We pay for our website maintenance and for the resources needed to reach the community through email blasts, literature, and supplies. We also cover any expenses associated with hosting our popular educational forums – as you know, these events are always free and open to the public (we don’t charge you to attend!)

Purple Line NOW News

With your support, Purple Line NOW has published a bi-weekly, information-packed newsletter with the latest in construction news, photos, and insider information to keep you on top of what is going on in the field. We have a large following and we are often surprised that readers come from all over the country, from Baltimore to California! Thanks to the many volunteer contributors who help us write and release the newsletter every other week. It’s a big undertaking and we appreciate your support in making it happen! Did you know you can view all of our previous newsletters on our website?!

Envisioning the Purple Line Series

We continue the very popular Envisioning the Purple Line series of forums hosted in a variety of communities along the corridor in both Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. Just last month, we held an update in Chevy Chase, focused on Completing the Capital Crescent Trail where we brought in the CEO of the Purple Line Transit Partners (the builders), Montgomery County councilmembers, bicycle and trail advocates, and others to offer lots of information to the 70+ folks who attended. We try to do at least two events each year around the Purple Line Corridor. Previous events have been held in Silver Spring, Bethesda, Riverdale Park, University of Maryland, College Park, and more. We are currently working hard on organizing the next forum, so stay tuned!

Connecting People

Behind the scenes, Purple Line NOW serves as an unofficial clearing house of sorts for calls from residents and businesses who are looking for answers to issues they are experiencing while the project is under construction. We don’t always have all the answers, but we do try to connect folks with the proper resources.

Sharing Information

Purple Line NOW board members have a long tradition of attending hearings, testifying on behalf of the project, being a part of Purple Line-oriented neighborhood groups, and connecting to elected officials on behalf of the Line. Our volunteer board leadership continues to meet every single month in person, as they have done for over a decade, to share information gathered and exchange ideas to keep the project on track. We attend meetings, provide updates, and take notes! Many of our members stay on top of transit news through their membership and support of other local and regional transit organizations and many are also very active on the neighborhood Community Advisory Teams.

Maintaining a Presence

Finally, Purple Line NOW maintains a strong social media presence, staying connected to thousands via Facebook and Twitter and through our website, Purple Line NOW. If you haven’t signed up for those, do so today. You’ll get the latest news and be able to participate in discussions happening on those platforms.

Remember, with your donation, your name (or your business name) will be listed on our website, as well as in event literature and signage for a year following your donation.

We are grateful for your consideration of our request and for your support, financial and otherwise. We wish you a happy and healthy fall season.

Get Connected!

Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.

A very happy Thanksgiving to everyone in our community from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!

In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• An Important Message from Purple Line NOW
• A Recap of the University and Riverdale/Glen Ridge/New Carrollton Community Advisory Team Meetings

Dear Friends:

We hope you had a chance to read our appeal from last week, but in case you missed it, please take a moment to have a look:

Purple Line NOW is approaching a turning point in the services we will be able to offer as we go forward in 2020. With visible construction all around our communities, it is easy for the community to believe our work is done, and by and large, it is thrilling to see our advocacy efforts (and yours!) over the years come into focus in such an exciting way.

For us, though, a nearly all-volunteer organization, with one quarter-time employee, fundraising has been difficult and dwindling over the past year, despite enthusiastic attendance at our very popular forums, a widely read bi-weekly newsletter, and increasing calls and emails from the community for problem-solving help due to construction woes. We simply cannot continue our work without the funding necessary to provide these services.

As we head into the holidays, we ask you to consider a donation to Purple Line NOW. We are working on a winter forum right now, and as you can see in the newsletter below, we continue to push out as much information as we can. Please click the black "DONATE" button below to help us continue our work and forward to any friends or colleagues who will benefit from the Purple Line once opened. As always, we proudly list all of our donors on our website and in all event literature. Thank you.

Update: We are so grateful to everyone who has sent in a donation or clicked on the DONATE button above in the past few days! We will share our progress in the next newsletter – including a matching donation challenge from one generous donor that will pay homage to those who are no longer with us, but whose hard work and dedication to seeing the Purple Line become a reality remains. Stay tuned for that good news -and in the meantime, we are grateful to all who are helping us through these next 3.5 years. Opening day will be here before we know it!

