Purple Line NOW Extra News!

Two items that may be of interest:

Board of Public Works

We mentioned in Wednesday's newsletter that the contract for the new builder was to go before the Board of Public Works at the January 26 meeting for approval by Maryland’s governor, treasurer, and comptroller. We can now confirm that the Purple Line is indeed on the agenda and you can listen to the proceedings here if interested. We will bring details regarding the outcome of the meeting in our next newsletter.

Purple Line NOW to Support Traffic Safety Legislation

We also wanted to let you know about an endorsement Purple Line NOW has agreed to regarding a pedestrian safety measure that relates to trail safety.

From time to time, Purple Line NOW is asked to support a bill or an initiative that is Purple Line adjacent in concept (or sometimes, in proximity!) While many of us acting as individuals (not on behalf of Purple Line NOW) who live and work along the Purple Line corridor, support many such initiatives, we cannot formally, as an organization, support all of them. Most of the time, it is due to the initiative or bill being outside of our mission’s scope, or sometimes because other organizations are already pushing the measure. Before we agree to support such an endeavor, we ask for input from our Board of Directors, most specifically, our Executive Committee (the group of volunteers who drive our Purple Line NOW train!)

One such initiative came to our attention last week, and we agreed that the measure under consideration dovetailed with PLN’s mission of ensuring a safe trail for all of us to use. We have agreed to support life-saving traffic safety legislation which is currently being considered during the Maryland GA session.

What is the problem?

The number of traffic-related pedestrian deaths is growing each year in Maryland, despite the efforts of State Highway Administration traffic engineers. In fact, traffic fatalities have been growing since 2008, particularly for pedestrians. The situation worsened in 2020, despite fewer cars on the road due to Covid-19 restrictions, pedestrian and cyclist deaths continued to climb. Last year alone, 130 Marylanders lost their lives while attempting to cross our streets, with an additional 3,022 pedestrian involved in accidents that caused injury or property damage.

What actions are being considered?

Enact legislation to provide Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) the tools and resources it needs to identify, assess, and systematically address specific and regional traffic threats. The following two bills are being considered to change the status quo of traffic fatalities:

Purple Line NOW has agreed to send an endorsement for these two proposed pieces of legislation. We will let you know the outcome in a future newsletter.


Purple Line NOW News - January 19, 2022

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

  • A Great BIG Thank You to YOU!
  • Purple Line in the News
  • Features & Highlights
    • Board of Public Works -- New Builder Contract
    • Maryland General Assembly
    • Community Advisory Teams
  • Construction News
    • New Builder Contract Slates Purple Line to Open Fall 2026
    • 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' Happening

   WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

Appreciative – Thankful – Grateful

We wish we could think of more words to convey how appreciative we are for your financial support over the past few months (and for many of you, years!) as we embarked on and completed a successful matching campaign. Even now, after the campaign has ended, we continue to receive donations from you, our supporters. Thank you, thank you, thank you --

--for allowing us to continue our work advocating for the project!
--for helping us maintain our role as an answer-getter for all of your questions!
--And, most importantly, for helping us bring important project information to our community and beyond!

We are GRATEFUL.

To the anonymous donor who matched every single donation we received from the start of the campaign until the end of the year -- your kindness in helping us garner more financial support in a tough year is beyond generous. 

We use every donation we receive to continue our newsletter, continue offering regular webinars, continue being a strong liaison to help connect you to people who can solve your issues, and continue our strong advocacy for the project in every way possible. If you would like to know more about who we are, why we are asking for donations, and what we do with your gift once it arrives on our doorstep, you can read all about it in our November newsletter.

(Although the matching campaign has ended, we are grateful for every donation we receive, so if you didn't have a chance to donate before the end of the year and would like to do so now, just click the purple button below. Unless you tell us otherwise, your name will be listed on our website and in publications for a year following your donation.)

Thank you to the following donors who have given to Purple Line NOW over the past twelve months – it is because of their financial support that we continue our work with an eye on that first train leaving the station in just a few years!

