Happy Fourth of July, a day early! We hope everyone enjoys a safe and celebratory holiday tomorrow.

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

• Time is Running Out to Reserve Your Seat for the Next Purple Line NOW Forum - Completing the Capital Crescent Trail!
• Silver Spring Transit Center Construction Update
• A Wrap-Up of the Long Branch Community Advisory Team Meeting
• Show Your Support by Becoming a Sponsor of Purple Line NOW - All Levels Welcome!

Reserve Your Seat for the Next Purple Line NOW Forum

When?   Thursday, July 25, 2019 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Where?  Lawton Community Center in Chevy Chase, 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
How?     RESERVE MY SEAT! Your Seat Must Be Reserved in Advance.

Plan to join us for this information-packed evening with a full slate of terrific panelists: 

• The new CEO of the Purple Line Transit Partners, Peter van der Waart
• Board Member of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Peter Gray
• Montgomery County At-Large Councilmember, Hans Riemer
• Montgomery County District 1 Councilmember, Andrew Friedson
• Transportation Supervisor for the Montgomery County Planning Department, David Anspacher
• Project Manager at the Montgomery County Department of Transportation

The event, as always, is free and open to the public, but seats must be reserved in advance due to space limitations – we have about 75 seats for both the public and the media and we are currently about two-thirds full. 

Please forward this email to anyone who may be interested in attending - trail users, community groups, and transit lovers alike! Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions.

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

So, What’s Going On at the Silver Spring Transit Center?

Here’s a brief update of recent, current, and upcoming work at the Silver Spring Transit Center (SSTC).

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA Purple Line Project

If your commute takes you near the SSTC, you may have noticed fencing being installed around the perimeter of the Center. The installation, begun in mid-June, was placed to establish the Purple Line Transit Constructors (PLTC) initial work zone (Phase 1).

The graphic below explains the parameters (and perimeter) of the work and pedestrian detour.

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA Purple Line Project

Residents and workers who are signed up to receive notifications of impending construction were sent alerts regarding the mobilization of materials and equipment into the work zone to prepare for upcoming construction activities which are now underway. 

"Beginning on or about June 10, 2019, crews will implement several work zones adjacent to the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center in numerous phases. Phase I, effective on or about Monday, June 10, will impact pedestrian access. Wayfinding signage will be posted around the work zone. Work will take place during two shifts from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and weekends. The work zones can be viewed here: Long-Term Work Zone Pedestrian Detour."

If you are not signed up for these notices from PLTP, you can do so here: Construction Updates.

Although we hope to have more specifics when the phasing plans are set, this summer work will start on the foundations for the Purple Line LRT and Capital Crescent Trail bridges over Colesville Road.

Communications Specialist for Purple Line Transit Constructors, Natalie Lackey, commented, “The Purple Line team has coordinated extensively with WMATA and Montgomery County, especially regarding public outreach efforts.” Ms. Lackey highlighted the many ways PLTC is trying to reach out to residents and workers alike, "distributing specific updates like the one above and producing 5,000 hard copy fact sheets (in both English and Spanish) handed out by the Silver Spring Urban District’s Red Shirt street team."

There is plenty of way-making signage on the fencing itself, but prior to the fence installation, additional A-frame signage was placed around the perimeter to alert pedestrians of the impending construction.

Photos Courtesy of MDOT MTA Purple Line Project

Let us know if you have more questions about the Silver Spring Transit Center. We’ll try to get the answers for you! If you want to read more, here is a link to a Source of the Spring article: Déjà Vu For Silver Spring Commuters as Fencing is Installed.

Highlights from the Long Branch Community Advisory Team Meeting

The Long Branch Community Advisory Team meeting took place on June 19 at Oak View Elementary School. While the excavation of the Plymouth Tunnel itself is complete, much work remains to install the concrete base slab, waterproofing liner, and ultimately the track bed. Work also continues on both ends of the tunnel with cut and cover excavation of the transition from the tunnel to the street level exit onto Arliss Street and the start of work to lay the concrete that will form the structure of the Manchester Place station. That strain will be located where there is now a large work site off Wayne Avenue.

Photo Courtesy of Maryland Department of Transportation

Other construction activity includes utility relocation and tree clearing along Wayne Avenue. As Purple Line Transit Partners’ former CEO Fred Craig had explained at the Purple Line NOW forum held last January in College Park, the extent of clearing is driven by the choice to run more current through the overhead wires that will power the trains. This change reduced the number of transmission substations necessary and helped the winning bid meet Governor Hogan's cost saving goals. However, as a side effect, electrical standards mandate a greater clearance around the elevated wires.