DONATE

Share This Newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.

CONSTRUCTION NEWS TO KNOW

This week, we continue the recap of some of the area Community Advisory Team (CAT) meetings occurring this fall. We hope these short summaries, attended by Purple Line NOW Board members and friends, provide information and context for those not able to attend. Today, our focus is on the University Boulevard and Riverdale/Glen Ridge/New Carrollton communities.

As always, you can see the complete presentations at the MTA/MDOT website: Community Advisory Teams.

University Boulevard

The University Boulevard CAT was held on October 15, 2019. The presenters were: Gary Witherspoon (MDOT MTA Public Outreach & Communications, Deputy Project Director), Barry Bernstein (PLTC Area 3 Construction Manager), and Shaquanna Shields (PLTC Communications Supervisor). The stations in this segment include Takoma-Langley, Riggs Road, Adelphi Road-UMGC-UMD. 

The team reported that work is continuing on University Boulevard with the removal of medians and the ever-present utility relocations to allow for the eventual Purple Line tracks (which will be in the center of the road alongside vehicular traffic.)

On University Boulevard, crews have demolished, graded, and paved the medians and installed storm water drainage. On Guilford Road, the underground utility work has been completed and is now open. Along Northwest Branch Bridge, traffic is shifted to the south-side of University Boulevard, with Phase I underway (this phase is expected to last until next summer. It is currently about 15% complete.) The north side bridge demolition is complete. Temporary crosswalks have been installed for access to the south pedestrian path.

As for the next six months, there was a TON of information, so again, make sure you check out the full presentation at the link above. Here are some areas to note:

Temporary signals will be installed at the intersections of University Boulevard/Campus Drive and Adelphia Road/Campus Drive. The eastbound lands of University Boulevard will be shifted to the north to widen the road and Campus Drive will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Short term pain for long term gain! Two lanes will be maintained in each direction on University Boulevard.

There was an extensive update on the upcoming traffic shifts as a result of the Northwest Branch Bridge construction:

• Phase I: Began June 1, 2019 – expected through June 2020 
• Phase II: Expected to begin the Summer of 2020 
• Phase III: Expected to begin the Summer of 2021 

A final slide, which we've shown before, but is always an interesting snippet into the future, is how the final configuration will look:

Riverdale and Glenridge/New Carrollton

Riverdale and Glenridge/New Carrollton CAT was held on November 5, 2019. The presenters were: Gary Witherspoon (MDOT MTA Public Outreach & Communications, Deputy Project Director), Tim Pinkerton (PLTC Area 3 Construction Manager), and Shaquanna Shields (PLTC Communications Supervisor). The stations in this segment of the Purple Line are Riverdale Park-Kenilworth, Beacon Heights-East Pines, Glenridge, and New Carrollton Metro.

As with all of the CATs, the team started out with an overview of progress along the entire line. You can read more about that progress by visiting their website by clicking on the link above. 

The Riverdale Road bridge piers have been constructed. These piers (below) will support the Riverdale Park-Kenilworth aerial station.


Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA and PLTP

You may remember that back in July, the steel framing of the Glenridge Operations and Maintenance Facility was completed. (If you missed it, you can read all about that in the July edition of Purple Line NOW News.) This facility will maintain and clean the Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs), as well as house the Purple Line administration and operational staff.

In September, a ceremony was held for when the first section of rail was laid for the project on Ellin Road.

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA and PLTP

Along with all of the above, work continues to relocate water and sewer lines, as well as the overhead and underground power lines. The crews have also began replacing traffic signals and continued the massive utility relocation work. Along the south side of Riverdale Road, tree clearing has continued.

Along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, if that is on your commute, you may have noticed that traffic was shifted onto temporary bridges and the demolition of the existing bridge abutment has started to make space for the LRV underpass. Along Veterans Parking, grading, retaining wall and drainage installations have continued.

Looking ahead, six months, here are some highlights, but as always, to see the full extent of the presentation, click on the link above.

Along Kenilworth Avenue, the traffic will be shifting to widen Kenilworth, leading to the Riverdale intersection. Sidewalk and curb reconstruction will also begin (yes!). At the intersection, grading for the LR track will occur, as will the installation of the concrete bridge girders that will support the station.

