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

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Next Purple Line Forum
  • Thank You for Continuing to Support PLN
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Spring Community Advisory Teams Meetings
  • Election Day is May 14!
  • State of Maryland Disparity Study
• Construction Updates and Project Features
  • Riverdale/New Carrollton and Silver Spring Community Advisory Team Meeting Highlights

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. 

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Next Purple Line NOW Forum

Thanks to a grant from the Purple Line Transit Partners, Purple Line NOW will continue our popular Envisioning the Purple Line Forum series this year! We are busy pulling together an educational and informative event and will announce the panel of speakers and date soon. As always, our events are free and open to the public and media, so keep an eagle eye out for the big announcement!

Thank You for Your Continuing Support!

Our need is ongoing - we operate on a budget between $20,000 and $25,000 each year, so please know that your donation in any amount is welcome and necessary for us to continue our work. You can easily donate by clicking the Purple "Donate" button below. Not sure if you've given in the past twelve months? Check our website to see if your name is listed. Thank you from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Spring Community Advisory Teams Meetings Left:

Please click on the website to find information on how to join the meeting. You will find the presentation videos for those CATs which have already occurred at the website, as well.

May 9 University Boulevard, 6:00 p.m.

May 14 Bethesda/Chevy Chase, 6:00 p.m.

May 16 College Park, 6:00 p.m.

May 21 Lyttonsville, 6:00 p.m.

May 23 Long Branch, 6:00 p.m.

Election Day is May 14 in Maryland

A friendly reminder to put May 14 on your calendar -- or better yet, vote early or by mail! You can get all the election information details here from how to register, how to request a mail-in ballot, and where your polling place is for Maryland's Presidential Primary and State Primary next month.

State of Maryland Disparity Study

The State of Maryland is conducting a comprehensive Utilization and Availability Study, led by MGT Consulting Group. The overall purpose of the Disparity Study is to determine whether there is racial and/or gender business discrimination in the markets in which the State does business – both public and private sectors. The State is "encouraging ALL business owners to provide information about their experiences, particularly with respect to discrimination, while doing business or attempting to do business with the State of Maryland and other public or private entities in Maryland’s market area. We hope that all firms, not just certified firms, will participate." If you are interested in completing the survey, visit this link.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

Riverdale/New Carrollton and Silver Spring Community Advisory Team Meeting Highlights

We encourage you to view the presentations which are posted shortly after the meetings are held for your respective community. Presenters for each meeting offer lots of slides to help us better understand the work completed and the planned work coming up in the near future, and most importantly, which roads and/or services will be closed when construction warrants.

Below are a few highlights from each meeting, but again, we encourage you to watch the videos so that you can be as prepared as possible for what is going on in your neighborhood or on your commute as it pertains to Purple Line construction. You also might enjoy this video of the construction progress shown in a new before and after video of the Purple Line’s Riverdale Park-Kenilworth Station.

The Riverdale/New Carrollton Community Advisory Team (CAT) meeting was held on May 2 and included updates on construction happening on many of the roads in and around a variety of neighborhoods and main thoroughfares. Rivertech Court at River Road will be closed from June 15 through August 25 for track installation. Although for many enduring these closures on a daily basis construction might seem endless, seeing tracks going down certainly makes the detours easier to digest!

Another highlight from this CAT is that work on the test track at the Glenridge Operations & Maintenance facility is expected to be completed by 2024.

Canopies and station platforms at the Riverdale Park North-UMD Station have been completed

For those living and working in and around Silver Spring, we gently nudge you to have a look at the presentation at the link above. Silver Spring's Community Advisory Team meeting was held on May 7 and the Purple Line team shared a trainload (!) of information on a variety of detours, road closures, and the upcoming summer closure of the Silver Spring Station. While work on the Purple Line requires the station to be closed for several months, Metro has coordinated with MTA to schedule additional improvements and upgrades instead of multiple disruptive closures in the future.

Additionally, the Spring Street Bridge will be closed from June 2024 until January 2025, as well as detours and road closures around Wayne Avenue and Dale Drive and Sligo Creek.

