Purple Line construction will bring major long-term traffic changes on the University of Maryland’s campus beginning Dec. 27, according to an email Tuesday from university Vice President Carlo Colella.
The traffic circle at the intersection of Campus and Regents drives will be reconfigured into a three-way intersection. Driving down Regents Drive toward McKeldin Mall will require a left turn onto Campus Drive before exiting back onto Regents Drive.
Campus Drive will continue to be one-way between the traffic circle and Stamp Student Union. Union Drive will be closed from Campus Drive to Championship Drive.
[New UMD team will address bike, e-scooter safety complaints and infrastructure gaps]
In addition to the new traffic patterns, pedestrian walkways blocked by the work zones will be detoured, so they will run mostly parallel to work zones.
On Dec. 27 and Dec. 28, portions of Campus Drive, Union Drive and Regents Drive will be closed to prepare for the changes.
The Purple Line will run from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. Construction on the light rail project is projected to last through 2026.
The university did not say in its email when regular traffic patterns will be restored on the campus.