On Baltimore-Washington Parkway, the precast concrete arched underpass section will be installed, and the concrete work for the Parkway will begin.

Traffic will be shifted to the north side of Riverdale Road (near Veterans Parkway) next spring – alerts and announcements will occur ahead of time, so make sure you are signed up for those if this area affects your daily commute. The first phase of the Maintenance of Traffic shift will occur to establish a left turn lane at the Annapolis Road intersection at this time, as well. 

At the Glenridge Yard Maintenance Facility, work will continue and the hope is that within the next six months, WSSC will connect water service to the facility. 

Please note, on or around the first week of December, there will be a long-term right-hand lane closure on Ellin Road near Harkins Road. Additionally, the sidewalk between this closed lane and the parking lot will be closed. And, finally, the large Metro Parking lot (at the New Carrollton Station Work Zone), which is adjacent to Ellin Road will be closed to establish a work zone. Community concerns focused on traffic issues during construction including the timing of lights.

The team encouraged everyone with concerns to call the Purple Line Hot-line at 240-424-5325. They will get an answering machine instead of a real person because they want a record of concerns. A text of the message left by the caller will be forwarded to the outreach team and they will respond as soon as they can.

PURPLE LINE NOW NEWS AND EVENTS

• Next Purple Line NOW Forum: Stay tuned for an announcement of the next Purple Line NOW forum happening late winter 2020!

PURPLE LINE NOW ACTION

Can You Help Purple Line NOW Continue Its Work?

If you haven't already given this year, would you consider a donation to Purple Line NOW? We have reprinted the appeal here as it contains all the bits you might want to know about what we do with your donations - those dollars work hard!

As we reported earlier this year, we here at Purple Line NOW have shifted our energy from our prior focus of advocating for funding and approval of the project to the daunting task of keeping communities along the Purple Line corridor up-to-speed regarding breaking news, construction woes, and exciting new developments being built around the new line.

Purple Line NOW operates on a very small budget and, as you know, we don’t hold special event fundraisers. Instead, we rely on an email outreach to our most dedicated supporters to help us meet our bottom line each year during our fall appeal campaign.

To that end, we ask for your financial support so that we may continue our work. Donating is easy via our secure link or by sending a check through the mail – all the information to do so can be found on our website.

Below, you will read what it is we do each year with your generous donations. As always, we are happy to answer any additional questions you may have. Just shoot us an email or give us a ring.

A reminder: Purple Line NOW does not receive underwriting grants from any source, government (local or otherwise), nor are we a membership organization (we do not ask for annual dues). We operate solely on donations from individuals and businesses like you who care about the Purple Line and whose generosity allow us to continue our work each year.

How Will Purple Line NOW Use My Donation?

As we said, Purple Line NOW exists on a very slender budget. Our work is done by a dedicated and hardworking group of volunteers, as well as one quarter-time employee. We pay for our website maintenance and for the resources needed to reach the community through email blasts, literature, and supplies. We also cover any expenses associated with hosting our popular educational forums – as you know, these events are always free and open to the public (we don’t charge you to attend!)

Purple Line NOW News

With your support, Purple Line NOW has published a bi-weekly, information-packed newsletter with the latest in construction news, photos, and insider information to keep you on top of what is going on in the field. We have a large following and we are often surprised that readers come from all over the country, from Baltimore to California! Thanks to the many volunteer contributors who help us write and release the newsletter every other week. It’s a big undertaking and we appreciate your support in making it happen! Did you know you can view all of our previous newsletters on our website?!

Envisioning the Purple Line Series

We continue the very popular Envisioning the Purple Line series of forums hosted in a variety of communities along the corridor in both Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. Just last month, we held an update in Chevy Chase, focused on Completing the Capital Crescent Trail where we brought in the CEO of the Purple Line Transit Partners (the builders), Montgomery County councilmembers, bicycle and trail advocates, and others to offer lots of information to the 70+ folks who attended. We try to do at least two events each year around the Purple Line Corridor. Previous events have been held in Silver Spring, Bethesda, Riverdale Park, University of Maryland, College Park, and more. We are currently working hard on organizing the next forum, so stay tuned!

Connecting People

Behind the scenes, Purple Line NOW serves as an unofficial clearing house of sorts for calls from residents and businesses who are looking for answers to issues they are experiencing while the project is under construction. We don’t always have all the answers, but we do try to connect folks with the proper resources.

