Elrich Asks State to Single Track Purple Line, Some on Council are Opposed
As the state moves closer to selecting a contractor for the Purple Line, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has suggested reducing the project in order to save money due to the financial hit the county has taken during the pandemic.
Elrich has asked the Maryland Department of Transportation to consider single tracking the Purple Line inside the Bethesda station so the county will be able to rebuild its connection with the Capital Crescent Trail.
Elrich also recommended the the council defer some of the project’s work at the trail from the tunnel beneath Elm Street and Wisconsin Avenue by at least two years. It is currently scheduled to begin during FY 2025, but Elrich would like it moved back to at least FY 2027, according to a report at the council’s Transportation and Environment Committee.
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Latisha Johnson is a transportation planner and graduate student at Morgan State University. Her interest in planning stems from a desire to create an inclusive, sustainable, and just built environment. Latisha is a North Carolina native currently living in Silver Spring. Share
During nearly 40 years as a federal wildlife biologist at the Patuxent Research Refuge, Sam Droege has tromped across nearly every one of its 12,800 acres.
A view of the high-speed magnetic-levitation train in Japan as it appeared during Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan s visit in 2015. Steve Kwak/Office of the Maryland Governor
And he doesnât want to see any of them plowed under for a blazingly fast train. That is a growing possibility, though. With plans solidifying for a magnetic-levitation train between Baltimore and Washington, Droege and other conservation advocates are on alert for potential harm to the 85-year-old wildlife refuge.