Finally, construction efforts in the next six months will affect traffic flows on Arliss Street and crews will work their way north on Piney Branch to University Boulevard. Business outreach efforts are ramping up during this period, so please remember to visit your local favorite retailers and restaurants who may be affected by construction. 

On a lighter note, the project team presented details on one of our favorite art installations.

Photo Courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners

The Manchester Place station is at the portal of the tunnel and the enclosed platform will have illumination from prisms in the ceiling that evoke the colors of the numerous flags of nations represented in the surrounding community. While only active when the sun is shining, a neat feature of the installation is that even a commuter that boards every day at the same time will see different displays based on the seasons and weather!

The Long Branch station at Arliss Street will feature a towering "Our Lady of the Branch" abstract statue that will aid in both establishing the stop as a distinctive and memorable space and also help with waiting for those headed to the station.

The Piney Branch and University station artwork rounded out this CAT presentation with bold colors and abstract shapes, patterned to evoke maps and mazes and to give passengers interesting designs to contemplate while waiting for a train. 

Click on this link to see all of the CAT docs: Long Branch CAT Meeting #4.

PURPLE LINE NOW NEWS AND EVENTS

Next Forum: Completing the Capital Crescent Trail

Don't forget to reserve your seat for this informative evening (see above). This is the first time we will be focusing solely on the Capital Crescent Trail! And, we have a brilliant panel of experts to get us up to speed on what is currently happening on the trail and what we can expect down the road (or, in this case, trail...!)

PURPLE LINE NOW ACTION

Purple Line NOW Needs Your Sponsorship Today

Sponsorship is another way to help Purple Line NOW continue our efforts to bring you important Purple Line related news and information via our newsletters, outreach, and public events. Our organization has been around for a long time and is almost entirely run by dedicated volunteers. We don't hold big fundraisers and we do 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 who care about the Purple Line and whose generosity allow us to continue our work.

If you need more information before you push the donate button, we sent out a request a few weeks ago that will give you a good, in-depth idea of how hard we make your donations dollars work. Click here to read all about what we do with your donations!

All levels of sponsorships are welcomed and appreciated!

As always, we are happy to share financial information about our operating expenses and our income. Just shoot us an email or give us a call. When we say we do a lot on a skinny budget, we mean it. We try to only ask for donations when our bank account gets low enough to make our treasurer nervous - and that is usually around the $3,000 mark.  

We hope you will consider joining the sponsors already on board (you can see these awesome folks here) – and remember, with your donation, your name (or your business name) will be listed on our website and in event literature and signage for a year following your donation.

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:

• A Reminder to Reserve Your Seat for the Next Purple Line NOW Forum - Completing the Capital Crescent Trail!
• A Wrap-Up of the Silver Spring and University Boulevard Community Advisory Team Meetings (CATs)
• Become a Sponsor of Purple Line NOW - All Levels Welcome!

Reserve Your Seat for the Next Purple Line NOW Forum

When:  Thursday, July 25, 2019 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Where: Lawton Community Center in Chevy Chase, 4301 Willow Lane, Chevy Chase, MD 20815

How:   RESERVE MY SEAT! Your Seat Must Be Reserved in Advance

We are working on a terrific panel for you. By the number of seat reservations rolling in, this promises to be a jam-packed evening full of good information from Purple Line and Trail experts!

• The new CEO of the Purple Line Transit Partners, Peter van der Waart van Gulik
• Board Member of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, Peter Gray
• Montgomery County At-Large Councilmember, Hans Riemer
• Montgomery County District 1 Councilmember, Andrew Friedson
• Montgomery County Planning Board Chair, Casey Anderson
• Representative from Montgomery County Department of Transportation

The event, as always, is free and open to the public, but seats must be reserved in advance due to space limitations – we have about 75 seats for both the public and the media and we are currently about two-thirds full. 

Please forward this email to anyone who may be interested in attending - trail users, community groups, and transit lovers alike! Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions.

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

Highlights from the Silver Spring Community Advisory Team Meeting

The most recent Silver Spring CAT meeting was held on June 11, 2019 at Silver Spring International Middle School.

The Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP) team debuted their new website (which we profiled in the May 9, 2019 edition of the Purple Line NOW News). During the meeting, PLTP highlighted the very informative aerial maps of how the stations will fit into the surrounding roadways and trail, and the introduction of the art projects for the Transit Center, the Library, and the Dale Drive stations.

Image courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners

Work will begin that will connect the Capital Crescent Trail and Purple Line to the Silver Spring Transit Center. Bonifant Street on both sides of Georgia will be essentially closed to vehicular traffic (other than delivery vehicles for the shops), though details will be worked out for service and parking garage access.