Featured Donors

The Chevy Chase Land Company

The Malloy and Sanders Family


Supporting Donors

Elizabeth Barbehenn

Jonathan Elkind

Neil Greene

John Robinson

Tina, Don, and Jessie Slater

Eric Talbot


Engineers

Anne Ambler and John Fay

Brian and Bee Ditzler

Chris Gillis

Ben Ross

Nancy and Rob Soreng


Conductors

Benjamin Englert

Todd Johnson

Jodie Kulpa-Eddy

Mary Lanigan

Christine Scott and JohnR Llewellyn

Cindy Snow

Dr. Kawsar Talaat and Dr. Troy Jacobs

College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn


Commuters

Bruce Adams, Charles Bell, Ralph Bennett, Glen Bottoms, Marney Bruce, Cathy Carr, John Carroll, Margaret Chasson, Michael DeLong, Sean Dobson, David Eagles, Gary Fahle, Jose Galdamez, Peter Gray, Margaret and Tom Greene, Ginanne Italiano, Kevin Kirby, Landmark Realty, Daniel Marcin, Mark Mesiti-Miller, Anita Morrison, David Murnan, Nathalie Peter, Tom Quinn, Andy Slettebak, William Strang, Ralph Watkins, Carol Whitley


Passengers

Tsedal Bahta, Philip Bogdonoff, Casey Brennan,  Steve Brigham, Kris Colby, Robert Devine, Patrick Dougherty, Elaine Emling, Joseph Fainberg, Nick Finio, Hugo Guzman, Patricia Jackman, Alan Lauer, Judith Morenoff, Rodolfo Perez, Tom Pogue, Mark Posner, Martin Posthumus, Annie Tulkin, Jerry Withers, Linda Zebooker, Marla Zipin

Gratefully,
Christine Scott, Executive Director
PL in the News

   THE PURPLE LINE IN THE NEWS

Shaver, Katherine. “Purple Line Will Open Late.” Washington Post, 12 January 2021.

Features and Highlights

   FEATURES & HIGHLIGHTS

Board of Public Works

The contract for the new builder will go to the Board of Public Works at the January 26 meeting for approval by Maryland’s governor, treasurer, and comptroller. Stay tuned!

Maryland General Assembly

Just a note that Maryland General Assembly has opened for the season. Purple Line NOW is tracking Purple Line relevant bills such as the SAFE Roads Act and the like. We'll send out related information and action alerts as they arise.

2022 Community Advisory Teams

We do not have the dates for the 2022 Community Advisory Teams (CATs) yet, but understand they will be happening sometime later this year after the new builder is on board. As soon as we know, we'll publish those dates in this newsletter.

Construction Updates

   CONSTRUCTION UPDATES

New Builder Contract Slates Purple Line to Open Fall 2026

As you may have read in our Breaking News blast last week, we have a tentative opening date for the project, now that new builder has been selected, Maryland Transit Solutions, made up of the U.S. subsidiaries Dragados USA, Inc. (Dragados) and OHLA Group, Inc. (OHLA).

Maryland announced the new schedule -- opening day is to come in late 2026. (Shaver, K. “Purple Line Will Open Late. Washington Post, 12 January 2021.) The new opening timeframe would be the date in which the entire line is set to open. As part of the competitive process for attracting a new builder, Maryland moved away from the plan to open the project in stages.

The cost of construction increases by $1.4 billion, bringing the total cost, including 30 years of operations, from $5.6 to $9.3 billion. The new contract will go to the Board of Public Works at the January 26 meeting for approval by Maryland’s governor, treasurer, and comptroller.

In the State’s transportation road show late last fall, Secretary Slater reported that pandemic disruptions, including material costs and supply chain challenges, as well as labor pool shortages have contributed to both cost and time increases.

You’ll remember that Maryland used the downtime while searching for a new builder to take over the 150 contracts and has made significant progress, according to the State’s year end compilation, utility relocations are now 66 percent complete and design is 95 percent complete. As we said in the press release, “A frivolous lawsuit cost the state precious time and by directly causing nearly a year of delay, managed to seed conflict and cost Maryland leverage in the original agreement. Vitally, the last of the suits have been dismissed and the higher courts have been consistent in finding them without merit.”

As part of this new contract, Maryland is buying additional light rail trains. This was always planned, but with huge progress completed on the initial set of light rail cars, this was an opportunity to reduce headways at rush hour from the initial time of 7.5 minutes. This is one of the most important factors for the quality of transit and a practical demonstration that Maryland was looking for best value when bringing on a new builder.

It will have been some 40 years from the initial idea of a trolley on the Georgetown Branch to the complete on the Purple Line, and it could have been completed much more cheaply without a series of unnecessary delays. However, what matters now is ending the disruption and gaining the benefits of the line, and that end is now in sight!

