Committee Makes Recommendations on Purple Line

Today the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee took up the Locally Preferred Alternatives for the Purple Line, a proposed 16-mile transit way between Bethesda and New Carrollton connecting four branches of Metro and three MARC commuter rail routes.

After listening to the community, the Planning Board and the County Executive, we unanimously support the medium investment light rail alternative and a high quality Capital Crescent Trail. We also recommend that MTA conduct further study of tunneling at Wayne Avenue to determine the impact on the local community and to see if the savings in travel time justify the increased cost. Additionally, we recommend that the trail be widened to 12 feet and more where possible; that tail tracks emerging from the tunnel at Woodmont Plaza be no more than 100 feet; that Dale Drive not be designated as a stop at this time; and that grass tracks be utilized.

The full Council will take action on this issue on January 27, and our positions will be forwarded to the Maryland Transit Administration. The State will submit its plans to the Federal Transit Administration in summer/fall 2009 at the same time it submits plans for the Red Line (to serve Baltimore) and the Corridor Cities Transitway (to run from Gaithersburg to Clarksburg).