After spending the past few weeks encased in what felt like a region‑wide ice cube, we’re finally thawing out! Hopefully, in your neck of the woods, sidewalks are reappearing, cars and bikes are being liberated from their frosty shells, and everyone is remembering what it feels like to walk without doing the “penguin shuffle.” (Shout out to the Silver Spring Rush Hour Penguin Mural!) As we all ease back into motion, this feels like the perfect moment to pause, take a breath, and catch up on what’s happening along the Purple Line corridor.

In this edition, we’re bringing you a few crisp, timely updates. Below, you’ll find quick updates on a few fronts: a snip of an update on the Spring Street Bridge closure and why its timeline has been such a puzzle, a peek at the newly approved protected bike lane coming to 16th Street, and a roundup of answers to the thoughtful questions many of you sent in over the past few months following our December forum.

So as the ice melts and the temperatures inch upward, settle in with this issue. No warm drink required this time! We’re glad you’re here.

Warmly,
Christine and everyone at Purple Line NOW

WHAT'S HAPPENING!

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From all of us at Purple Line NOW: thank you for standing with us, for believing in this project, and for helping us carry this momentum into the year ahead.

Spring Street Bridge Update

Residents continue to keep a close eye on the long‑running Spring Street Bridge closure, and the Purple Line team has shared a bit more context about what’s been happening behind the scenes. The bridge is still expected to reopen in Spring 2026. A firm date isn’t available yet, but officials have committed to sharing one as soon as they can.

This stretch of work has proven unusually complicated. Crews are operating in a tight corridor that overlaps with CSX and MARC rail operations and includes infrastructure from seven different utility companies. Because freight and commuter trains move through the active construction zone throughout the day, CSX flaggers must halt work each time a train approaches. Those stop‑and‑start interruptions -- combined with the sheer number of partners involved -- have created delays that were difficult to anticipate.

Even with these challenges, progress continues, and the team emphasizes that they’re pushing toward completion as safely and efficiently as possible. We’ll keep you updated as soon as more specific timing becomes available.

Bike Lane on 16th Street Moves Forward

A long‑planned safety improvement for downtown Silver Spring took a meaningful step forward last week. The Montgomery County Planning Board has endorsed the state’s proposal to add a protected, two‑way bike lane along the northbound side of 16th Street, running just over half a mile from Spring Street to Second Avenue. The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) will build the 8‑foot‑wide path as part of a broader set of roadway upgrades in the Montgomery Hills corridor.

This stretch of 16th Street sits right next to the future Woodside Purple Line station, making the timing especially important. With Purple Line service expected to begin in late 2027, planners see this bikeway as a key link between neighborhoods like Woodside and Rosemary Hills and the growing network of transit options in the area. The route also connects to nearby Metro and Ride On stops, and it will eventually tie into the planned Capital Crescent Trail extension, which is designed to pass beneath both Spring Street and 16th Street.

SHA staff shared encouraging news at the meeting: the bikeway is fully funded, and construction could begin once Purple Line work at the station wraps up -- potentially later this year. Planners emphasized that the project isn’t just about adding a bike lane; it’s about creating a safer, more intuitive transportation network for everyone moving through this busy corridor.

Members were broadly supportive and noted that county planning staff have recommended several refinements, including lowering the speed limit from 35 to 25 mph and widening the adjacent sidewalk to better align with the county’s Complete Streets guidance. SHA has agreed to consider these suggestions as the design advances.

With strong community backing and funding in place, the project is now well‑positioned to move from planning to construction, bringing long‑awaited safety and connectivity improvements to this important gateway into Silver Spring.

Read the full story here: Bethesda Beat – State Plan for Bike Lane on Silver Spring’s 16th Street Rolls On.

Community Q&A: Your Follow‑Up Questions Answered

After our December forum, many of you reached out with thoughtful follow‑up questions for the Purple Line team. In our last edition of Purple Line NOW News, we reprinted answers to all of those questions.

Since then, we received several more questions and appreciate your engagement and for continuing to keep this community conversation active and constructive. As always, we passed your questions along to the Purple Line team, who provided the expansive and detailed responses below. We’re sharing them here so everyone can benefit from the information. 

If you have additional questions, the Purple Line team remains the best source for technical and project‑specific details. That said, Purple Line NOW is always here to help nudge a question in the right direction or connect you with the appropriate contacts whenever needed.

Testing Timeline

Question:
If construction is expected to be completed in roughly six months (with 87% complete so far), why is an additional 18 months needed before opening? With dynamic testing already underway in Prince George’s County, residents are concerned about seeing trains run but not being able to ride them.

Response:
While construction is nearing completion, the project enters a required testing and commissioning phase. This includes training operators, completing testing on every Light Rail Vehicle (LRV), and ensuring that all train signals and communication systems function correctly as an integrated network. LRVs must also complete 2,000 hours of dynamic testing, which cannot be shortened, and trains must demonstrate reliable performance in various weather conditions.