Photos from Around the Corridor

The first two photos come to us from reader Gary Fahle who shot the photos from the west side of the future Sleaford Road Overpass. If you'd like to submit your Purple Line photos, send them to cscott@purplelinenowcom.

The following photos are courtesy of MDOT MTA:

 

Stay Connected

   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.

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New Builder Contract Slates Purple Line to Open Fall 2026

Since the departure of the previous builder, one of the most persistent and critical questions from the public has been when the Purple Line will open. Maryland Transit Administration was not comfortable providing estimates until a new builder was selected as that would be part of the competition and negotiation. In November, we learned that the new builder would be Maryland Transit Solutions, made up of the U.S. subsidiaries Dragados USA, Inc. (Dragados) and OHLA Group, Inc. (OHLA).

Yesterday, Maryland announced the new schedule -- opening day is to come in late 2026 (Shaver, K. “Purple Line Will Open Late.” Washington Post, 12 January 2021.) The new opening timeframe would be the date in which the entire line is set to open. As part of the competitive process for attracting a new builder, Maryland moved away from the plan to open the project in stages.

The cost of construction increases by $1.4 billion, bringing the total cost, including 30 years of operations, from $5.6 to $9.3 billion. The new contract will go to the Board of Public Works at the January 26 meeting for approval by Maryland’s governor, treasurer, and comptroller.

Purple Line NOW Board President Ralph Bennett reacted to the news by saying, “The delay that has resulted in pushing the project to 2026 along with the cost increases are a huge disappointment, but one influenced by economy-wide conditions.” In their transportation road show late last fall, Secretary Slater reported that pandemic disruptions, including material costs and supply chain challenges, as well as labor pool shortages have contributed to both cost and time increases.

Bennett emphasized that the fundamental strengths of the line remain. “It is filling the missing east-west connection that brings together four Metro branches and three MARC lines from Bethesda to New Carrollton. Its role as a jobs line, bringing an estimated $2.2 billion in annual growth to our region can be seen in developments occurring and planned throughout the corridor. The Purple Line will help address the mounting cost of transit-accessible housing, and its environmental benefits in taking 17,000 cars off the road have only grown more urgent. Finally, it will complete the Capital Crescent Trail extension between Bethesda and Silver Spring.”

Local officials noted the pain of the delay, but pointed to the criticality of completing the project to attain the benefits and end the disruption. This sentiment was echoed by Purple Line NOW Vice President Greg Sanders, “I think it’s safe to say Maryland wants more certainty and they are willing to pay a premium to get it.” Addressing the cost increases, Sanders continued, “The numbers are bigger than we’d like and it’s later than we’d like, but the key thing is getting to that opening day.”

Critically, as Maryland officials explained, key risks and sources of conflict are now behind the project. There were four causes of the delays that the builder raised in the $850 million dispute with Maryland: the costs added by the lawsuit inflicted delay, the pace of property acquisition, the freight company CSX demanding a separation wall for a portion of the right of way, and environmental permits.  MDOT MTA Purple Line Project Manager Matthew Pollack told reporters that the State has resolved the design of the wall, has the permits in hand, and full “legal control” of all the needed properties.

In a recap of the status of the project earlier this week, Mr. Sanders cited the massive task of relocating utilities as another regular source of problems for infrastructure projects. Maryland used the downtime while searching for a new builder to take over the 150 contracts and has made significant progress, according to the State’s year end compilation, utility relocations are now 66 percent complete and design is 95 percent complete. Finally, Sanders notes, “A frivolous lawsuit cost the state precious time and by directly causing nearly a year of delay, managed to seed conflict and cost Maryland leverage in the original agreement. Vitally, the last of the suits have been dismissed and the higher courts have been consistent in finding them without merit.”

Purple Line NOW Treasurer Tina Slater noted one piece of good news that emerged last fall at the Maryland Transportation Roadshow,  “As part of this new contract, Maryland is buying additional light rail trains. This was always planned, but with huge progress completed on the initial set of light rail cars, this was an opportunity to reduce headways at rush hour from the initial time of 7.5 minutes. This is one of the most important factors for the quality of transit and a practical demonstration that Maryland was looking for best value when bringing on a new builder. It will have been some 40 years from the initial idea of a trolley on the Georgetown Branch to the complete on the Purple Line, and it could have been completed much more cheaply without a series of unnecessary delays. However, what matters now is ending the disruption and gaining the benefits of the line, and that end is now in sight.”


