The Purple Line Transit Partners have chosen a new contractor to complete the 16-mile light rail system that will connect Bethesda and New Carrollton, passing through downtown Silver Spring.
Maryland Transit Solutions, a partnership between Dragados USA Inc. and OHL USA Inc., is expected to begin full-scale construction on the line in the spring of 2022.
The PLTP, along with the state’s Department of Transportation and the Maryland Transit Administration, which were part of the decision-making process, must first go back to state’s Board of Public Works and present for approval a replacement design-build contract and amended P3 Agreement, which will include an updated project cost and schedule for completion.
“We’re very excited to bring on MTS so the Purple Line can begin serving the people of Maryland as soon as possible,” Jane Garvey, chairman, PLTP Board of Directors, said in a press release. “In their proposal, discussions and oral presentation, MTS showed they possess all the right qualities—thorough knowledge of the project, across-the-board expertise and a demonstrated spirit of partnership—to get the job done efficiently and with excellence.”
Dragados has completed projects including the $2.4 billion Los Angeles International Airport Automated People Mover, and three light rail projects in Canada with a combined value of $5.5 billion.
OHL has more than a century of infrastructure construction experience and is ranked number 15 on ENR’s 2020 Top 50 Domestic Heavy Contractors List, according to the release.
MTA photo