During the meeting, the team explained that the intersection at Wayne and Dale will be open, but you will only be able to make right hand turns in all directions beginning on June 14  through Aug 24 or so. You will not be able to cross from southbound Dale to eastbound Wayne toward Long Branch OR from northbound Dale to westbound Wayne toward Silver Spring. SimiIarly, westbound Wayne toward Silver Spring cannot turn left onto southbound Dale or eastbound Wayne to northbound Dale (towards Colesville). Most importantly, you will not be able to cross Wayne on Dale Drive. See the slide show at the link to learn of alternatives for getting around this busy intersection during this time.

It comes as no surprise to any who have been following along that a large portion of what is currently happening along the alignment has been utility relocation work. You'll remember that the State took this work on when the first contractor walked off the job, but ran behind schedule in implementing those relocations. It has only been in recent months that they were able to hand off the finished work back to the new consortium.

Utility relocation goes well beyond making sure the trains have reliable power and the area under the track is stable. It also involves stormwater management, which ties into those large tubes you have probably seen at the side of the road throughout the corridor. The Purple Line project has meant the entire right-of-way has undergone a significant upgrade to get up to code.

The project is now more than the 65% completed for the overall project (we are over the half-way mark!) and at 86.8% for utility relocation. Trackwork is visible at many points throughout the right-of-way, which is so exciting and helps all of us envision what is to be in just a few years' time. We are anxiously awaiting the opening of the Talbot Avenue Bridge! 

This summer will be rough for everyone who lives and works within the Purple Line corridor with highly disruptive closures throughout our communities. But, a drive along the alignment keeps us hopeful and energized as do your photos! Send us some snaps of Purple Line progress happening in your neck of the woods!

STAY CONNECTED

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:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Next Purple Line Forum
  • Thank You for Continuing to Support PLN
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Community Advisory Teams Schedule for Spring Set
  • Election Day is May 14!
  • National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 17
• Construction Updates and Project Features
  • Summer Red Line Shutdown Information
  • Other Items of Interest
  • Photos from Around the Corridor

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. 

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Next Purple Line NOW Forum

Thanks to a grant from the Purple Line Transit Partners, Purple Line NOW will continue our popular Envisioning the Purple Line Forum series this year! We are busy pulling together an educational and informative event and will announce the panel of speakers and date soon. As always, our events are free and open to the public and media, so keep an eagle eye out for the big announcement!

Thank You for Your Continuing Support!

Our need is ongoing - we operate on a budget between $20,000 and $25,000 each year, so please know that your donation in any amount is welcome and necessary for us to continue our work. You can easily donate by clicking the Purple "Donate" button below. Not sure if you've given in the past twelve months? Check our website to see if your name is listed. Thank you from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Community Advisory Teams Schedule for Spring is Set

Please click on the website to find information on how to join the meeting.

May 2 Riverdale/New Carrollton/Glenridge, 6:00 p.m.

May 7 Silver Spring, 6:00 p.m.

May 9 University Boulevard, 6:00 p.m.

May 14 Bethesda/Chevy Chase, 6:00 p.m.

May 16 College Park, 6:00 p.m.

May 21 Lyttonsville, 6:00 p.m.

May 23 Long Branch, 6:00 p.m.

Election Day is May 14 in Maryland

A friendly reminder to put May 14 on your calendar -- or better yet, vote early or by mail! You can get all the election information details here from how to register, how to request a mail-in ballot, and where your polling place is for Maryland's Presidential Primary and State Primary next month.

National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 17

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will sponsor eight pit stops throughout the County as part of the Washington Region’s participation in “National Bike to Work Day” on Friday, May 17. 

MCDOT will sponsor eight pit stops this year, including a new stop in Germantown at the BlackRock Center for the Arts.  

The free pit stop events offer refreshments, music and local vendor displays at varying times throughout the morning of May 17. There will be free raffle prizes and a grand prize raffle of at least one new bike at each of the MCDOT-sponsored pit stops. Residents biking to work, as well as leisure riders, are encouraged to participate.  

Registration to participate is now open.  The first 15,000 bicyclists to register and participate will get a free t-shirt and will be automatically entered into a raffle for a chance to win a new bike. Registration is encouraged but not mandatory. 