Purple Line NOW News - January 5, 2022

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

  • Matching Campaign is Drawing to a Close
  • Purple Line in the News
  • Features & Highlights
    • Bidding Farewell to Gregory Slater
  • Construction News
    • The Top Ten Purple Line Stories of 2021!

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' Happening

   WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PLN?

We are not quite ready to let the cat out of the bag just yet -- but you all REALLY stepped up to help us get closer to our goal of raising $5,000 through a matching campaign! We will have the final numbers and a full list of our generous donors for you in the next newsletter, but please know how grateful we are for your financial support. Thank you, thank you! While our matching campaign is ending, Purple Line NOW continues to operate because of your generosity. If you didn't have a chance to donate before the end of the year and would like to do so now, just click the purple button below.

We use every donation we receive to continue our newsletter, continue offering regular webinars, continue being a strong liaison to help connect you to people who can solve your issues, and continue our strong advocacy for the project in every way possible. If you would like to know more about who we are, why we are asking for donations, and what we do with your gift once it arrives on our doorstep, you can read all about it in our November newsletter.

Gratefully,
Christine Scott, Executive Director
PL in the News

   THE PURPLE LINE IN THE NEWS

DePuyt, Bruce. "Slater to depart MDOT in January." Maryland Matters, 30 Dec. 2021

Features and Highlights

   FEATURES & HIGHLIGHTS


As you may have read, Maryland’s Secretary of Transportation, Greg Slater is set to leave the position later this month. Governor Larry Hogan has named his successor, James F. Ports Jr., the executive director of the Maryland Transportation Authority.

We are grateful for Secretary Slater’s steady hand during a tumultuous time for the Purple Line project. His hard work and public dedication helped steer the team through the loss of the previous builder and ultimately naming the new builder just this past fall. Many of you may remember his willingness to show up when asked to answer tough questions, as he did for our forum last year. We wish him all of the best in his new position and thank him for all he has done for the Purple Line, our communities, and our state.

Construction Updates

   CONSTRUCTION UPDATES

A Look Back at 2021

As Purple Line NOW News heads into its fourth year of publication, we know our annual round-up of Top Ten Purple Line stories is one of our readers' favorites!

On the surface, as we awaited the announcement of a new builder, it may have seemed like a quiet year with regard to the project, but in reality, with crews working on nearly every inch of the future path, the Operations and Management Facility up and very nearly complete, and lots of work behind the scenes to inform the potential bidders so they could submit competing bids, the year was an active one for the line.

Although at times construction woes and traffic disruptions made for intermittent frustrations, as we closed out 2021, there was lots of good news to celebrate, too, not the least of which was the end to the lawsuits that have plagued the project for the last few years!

See if you agree with our selection of the Top Ten Purple Line stories for 2021 below. If you think we’ve forgotten one, send us a line or two at [email protected]. And, if you have any future predictions, send them along, as well!

Here are the biggest stories (with lots of links if you would like to read further!) we believe had an impact on the project:

10. Maryland Transit Administrator and Maryland’s Secretary of Transportation Leave Posts

On the state level, two key Purple Line staff left their positions. Kevin Quinn announced his resignation back in early summer and the late-breaking news of the impending departure of Greg Slater, Maryland’s Secretary of Transportation in just a few weeks. We appreciated Kevin’s hard work during a difficult time for the project and grateful to learn his replacement, Holly Arnold, was named permanent Administrator not long after his leaving. We haven’t yet had time to process Greg Slater’s departure, but he will certainly be missed here in our neck of the woods. His work on the project during a tumultuous time is commendable and as we wrote above, Purple Line NOW is deeply appreciative of his hard work.

9. Three Builders Shortlisted for Final Competition

In early spring, we learned three competitors were chosen to move on to the final stage to replace the builder who left in the previous year. Those bids came from: Halmar International, Maryland Transit Solutions, and Tutor-Perini. This was an important step, although there was still work left to do as extra time was granted to each of the firms to gather additional information and research before submitting their final brief to the state in early autumn.

8. Good News for Small Businesses

Although any one of these likely business-friendly items merits its own place on our Top Ten list, collectively, they spell good news for businesses along the corridor. First, the Maryland Purple Line project management office stood up a Business Engagement Team earlier last summer.

