A public transportation system along Campus Drive, dubbed the Purple Line, could be more likely to move forward under Gov.-elect Martin O’Malley, increasing the chances of connecting this university with surrounding areas while reducing traffic congestion, said a university official.
The Purple Line, which would consist of either light rail trains or bus rapid transit, would connect the university to New Carollton in the east and Silver Spring and Bethesda in the west, with stops in Langley Park and other areas lacking Metro stops along the way.
While Gov. Robert Ehrlich showed support for the alternative Intercounty Connector in the past, O’Malley expressed more interest in the Purple Line during this year’s campaign, boosting project supporters’ hopes. The project would also include stops on the campus, which has gained avid support from local activists who say the university needs more mass transportation than shuttles and Metrobuses.
“There are many who believe the study was being delayed,” said Webb L. Smedley, chairman of the Coalition to Build the Inner Purple Line. “In August, the Ehrlich administration announced that two major contracts [for studies] were approved, but the other day I heard that they haven’t been executed.”
“The planning for Purple Line is going to change with new administration,” he added.
If built, the Purple Line would travel along University Boulevard, down Campus Drive, then continue either along Paint Branch Drive or through the planned East Campus development to the College Park Metro station, according to maps of the proposed project.
But even if O’Malley follows through with support, the on-campus portion of the project would take three to five years – possibly longer if it is broken up into multiple phases, said Mike Madden, Maryland Department of Transportation’s project manager responsible for the Purple Line. The earliest work could begin is 2010 or 2011, Madden said.
Officially known as the Bi-County Transitway, the Purple Line has gained strong support from the university, which sees it as an opportunity to encourage students to commute and draw development to the area, said John Porcari, vice president of administrative affairs.
“The university is the single largest beneficiary of the Purple Line,” Porcari said. “Its construction would make commuting and access to the university much easier for the students and faculty.”
But while O’Malley’s support is promising, it holds no guarantee that the project will progress more rapidly, said O’Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese.
“[While the governor-elect] does support the Purple Line, it is too soon to tell if and how the new administration would affect its approval and rate progress,” Abbruzzese said. “There’s too many unknowns at this point … Until we’re actually in there it’s hard to say.”
Abbruzzese said that O’Malley would audit all of the state’s transportation projects, including Purple Line, when he takes office.
Porcari said the university favors light rail – trains usually powered by overhead wires and running on lightweight tracks – rather than buses because the stations could generate more development around them.
“It better serves the transit needs of the university [and] allows for transit-oriented development – like at East Campus,” said Porcari, who said he also favors a track running through East Campus.
East Campus is slated for mixed development which could include graduate student housing, restaurants, offices, a hotel and entertainment options.
MTA maps show possible stations on the campus near UMUC, or near the campus’ center which might include a stop at Cole Field House or Stamp Student Union.
Smedley added the Purple Line’s route west of campus would create housing opportunities along University Boulevard, which could further promote development there.
Madden said the rail would likely travel above ground over Campus Drive.
“We think that would make it most cost effective,” he said, estimating the cost of “deep-tunneling,” or running the track below Campus Drive, at $200 to $250 million per mile.
Madden said MTA is studying all options for the line, including various methods of tunneling and bus transit, as part of its Environmental Impact Study, and plans to release its findings in spring 2007.
This has generated some “nervousness” at the university, particularly with respect to parking, Smedley said.
“If it were coming at grade it would be coming across parking Lot 1d,” Smedley said, adding that a parking garage would have to be built to accommodate the lost parking spaces.
But there is also concern that if the Purple Line is built, it won’t be enough of an alternative to the heavy traffic the road currently accommodates. Madden said that one of the university plans he saw diverted most traffic off Campus Drive, leaving it for Purple Line and emergency vehicle use only.
“[Campus Drive] is really the only east-west link across campus,” Porcari said. “There’s a strong desire by many to preserve it.”
Contact reporter David Zenlea at newsdesk@dbk.umd.edu.