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

Summer Red Line Shutdown Information

You have probably heard by now that beginning on Saturday, June 1 through Saturday, August 31, the Red Line will be closed between Glenmont and Takoma. Additionally, the closure will extend to Fort Totten through Saturday, June 29, 2024. Make sure to check out this website to see what types of alternative transportation is available for those who must commute between or through those stations. At a press conference yesterday morning, transportation officials announced that they will be providing dedicated bus lanes and changes to signal timing that "will make the shuttle travel seamless." Express, local, and limited services will be available in addition to new bus-only lanes and traffic mitigations. 

Important Dates and Service Information: June 1 - Aug. 31, 2024
Free shuttle buses replace Red Line trains between Glenmont and Takoma
Station closures: Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, and Silver Spring
Red and Green line available at Fort Totten

Note: The closure will extend to Fort Totten from June 1 - 29 only

Other Items of Interest

News from the Maryland Purple Line Team -- April Newsletter

Photos from Around the Corridor

Photo Courtesy of Ross Capon

Photo Courtesy of Ross Capon

Photo Courtesy of Ben Ross

STAY CONNECTED

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:

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Next Purple Line Forum
  • Thank You for Continuing to Support PLN
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 17
  • Metro’s NEW Real-time Performance Tracking Tool
  • From Our Friends at the Purple Line Corridor Coalition
• Construction Updates and Project Features
  • Items of Interest
  • Photos from Around the Corridor

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. 

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Next Purple Line NOW Forum

Thanks to a grant from the Purple Line Transit Partners, Purple Line NOW will continue our popular Envisioning the Purple Line Forum series this year! We are busy pulling together an educational and informative event and will announce the panel of speakers and date soon. As always, our events are free and open to the public and media, so keep an eagle eye out for the big announcement!

Thank You for Your Continuing Support!

Our need is ongoing - we operate on a budget between $20,000 and $25,000 each year, so please know that your donation in any amount is welcome and necessary for us to continue our work. You can easily donate by clicking the Purple "Donate" button below. Not sure if you've given in the past twelve months? Check our website to see if your name is listed. Thank you from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

National Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 17

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will sponsor eight pit stops throughout the County as part of the Washington Region’s participation in “National Bike to Work Day” on Friday, May 17. 

MCDOT will sponsor eight pit stops this year, including a new stop in Germantown at the BlackRock Center for the Arts.  

The free pit stop events offer refreshments, music and local vendor displays at varying times throughout the morning of May 17. There will be free raffle prizes and a grand prize raffle of at least one new bike at each of the MCDOT-sponsored pit stops. Residents biking to work, as well as leisure riders, are encouraged to participate.  

Registration to participate is now open.  The first 15,000 bicyclists to register and participate will get a free t-shirt and will be automatically entered into a raffle for a chance to win a new bike. Registration is encouraged but not mandatory. 

Metro’s NEW Real-time Performance Tracking Tool

Metro customers now have a new way to track performance and plan their travel with the addition of Metrobus data to MetroPulse, Metro’s real-time performance tracking tool.

MetroPulse, launched last summer, gives customers real-time information on bus and train locations, frequency, schedule adherence, and service advisories to help customers make informed decisions about their travel. MetroPulse is a web application currently in beta form, and it complements other performance tracking tools available at wmata.com, including quarterly reports and scorecards detailing on-time performance and customer satisfaction. 

From Our Friends at the Purple Line Corridor Coalition

The organization is hosting its annual meeting on April 24 in Riverdale Park. If you are interested in attending, you can find more information and register at the link.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

Some Items of Interest

News from the State: Maryland Purple Line Team Newsletter

News from General Assembly: Shoring Up the Trust Fund

Photos from Around the Corridor

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA

Photo Courtesy of MDOT MTA

View south from Talbot Ave bridge showing Purple Line ROW adjacent to existing CSX/MARC tracks with downtown Silver Spring in background. Photo Courtesy, Webb Smedley

View of Talbot Avenue west of bridge.  CCT is on large sidewalk on right of photo. Photo Courtesy, Webb Smedley

STAY CONNECTED

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.

