Purple Line
The Purple Line: Three simple words that often cause controversy and debate when uttered in a public setting. It’s a 16-mile, $2.37 billion light rail line that will connect College Park to Bethesda and New Carrollton. One aspect people tend to agree on is the benefit of creating a means of public transportation between Montgomery and Prince George’s counties — but the requirements and potential consequences of putting this project into action stir people’s emotions.
State legislators and Maryland Transit Administration officials are working to hash out the details of the line’s construction and hope to start building the Purple Line in 2015, with a projected completion date in 2020. While many more decisions must be made before the Purple Line is ready to take on passengers, it’s important to recognize the progress that has already been made.
It’s a good time to review those choices alongside what’s still up for debate. We urge students to tell officials exactly what they want to see happen. If officials don’t hear from the student body, students’ interests and desires likely won’t be considered in the decision-making process. Here’s a time line of the most important Purple Line developments and how the editorial board feels about them.
Constructing the Purple Line is a vital step toward university President Wallace Loh’s vision for an improved campus and surrounding community. Along with proposed improvements to Route 1, constructing East Campus, building Knox Village and other developments — such as the Cafritz and the University Book Exchange developments — plans for bettering the community are laid out well. Creating an accessible route to other up-and-coming and established cities and communities, such as Silver Spring and Bethesda, only makes sense. This will be undoubtedly beneficial, and we are pleased to see integral steps have been taken to move the project forward.
But in January 2012, Gov. Martin O’Malley proposed a 6 percent sales tax on gasoline. In March 2013, the Senate approved the proposal, and O’Malley signed it 10 months ago. The tax increase’s implementation doesn’t quite make sense without first having a detailed, realistic Purple Line plan. After decades of debate, this proposal might still fall through in the future. It’s not fair to place another monetary burden on this state’s drivers without absolute assurance that the Purple Line will go up and remain in place.
That being said, the tax won’t add an inordinate strain on drivers after all. The 6 percent increase, which will phase in over three years, adds up to about 18 cents per gallon by current prices. And because cars typically can drive more than 18 miles per gallon, there will only be an overall increase of about one extra cent per mile. With how high gas prices are, it’s understandable to want to avoid a hike in the first place.
Another concerning issue for the university community is that the Purple Line’s proposed track is set to run right through our iconic “M” circle, a part of campus traffic for more than 35 years. Loh supports the plan to run the line through the campus, so we will probably see one of two proposed plans about traffic patterns come to fruition.
One is to create three separate intersections surrounding the “M,” according to a March 6 CBS report. The second option is to shift the “M” to the grassy area in front of the Mitchell Building, removing the symbol from its formerly central location. And while the circle is a pleasant tradition and these plans aren’t yet perfect, we shouldn’t let a sentimental connection delay this enormous construction project. With the convenience the Purple Line should bring, sacrificing the current location of the “M” seems to be a fair trade.
Then, in October, the nonprofit organization Casa de Maryland wrote a letter to the MTA. The group represents the state’s Latino community, and it raised concerns about the Purple Line’s effect on the “International Corridor” on Route 193. The letter explained that the area houses residents from more than 150 countries, as well as small businesses that have so far been ignored in the planning process. The MTA needs to recognize these interests and must begin to value the immigrant community’s input to avoid any adverse effects for those along the Purple Line path. Every community that will be affected by the Purple Line should have a voice, and this one is being largely forgotten or unnoticed.
In November, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved the state Department of Transportation’s proposal to partner with private companies to build the Purple Line, according to The Washington Post. This means anywhere from $500 million to $900 million will be provided by private companies, contributing to the eventual overall cost of $2.37 billion. The Department of Transportation will next submit a proposal in December to the board requesting approval for the private deal the department has selected, The Post reported. If this happens, the expected time line of starting construction in 2015, then completing the work by 2020, most likely will be executed.
Finally, Campus Drive, one of the most important arteries of the campus, is now in the crosshairs of the Purple Line. Campus Drive will transform into a one-way road as construction begins before ultimately transitioning to three lanes. The inside lane will be for cars, and the two outer lanes will be for buses and light rails going both directions. Traffic in the middle lane will flow toward Union Lane from the “M” circle.
In the short term, these changes likely will prove bothersome or even infuriating for students and visitors attempting to navigate the campus. Of course, the long-term goal is that fewer students will have to drive on the campus at all. The two lanes for buses and the light rail could help decrease campus (and Route 1) traffic, which would contribute to this university’s sustainability goals. And fear not, game-day travelers: Police intend to work during sporting events to make traffic move as smoothly as possible, potentially reversing the one-way traffic to travel out of the campus. At least, that’s the goal.
The Purple Line plans are not perfect. Across the board, people will probably continue to be upset about the details and decisions. But it seems everyone involved in planning has the same goal in sight, regardless of complications along the way: to create the Purple Line. Again, we urge students to voice their opinions. It’s the only way to have a say in what happens in this gigantic, county-altering project — and in town halls, officials are encouraging input. Use it to your advantage.