Utility work on Wayne Avenue and parking lot work at Silver Spring International Middle School will also continue this summer. Clearing will begin at the new Sligo Creek Bridge in the next six months or so.

One of the questions asked concerned the cutting of mature trees, most noticeable on the west side of Wayne Avenue, especially at the tunnel. Representatives from the concessionaire explained that for the required tree replacement, 48 acres of trees will be planted in outer Montgomery County and 13 acres will be replanted at various locations on the route.

Other questions:

• Will parking lot on south side of Bonifant remain accessible? Yes.
• When will track work be started? Six months at the soonest.
• Will buses along Wayne continue after the Purple Line is operational?  Yes. Eighty percent of people will arrive at Purple Line stations by walking, biking, or by bus and therefore likely will need buses to get folks to stations. Remember, Purple Line stations are farther apart, bus stations are closer together.

Highlights from the University Boulevard Community Advisory Team Meeting

The University Boulevard section of the CAT includes three stations, Takoma-Langley Transit Center on New Hampshire, Riggs Road, and Adelphi Road-UMUC (the Piney Branch Station is also on University Blvd, but falls under the Long Branch CAT). 

The CAT, held on May 29, covered a Planning Assistance to Municipalities and Communities (PAMC) grant to make streetscape improvements for pedestrians safety and comfort in the Northern Gateway CDC ( https://www.northerngatewaycdc.org/what-is-the-corridor ) which includes much of the International Corridor between New Hampshire and Adelphi. This serves an important "last mile" need because it extends beyond the area of the line to surrounding neighborhoods with the intention of adding signs to make it easier to accessibly find your way to transit.

Relatedly, during construction there is an "open for business" effort to help local restaurants, stores, and other workplaces stay visible in the community. Local businesses wishing to participate in the program should contact [email protected] or by phone 240-424-5325.

Image courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners

Representatives on hand also reported on the art installations - an exciting aspect to the project! 

The Takoma-Langley station will have art fences on both sides of the station. It will depict a community in motion "through photographs of local individuals and families" made into "a large scale collage."

Image courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners

The Riggs Road artwork is also focused on art fences, but will not rely on photos. Instead, there will be patterns and symbols in "bright uniform color" drawing inspiration from the diverse mix of cultures in the surrounding communities.

Image courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners

Finally, the Adelphi Road-UMUC-UMD station has a theme of "global campus and growing minds" and depicts data associated with the University of Maryland University College, for example, the origins of their students. These panels of data visualization will be topped by "metal flag-like structures" above the station.

Image courtesy of Purple Line Transit Partners

Work on University boulevard has included median demolition, relocating utilities, reconstructing traffic signals, and upgrading drainage, which involved the closure of Guilford Road. Upcoming construction falls in similar categories and will include the replacement of the Northwest Branch Bridge over three phases across multiple years that will keep two lanes open in each direction during construction. The reconstructed bridge keeps sidewalks and bike lanes in mind, in addition to allowing rooms for cars and the Purple Line.

For those interested in the landscaping plans, click on this link to see what is in store: https://www.purplelinemd.com/construction/plans

* A reference to sidewalk widening on Bonifant which was included in our newsletter email was incorrect and has been deleted

PURPLE LINE NOW NEWS AND EVENTS

Next Forum: Completing the Capital Crescent Trail

Don't forget to reserve your seat for this informative evening (see above). This is the first time we will be focusing solely on the Capital Crescent Trail! And, we have a brilliant panel of experts to get us up to speed on what is currently happening on the trail and what we can expect down the road (or, in this case, trail...!)

Upcoming Community Advisory Teams

• June 19, 2019 (TONIGHT - WEDNESDAY!)
  Long Branch
  6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
  Oak View Elementary School (All Purpose Room)
  400 E. Wayne Avenue
  Silver Spring, MD 20901
  
  
• June 25, 2019
  Greater Lyttonsville/Woodside
  7 – 8:30 p.m.
  Rosemary Hills Elementary School
  2111 Porter Road (All Purpose Room)
  Silver Spring, MD 20910

PURPLE LINE NOW ACTION

Purple Line NOW Needs Your Sponsorship Today

Sponsorship is another way to help Purple Line NOW continue our efforts to bring you important Purple Line related news and information via our newsletters, outreach, and public events. Our organization has been around for a long time and is almost entirely run by dedicated volunteers. We don't hold big fundraisers and we do 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 who care about the Purple Line and whose generosity allow us to continue our work.