Sharing Information

Purple Line NOW board members have a long tradition of attending hearings, testifying on behalf of the project, being a part of Purple Line-oriented neighborhood groups, and connecting to elected officials on behalf of the Line. Our volunteer board leadership continues to meet every single month in person, as they have done for over a decade, to share information gathered and exchange ideas to keep the project on track. We attend meetings, provide updates, and take notes! Many of our members stay on top of transit news through their membership and support of other local and regional transit organizations and many are also very active on the neighborhood Community Advisory Teams.

Maintaining a Presence

Finally, Purple Line NOW maintains a strong social media presence, staying connected to thousands via Facebook and Twitter and through our website, Purple Line NOW. If you haven’t signed up for those, do so today. You’ll get the latest news and be able to participate in discussions happening on those platforms.

Remember, with your donation, your name (or your business name) will be listed on our website, as well as in event literature and signage for a year following your donation.

We are grateful for your consideration of our request and for your support, financial and otherwise. We wish you a happy and healthy fall season.

Get Connected!

Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.

In today's edition of Purple Line NOW News, here's what you'll find:

• An Important Message from Purple Line NOW
• A Recap of the Bethesda/Chevy Chase and Long Branch Community Advisory Team Meetings

Dear Friends...

Purple Line NOW is approaching a turning point in the services we will be able to offer as we go forward in 2020. With visible construction all around our communities, it is easy for the community to believe our work is done, and by and large, it is thrilling to see our advocacy efforts (and yours!) over the years come into focus in such an exciting way.

For us, though, a nearly all-volunteer organization, with one quarter-time employee, fundraising has been difficult and dwindling over the past year, despite enthusiastic attendance at our very popular forums, a widely read bi-weekly newsletter, and increasing calls and emails from the community for problem-solving help due to construction woes. We simply cannot continue our work without the funding necessary to provide these services.

As we head into the holidays, we ask you to consider a donation to Purple Line NOW. We are working on a winter forum right now, and as you can see in the newsletter below, we continue to push out as much information as we can. Please click the black "DONATE" button below to help us continue our work and forward to any friends or colleagues who will benefit from the Purple Line once opened. As always, we proudly list all of our donors on our website and in all event literature. Thank you.

Donate Today

Share This Newsletter

Please feel free to share this newsletter - no permission from us needed! You can always find a link to our newsletter on our Purple Line NOW website which makes it easy to share with your friends, neighbors, constituents, customers, and employees.

CONSTRUCTION NEWS TO KNOW

This week, we continue the recap of some of the area Community Advisory Team (CAT) meetings occurring this fall. We hope these short summaries, attended by Purple Line NOW Board members, provide information and context for those not able to attend. Today, our focus is on the Long Branch and Bethesda/Chevy Chase communities.

As always, you can see the complete presentations at the MTA/MDOT website: Community Advisory Teams.

Long Branch

This CAT meeting, which happened on October 22, was presented by Gary Witherspoon (MDOT MTA Public Outreach & Communications, Deputy Project Director), Carla Julian (PLTC Senior Manager Public Affairs/Community Outreach), and Jean-Marc Wehrli (PLTC Area 2 Construction Manager). The stations in this segment of the corridor include Manchester Place, Long Branch, and Piney Branch Road. 

This past spring, the 1,000 foot Plymouth Tunnel excavation was completed and since then, waterproofing and pouring the final concrete for the tunnel lining has been ongoing. CAT members had some questions about a recent report of work to replace initial faulty construction. That work was focused on the Bethesda elevator shaft and there have not been any comparable problems for the Plymouth Tunnel. Maryland and Concessionaire officials described the system of inspections by both the concessionaire and the state, and it was that system that caught the concrete problems which are now being addressed at concessionaire expense. These inspections are regularly conducted during the construction process to avoid the problem of late discoveries that have plagued other area construction projects.

Looking ahead to the next six months for Long Branch:

Along Wayne Avenue, storm drain installation continues, as does the installation and relocation of overhead and underground utilities. Crews will also begin installing retaining walls along Wayne Avenue (in front of the Wayne Manchester Towers Apartments).

