All Aboard for the Purpe Line, Will Annapolis Pony up?
Yesterday, the Graduate Student Government joined with the undergraduate SGA in support of the Purple Line in recognition of the enormous benefit the project will bring for students. The GSG’s resolution also recognized that “light rail technology has a strong record of promoting compact, pedestrian-oriented revitalization” and stated the tremendous importance of the project for the East Campus Development. Students organizations are just one of an expanding list of groups that support the project - including the UMD administration, the City of College Park, and the unanimous backing of all Prince George’s and Mongomery County councilmen.
Support for the Purple Line seems to be at an all time high, yet last year’s election frenzy over the project seems to have quickly dissipating among the realities of the state budget. The project (formerly know as the Bi-County Transitway) has an estimated price tag upwards of $1.3 billion. This in the face of of a $0.9 billion state transportation shortfall over the next 5 years and $13.5 billion over the next 20. Not only is the Purple Line competing against several m
ajor transportation projects statewide, but federal assistance will be awarded competitively on a nationwide basis. According to acting state Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari, “We have a very ambitious transportation program, and we know, given the current revenues, that we can’t fund it.”
How can such a funding gap be bridged? The Gazzette published some state number crunching that could conceivably make the project a reality.
Note: The picture above is from a real light rail in Shaker Heights, OH. No Purple Line alignment proposes track across the UMD Chapel field nor in any location that will significantly impact exisitng CP neighborhoods. See the CP alignment here.
Click here to view our interactive project map
February 12th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Any Purple line alignment that would supersede vehicular traffic on Campus Drive is extremely detrimental to the university by shutting down the major east-west artery in campus. Elevated rail is another option but would cause major disruptions during construction and would be an eyesore once completed.
Underground tunneling (despite the exorbitant costs) is the only way to complete a Purple Line throught campus.
February 16th, 2007 at 8:48 am
While tunnelling is being looked at for the center of campus, it may be unaffordable. There are some hybrid options allowing a transit right of way through the middle of campus (for both rail and bus) with some limited auto access - limiting the extent of pavement to three lanes in the center of campus (currently it is three lanes in most areas if you include parking). Two lanes would be for the transitway with one lane being one way up to Stamp at which point traffic would need to go to Field House Drive to continue either east or west. Such a plan would be a disincentive to using the Campus Drive corridor as a convenient cut through. It would need to be accompanied by other changes to improve the alternative routes between University and Rt. 1.
Campus Drive should also have a bikeway, or at least designated shoulder lanes.
February 18th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
It should be noted that proposed routes will cause havoc on many neighborhoods. East Silver Spring will be hit hard by one of the proposed alignments. Houses along Thayer Avenue will be destroyed, the rail will go above ground in back of an elementary school, an acre of Sligo Creek park will be destroyed at the crossings of Thayer and Dale Drive, and a quiet residential neighborhood will have to contend with loud noise and vibrations 20 hours a day. Here are the maps which show the proposed alignment, (issued by WMATA) you may need to copy/paste the link in the address bar:
http://www.bi-countytransitway.com/PDFs/English/FG-4_Sheet09_SilverSpring.pdf
http://www.bi-countytransitway.com/PDFs/English/FG-4_Sheet07_SilverSpring.pdf
I’m not entirely against the purple line, it just makes more sense to pick a more urban street such as Colesville Rd/University Blvd. to place it.
More info at: https://www.sstop.org
February 19th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
While light-rail should go up Colesville Road one day, it doesn’t belong for the Purple Line. There are a lot of reasons not to build through East Silver Spring - you stated all of them - and that’s why the State should consider a tunnel. This is the most direct route for the Purple Line - and one that will best benefit struggling neighborhoods like Long Branch and Langley Park. Routing it up Colesville and over to University would take extra time and cost more money without any of the benefit.
I’ve talked to ESSCA and SSTOP and I understand where they’re coming from, but I still think the Purple Line needs to go to East Silver Spring - but under it, not through it.
February 20th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
First one Montgomery neighborhood’s disinformation campaign has delayed completion of the western section of the Purple Line (and completion of the hiker-biker trail) for two decades. Will another Montgomery neighborhood’s similar campaign stop the project from ever reaching Prince George’s County or serving the hundreds of thousands of residents and workers who will be walking distance of its transit stops? How many of the thousands of residents of apartments in East Silver Spring belong to ESSCA or SSTOP or whatever is the next acronym to start an anti-transit website? How many of these working people believe that better transit will “cause havoc” on the neighborhood? Maybe they don’t have time to think about these issues because the are spending hours going back and forth to work on buses stuck in traffic.
Noise and Vibration? This is light rail - quiet and pollution free - certainly better than the traffic barreling down Wayne Avenue all day and half the night.
Finally, our National Environmental Protection Act requires that any park impacts be mitigated. See http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa/index.html
February 21st, 2007 at 12:42 am
Visit any city with a quality light-rail system and its clear that light rail does not have a detrimental impact on neighborhods, in fact just the opposite—people love it.
February 24th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
In response to the 1st reply, thanks for taking the Silver Spring tour and being concerned of the impact. However, if the rail is on Colesville and University (or Wayne Ave) it could go above ground, which is much cheaper than tunnelling through Thayer Avenue. It could could still benefit Long Branch and Langly Park, which are in the path. Unfortunately, as much as I would like tunnelling, it will be a huge fight and in my opinion, not very likely, since costs are an issue.
In response to the 2nd reply simply put, maps don’t lie, it is proposed to be routed through a park, school and houses; there is no “disinformation” here. You are correct that there will be mitigation and hearings to get it though Sligo Creek Park, which are also costly and time consuming. If you take a ride on any light rail you will notice they are very noisy. People cover their ears when the Baltimore light rail passes by.
Lastly, both SSTOP AND ESSCA are not anti-transit, but are pro-neighborhood. Most want a transportation solution, but also want quality of life, i.e tunnelling or a different route. There are no other light rails in this country that run through schools, parks and houses, as the proposed Purple line SS/T route.