If you need more information before you push the donate button, we sent out a request a few weeks ago that will give you a good, in-depth idea of how hard we make your donations dollars work. Click here to read all about what we do with your donations!

All levels of sponsorships are welcomed and appreciated!

As always, we are happy to share financial information about our operating expenses and our income. Just shoot us an email or give us a call. When we say we do a lot on a skinny budget, we mean it. We try to only ask for donations when our bank account gets low enough to make our treasurer nervous - and that is usually around the $3,000 mark.  

We hope you will consider joining the sponsors already on board (you can see these awesome folks here) – and remember, with your donation, your name (or your business name) will be listed on our website and in event literature and signage for a year following your donation.

You are invited: Forum Seven | Completing the Capital Crescent Trail

As you know, Purple Line NOW operates on a bare bones budget - and we spend every dime we raise to make sure the project is the best it can be by providing educational opportunities like this for those communities along the Purple Line route, by testifying before local, state, and federal entities, and by providing regular information regarding the progress and any major project developments through our website, Twitter, and Facebook. Please take a moment, especially if you haven't given this year, to become a sponsor.

Your name or your business name will be highlighted at all of the fora in the Envisioning the Purple Line series, as well on our website.

WE APPRECIATE THE GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM OUR SPONSORS!

FEATURED SPONSORS

CHEVY CHASE LAND COMPANY

THE MALLOY AND SANDERS FAMILY

TINA, DON, AND JESSIE SLATER

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (UMUC)

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

ATU Local 689

ENGINEERS

Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce

Bee and Brian Ditzler

Nancy and Rob Soreng

CONDUCTORS

Action Committee for Transit

Anne Ambler

John Carroll

Dr. Troy Jacobs and Dr. Kawsar Talaat

Landmark Realty, Inc.

Ben Ross

Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn

Sam Statland

COMMUTERS
Dave and Linda Anderson, Elizabeth Barbehenn, Glen Bottoms, Jonathan Elkind, Neil Greene, Virginia Haufler, Melanie Isis, Kevin Kirby, Mary Lanigan, Rhonda Long, William Mallari, Anita Morrison, Gareth Rosenau, Bill Strein, Eric Talbot

PASSENGERS
Tim Anderegg, Charles Bell, Douglas Bowen, Casey Brennan, Jeff Cronin, Ronit Dancis, 
Joseph Fainberg, Miti Figueredo, Patrick Flaherty, Cody Goebel, David Hondowicz, Greg Madde, Judith Morenoff, Rodolfo Perez, Mark Posner, Jason Poteat, Dan Reed, Frederick Schultz, Elizabeth Shannon, Jerry Withers, William Young

As you know, Purple Line NOW operates on a bare bones budget - and we spend every dime we raise to make sure the project is the best it can be by providing educational opportunities like this for those communities along the Purple Line route, by testifying before local, state, and federal entities, and by providing regular information regarding the progress and any major project developments through our website, Twitter, and Facebook. Please take a moment, especially if you haven't given this year, to become a sponsor. Your name or your business name will be highlighted at all of the fora in the Envisioning the Purple Line series, as well on our website.

WE APPRECIATE THE GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM OUR SPONSORS!

FEATURED SPONSORS:

THE CHEVY CHASE LAND COMPANY

THE MALLOY AND SANDERS FAMILY

TINA, DON, AND JESSIE SLATER

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE (UMUC)

SUPPORTING SPONSORS:

ATU Local 689

Bee and Brian Ditzler

ENGINEERS:

Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce

Nancy and Rob Soreng

CONDUCTORS:

Action Committee for Transit

Anne Ambler

John Carroll

Dr. Troy Jacobs and Dr. Kawsar Talaat

Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn

Sam Statland

Patrick Wojahn

PASSENGERS:

Tim Anderegg, Dave and Linda Anderson, Elizabeth Barbehenn, Charles Bell, Ralph Bennett, Glen Bottoms, Douglas Bowen, Casey Brennan, Jeff Cronin, Ronit Dancis, Jonathan Elkind, Joseph Fainberg, Miti Figueredo, Patrick Flaherty, Cody Gebel, Virginia Haufler, David Hondowicz, Melanie Isis, Kevin Kirby, Mary Lanigan, Rhonda Long, Greg Madde, William Mallari, Judith Morenoff, Anita Morrison, Rodolfo Perez, Mark Posner, Jason Poteat, Dan Reed, Gareth Rosenau, Ben Ross, Frederick Schultz, Elizabeth Shannon, Bill Strein, Eric Talbot, Jerry Withers, William Young