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA & PLTP

In the western Portal/Manchester Place Station (on East Wayne Avenue), concrete work for Phase 1 of the Manchester Place station will be completed. As for Kenwood House, Phase 1 work will be required to be completed before the parking lot can be relocated. There will be a temporary parking lot created during Phase 2 of Kenwood House, with the planned reinstatement of the parking lot to happen sometime next summer.

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA & PLTP

At the Plymouth Tunnel (East Wayne Avenue to Arliss Street), waterproofing and the final lining of the tunnel is expected to be completed in preparation for the maintenance walkway. Further out, the Eastern is being built using a cut and cover technique, which means that first the tunnel was excavated and open to air, and then once the concrete box surrounding the entrance is complete, that portion of Arliss Road road will be rebuilt on top. When that work is complete, the upper portion of Arliss Road from Flower Avenue to the Silver Spring Library will be restored and work will begin on the lower portion from the Library to Piney Branch. This swap is expected to take place in 2020.

On Piney Branch Road, overhead and underground utility relocations will continue between University Boulevard and Arliss Street. The largest area of citizen concern was ensuring pedestrian safety when construction zones impede sidewalks. University Boulevard was a focus for Vision Zero activists due to already scarce crosswalks and a recent fatality, outside of the construction area but on University Boulevard, where Takoma Park resident Julio Vargas Valerio was struck and killed. The Purple Line Transit Partners consistently emphasize the importance of safety around construction zones and have taken steps to better coordinate sidewalk closures. This is an area where you can help! If you ever see any unsafe conditions around a Purple Line site, follow the instructions at the end of this update to call it in.

You may also find this schedule for construction work hours helpful:

Plymouth Tunnel

• Day Shift: 6 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Swing Shift: 2:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
• Typical day shift: 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Typical night shift: 7 p.m. – 4:30 a.m.
• Make-up / maintenance day will be Saturdays, as required

The public will be notified through notifications on www.purplelinemd.com for:
• Utility shutdowns
• Road/driveway closures
• Pile driving
• Night work
• Weekend work
• Major lane closures

Bethesda/Chevy Chase

On October 29, about 50 residents and CAT members gathered at North Chevy Chase Elementary School to hear updates and share concerns about the segment of the Purple Line that passes through their neighborhoods. The presentation began with an introduction of the speakers, an overview of the progress of the entire 16.2 mile corridor, and more detail about the status of the project between Bethesda and Rock Creek Park. Please check out the presentation because it shows that the project is really moving along and will also give you a better idea of where construction is currently happening along this portion of the route.

Gary Witherspoon, who has stepped in for Mike Madden following his retirement, said he will miss Madden's historical knowledge given that Madden has worked on the Purple Line since 2002. 

Of particular interest to the attendees was the prediction that by early spring, probably March, the steel girders for the Purple Line and Capital Crescent Trail overpasses should be in place. Following that, both bridges over Connecticut will be constructed. The PLTP representatives made note of the request to keep residents informed of the strategy for building these bridges including road closures and detours. 

There were questions and concern about the impact of dust and noise to a child care center located adjacent to the current CC trail. The owner of the facility and a parent whose children are cared for there said they appreciate the attention that they have gotten to date, but the issues are on-going. There was also concern about some night time construction that took place without notification of residents. PLTP was pretty sure that this was activity by WSSC, but they will look into it. 

Some highlights:

• The Bethesda Shaft (which will connect the Purple Line to WMATA’s Red Line) has been excavated to a depth of 100 feet and the concrete lining for the shaft that began in June will be completed next spring.
• Progress near East-West Highway includes the installation of retaining walls on the GT Branch Trail.
• At the Columbia Country Club, the east golf cart underpass has been completed and re-opened.
• Over on Connecticut Avenue, the piles for future LRV and CCT bridges have been installed.

On Jones Mill Road, a new temporary traffic pattern has been established for the CCT underpass construction, so please be on the watch for that if Jones Mill Road or Jones Bridge Road are on your daily commute.

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA & PLTP

Carla Julian encouraged everyone with concerns to call the Purple Line Hot-line at 240-424-5325. They will get an answering machine instead of a real person because they want a record of concerns. A text of the message left by the caller will be forwarded to the outreach team and they will respond as soon as they can.

