***

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

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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. 

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