Although testing is already visible in parts of Prince George’s County, these trains are operating in controlled, non‑passenger environments. This period is essential to ensuring the system meets all safety, reliability, and regulatory standards before opening.

We understand the community’s anticipation, and these additional months are focused on delivering a safe and fully ready system for all riders.

Monthly Updates

Question:
The monthly email updates feel too general (“work continues…”). Is it possible to provide more specific expectations or a rough timeline for when major elements will be finished?

Response:
The Purple Line provides updates in this format due to managing expectations and to be as transparent with the public as possible. Putting a hard date on a task may not always be a viable option due to unforeseen circumstances that could delay the work. Such as the weather. if you have specific questions around certain pieces of infrastructure being built or other projects along the alignment, please let us know, and we will be happy to answer them.

Staging & Laydown Areas

Question:
What will happen to the staging lots at Piney Branch & University and Flower & Arliss once construction is complete?

Responses:

Flower & Arliss
Once construction is complete, this area will be converted into a dry pond as part of the project’s stormwater‑management system. It will be fully landscaped and integrated into the surrounding environment.

Piney Branch & University
Future use of this parcel has not yet been determined. Decisions are pending coordination between the State of Maryland and the respective property owners.

Track Installation Status in Silver Spring

Question:
Only two blocks appear to remain without track -- Wayne Ave (Fenton to Cedar) and Bonifant (Metro to Georgia). Why the delay?

Responses:

Wayne Avenue (between Fenton and Cedar)
This section experienced an elevation and alignment issue that required approximately 25 feet of track to be removed and corrected. The error stemmed from an incorrect rail elevation caused by equipment issues. Corrective work is scheduled and expected to be completed within the next few weeks.

Bonifant Street (from the Metro to Georgia Avenue)
The remaining gap at Bonifant and Dixon involves precast concrete panels, which are the only location on the project where vehicular traffic will cross the tracks using precast panels. These panels cannot be set when rail temperatures are below required thresholds. As a result, installation is planned for spring 2026, when consistent warm temperatures allow proper placement.

Pedestrian Access Near Long Branch

Question:
The temporary sidewalk between the Giant and Flower Branch Apartments is frequently blocked, sometimes by construction and sometimes by drivers moving barriers. This is a heavily used pedestrian area -- what can be done?

Response:
Thank you for making us aware of this situation. We have reported it to our Resident Engineers and construction crews and they are monitoring this area to ensure the barriers are in place. We try our best to make sure that the barriers stay in place. However, as you mentioned, sometimes the public will move the barriers. If this happens and we have not moved them back in place, please feel free to contact us so we can rectify the situation as soon as possible.

Signal Priority

Questions included:
– Under what circumstances the train will receive priority
– When it will not receive priority
– Whether priority is tied to schedule adherence
– How the schedule is determined and whether delays at lights are “built in”

Responses:

When the train will receive priority
If a location is designated as a priority-controlled intersection and is operating under a programmed coordinated time plan, the intelligent interface device (IID) will automatically shift the location to preemption during off-peak free operation. This occurs because priority operation includes adjustable timing parameters that allow the system to prepare for an LRV’s arrival.

When it will not receive priority
This condition applies only when no demand exists from train control system circuits.

Whether priority is tied to schedule adherence
No. Priority is a “lesser preempt” function that places a soft demand for service and may influence signal timing; however, service is not guaranteed and is not hard-coded into the controller logic. This is distinct from preemption, which provides a hard takeover of signal timing to explicitly serve train movements.

How the schedule is determined
The schedule is developed using a fluid, adaptive approach, which is the primary reason the intelligent interface device (IID) was selected for use. The IID integrates highway traffic signal operations with the train control system to minimize disruption to both the traveling public and light rail operations.

Pedestrian Traffic on the UMD Campus

Question:
What measures will help ensure reliable train movement during class changes, when pedestrian volumes on Campus Drive are especially high?

Response:
LRVs are required to stop pedestrians at marked crosswalks within the campus. Pedestrian interactions have been incorporated into the priority and preemption calculations, with particular emphasis on identified potential stopping points west of Regents Drive. However, actual train arrival times will remain variable and are directly influenced by real-time pedestrian behavior, including instances where pedestrians enter the crosswalk or roadway in front of an approaching LRV.

With a boatload (or trainload?) of thanks to the Purple Line Outreach Team for providing these answers -- they are consistently responsive and knowledgeable and well equipped to address project‑specific or time‑sensitive inquiries. We here at PLN are always happy to help point you toward the right contacts, give a gentle nudge if you’re waiting on a reply, or flag information we may already have received that relates to your question. We love hearing from you and are glad to help keep the lines of communication open!

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