PURPLE LINE NOW NEWS AND EVENTS

• Next Purple Line NOW Forum: Stay tuned for an announcement of the next Purple Line NOW forum happening late winter 2020!

PURPLE LINE NOW ACTION

Can You Help Purple Line NOW Continue Its Work?

If you haven't already given this year, would you consider a donation to Purple Line NOW? We have reprinted the appeal here as it contains all the bits you might want to know about what we do with your donations - those dollars work hard!

As we reported earlier this year, we here at Purple Line NOW have shifted our energy from our prior focus of advocating for funding and approval of the project to the daunting task of keeping communities along the Purple Line corridor up-to-speed regarding breaking news, construction woes, and exciting new developments being built around the new line.

Purple Line NOW operates on a very small budget and, as you know, we don’t hold special event fundraisers. Instead, we rely on an email outreach to our most dedicated supporters to help us meet our bottom line each year during our fall appeal campaign.

To that end, we ask for your financial support so that we may continue our work. Donating is easy via our secure link or by sending a check through the mail – all the information to do so can be found on our website.

Below, you will read what it is we do each year with your generous donations. As always, we are happy to answer any additional questions you may have. Just shoot us an email or give us a ring.

A reminder: Purple Line NOW does not receive underwriting grants from any source, government (local or otherwise), nor are we a membership organization (we do not ask for annual dues). We operate solely on donations from individuals and businesses like you who care about the Purple Line and whose generosity allow us to continue our work each year.

How Will Purple Line NOW Use My Donation?

As we said, Purple Line NOW exists on a very slender budget. Our work is done by a dedicated and hardworking group of volunteers, as well as one quarter-time employee. We pay for our website maintenance and for the resources needed to reach the community through email blasts, literature, and supplies. We also cover any expenses associated with hosting our popular educational forums – as you know, these events are always free and open to the public (we don’t charge you to attend!)

Purple Line NOW News

With your support, Purple Line NOW has published a bi-weekly, information-packed newsletter with the latest in construction news, photos, and insider information to keep you on top of what is going on in the field. We have a large following and we are often surprised that readers come from all over the country, from Baltimore to California! Thanks to the many volunteer contributors who help us write and release the newsletter every other week. It’s a big undertaking and we appreciate your support in making it happen! Did you know you can view all of our previous newsletters on our website?!

Envisioning the Purple Line Series

We continue the very popular Envisioning the Purple Line series of forums hosted in a variety of communities along the corridor in both Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. Just last month, we held an update in Chevy Chase, focused on Completing the Capital Crescent Trail where we brought in the CEO of the Purple Line Transit Partners (the builders), Montgomery County councilmembers, bicycle and trail advocates, and others to offer lots of information to the 70+ folks who attended. We try to do at least two events each year around the Purple Line Corridor. Previous events have been held in Silver Spring, Bethesda, Riverdale Park, University of Maryland, College Park, and more. We are currently working hard on organizing the next forum, so stay tuned!

Connecting People

Behind the scenes, Purple Line NOW serves as an unofficial clearing house of sorts for calls from residents and businesses who are looking for answers to issues they are experiencing while the project is under construction. We don’t always have all the answers, but we do try to connect folks with the proper resources.

Sharing Information

Purple Line NOW board members have a long tradition of attending hearings, testifying on behalf of the project, being a part of Purple Line-oriented neighborhood groups, and connecting to elected officials on behalf of the Line. Our volunteer board leadership continues to meet every single month in person, as they have done for over a decade, to share information gathered and exchange ideas to keep the project on track. We attend meetings, provide updates, and take notes! Many of our members stay on top of transit news through their membership and support of other local and regional transit organizations and many are also very active on the neighborhood Community Advisory Teams.

Maintaining a Presence

Finally, Purple Line NOW maintains a strong social media presence, staying connected to thousands via Facebook and Twitter and through our website, Purple Line NOW. If you haven’t signed up for those, do so today. You’ll get the latest news and be able to participate in discussions happening on those platforms.

Remember, with your donation, your name (or your business name) will be listed on our website, as well as in event literature and signage for a year following your donation.

We are grateful for your consideration of our request and for your support, financial and otherwise. We wish you a happy and healthy fall season.

Get Connected!

Make sure you are signed up for timely alerts from Purple Line NOW via our Twitter and Facebook pages, and at our website Purple Line NOW.