***

Our thoughts remain steadfastly with the families of the construction crew missing from the collapse of the Key Bridge early Tuesday morning.

The dedication and sacrifice of these workers to maintain our bridges, roads, and railways for the benefit of our citizens is commendable and deeply appreciated. Their commitment to ensuring the safety and functionality of vital infrastructure exemplifies the spirit of service and resilience that defines our community.

As we mourn the loss of these crew workers, let us also offer our support and solidarity to the families enduring this unimaginable ordeal. May they find strength in the outpouring of compassion from our community.

***

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

• What's Happening at PLN?
  • Next Purple Line Forum
  • Thank You for Continuing to Support PLN
• Happening Along the Purple Line Corridor
  • Women in Construction
  • Silver Spring 9th Grader Wins Video Competition on Langley Park
• Construction Updates and Project Features
  • Board of Public Works Approves Additional Funding
  • Items of Interest Along the Corridor

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. 

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Next Purple Line NOW Forum

Thanks to a grant from the Purple Line Transit Partners, Purple Line NOW will continue our popular Envisioning the Purple Line Forum series this year! We are busy pulling together an educational and informative event and will announce the panel of speakers and date soon. As always, our events are free and open to the public and media, so keep an eagle eye out for the big announcement!

Thank You for Your Continuing Support!

Our need is ongoing - we operate on a budget between $20,000 and $25,000 each year, so please know that your donation in any amount is welcome and necessary for us to continue our work. You can easily donate by clicking the Purple "Donate" button below. Not sure if you've given in the past twelve months? Check our website to see if your name is listed. Thank you from all of us here at Purple Line NOW!

HAPPENING ALONG THE PURPLE LINE CORRIDOR

Women In Construction

If you didn't catch the article on women in (Purple Line) construction in the project's newsletter, have a look! The item features the Maryland Transit Solutions Stakeholder Communications Team: Carla Julian, Catherine Webb, Yuval Luger.

Silver Spring Student Wins Video Competition on Langley Park

Finally, we bring this video done by Dermott Foley, a ninth grader at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, who won first prize in the Eastern states division of the 2024 StudentCam Competition, a documentary video contest run by C-SPAN. Foley claimed a $3,000 prize for his documentary, titled “The Promise of Langley Park: The Purple Line, Climate Change and Reimagining the Future of America’s Suburbs.” Wow! Congrats to Dermott!

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES & PROJECT FEATURES

Board of Public Works Approve Extra Funding for Purple Line

The Maryland Board of Public Works unanimously approved an additional $425 million for the Purple Line construction and a delay of the project start until December 2027. The extension was subject to some controversy, as the project itself was widely supported, though some of the past choices in delivering it were critiqued. Utility relocation has been a major source of work and some of the delay in recent years, although an additional benefit of this work is an upgrade of stormwater management infrastructure across the right of ways. Such upgrades have become more critical due in part to climate change and the importance of good stormwater management by the two hundred year floods occurring in Ellicott City in rapid succession. (Bansil, S. "Maryland officials OK more Purple Line money, but not gladly." Maryland Matters, 13 March 2024.)

Some Items of Interest Along the Corridor

Watch as Montgomery Community Media gets a peak at 135 feet below downtown Bethesda where crews are making way for six elevators, the trains, and a mezzanine where riders will transfer between the Red and Purple Lines.

According to Moco360 Media, a developer files plan for 230-unit residential building in downtown Bethesda. The developer, Monument Realty, has proposed an eight-story apartment building with a public park, redeveloping what is now a public parking lot and business strip lining Wisconsin Avenue.

The Rock Creek Park Trail detour will be extended until approximately April 12 at the location of the Purple Line bridge.

This a a reminder that there is a major Metrorail closure coming our way this summer. This will be a big disruption, but will also bring benefits, not just to the future Purple Line, but also a new connection from the top of the Silver Spring Transit Center directly to the Metro platform. Beginning in early June 2024, the Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma stations on the Red Line will be closed until mid-September 2024. 

STAY CONNECTED

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.