Next, we received news Senate Bill 199/House Bill 114, sponsored by Sens. McCray and Zucker (D-Baltimore City) and Del. Lierman (D-Baltimore City), would extend portions of the Maryland Metro/Transit Funding Act to increase operations and capital spending for MTA. Additionally, the bill would establish a $2 Million Purple Line Construction Zone Grant Program which would be administered through the Department of Commerce to assist small businesses. This amount comes on top of $231,000 appropriated by  the Montgomery County Council in the late November.

7. Capital Crescent Trail Plans

The Montgomery County Planning Board in mid-October gave a detailed briefing on the two-stage plan for the Capital Crescent Trail crossing and possible tunnel at Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda. The Capital Crescent Trail breezeway is in the #4 slot on the Montgomery Planning Board's top 100 capital program list, one of four Purple Line related improvements. In previous years, cost estimates have risen for the tunnel, and a funding source has not yet been identified for it. However, with the passage of the federal infrastructure bill, there are additional opportunities for funding. Throughout the year, pedestrian and bicycle safety has been an important issue in both Montgomery and Prince George's county and will be all the more important as construction ramps up under the new builder.

6. Economic Development Around the Corridor

A number of development-oriented stories made us smile this year, including the groundbreaking at the Crescent at Chevy Chase Lake apartment building in October. The project is across the street from a Purple Line station and will include connections to the Capital Crescent Trail. As Maryland cited, this project is part of $2 billion in transit-oriented development along the Purple Line corridor.

The New Carrollton Economic Development Strategy is now complete and available online! This completed PAMC project highlights steps the city can take to support existing businesses and attract new ones. 

And, on the topic of ensuring that the Purple Line’s benefits are widespread, elected officials and advocates are joining forces to help small businesses make it through construction while safeguarding 17,000 units of affordable housing.

5. Board of Public Works Approves Funding for Purple Line Consultants & Prepays Bond

In early June, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved $183.5 million for consultants to continue managing many of the 150 contracts the state took over when the former builder left the project. The approval was not considered a cost increase because it was already in the budget for work that the former builder would have done (and been paid for.)

In September, the state announced it would also be prepaying a $313 million private activity bond to smooth the way for the selection process. Secretary Slater explained that “every activity we do under this new contract authority is an activity that won’t be included in the costs when the new builder is hired. This funding will move the process along and reduce risk."

4. Construction on Purple Line Continues

This may seem like a no-brainer, but after the former builder left the project in 2020, whether or not construction would continue while the state regrouped and decided what happened next was not a sure thing. The past year saw huge gains in relocating the majority of utilities (and that is a massive undertaking on a project of this size), the delivery of 29,000 rail ties, the Campus Drive pump house completed, and the lights turned on at the Glenridge Operations and Management Facility, among many other construction highlights. All of these were important accomplishments to attract a quality builder. Want to see more of what was accomplished construction-wise? View this cool wrap-up of the year from the state.

3. Additional Railcars Acquired

This little sliver of news was casually slipped into conversation during Maryland’s Transportation road show last fall, but our ears perked right up when we learned that the state had acquired additional railcars for the Purple Line. Why is this important?  Secretary Slater said that the additional railcars will “position us to offer a high level of service” and they will help reduce headways (time spent waiting on a train to come), as well. We call that a big win!

2. Purple Line NOW Forum

Not to toot our own horn too much (okay, maybe just a little), we were thrilled to offer to the public at no charge, a virtual forum which featured a thorough update from Gregory Slater, Maryland’s Secretary of Transportation. Along with Secretary Slater, the new CEO of the Purple Line Transit Partners, Doran Bosso joined us, as did Matt Pollack from MTA’s Purple Line Team. We were thrilled to have additional reports from representatives of both counties, Maricela Cordova Garcia (Montgomery County) and Vic Weissberg (Prince George’s County). Secretary Slater took a moment to speak to the importance of citizen advocacy, saying, “Working together to make such projects a success is critical, not just here in the national capital region, but in Maryland as a whole.”

1. New Builder Chosen!

Not much of a surprise here, but our top news story -- the news we all had been waiting for since late 2020 -- finally came through! Just before Thanksgiving, we received word that a new builder had been chosen! We extend a warm welcome to Maryland Transit Solutions (MTS) which is comprised of Dragados USA and OHL USA. This selection will be forwarded to the Maryland Board of Public Works for final approval any day now.

As we start the new year with lots more milestones to reach (what will next year’s top ten look like? Any guesses?!), we wish each of you best wishes for a safe, healthy, and happy new year. Thank you for all of your support!

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