Track installation is underway as the 16-mile, 21-station Maryland Purple Line light rail project progresses through Bonifant Street in downtown Silver Spring.
The reconfiguration of traffic lanes on nearby Georgia Avenue between Silver Spring and Wayne Avenues started in October and will continue until January of next year. Crews have reduced travel to two lanes in each direction and shifted to the west around the work zone at Bonifant Street to facilitate utility and track installation along Georgia Avenue.
Work typically occurs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. but may extend to nights and weekends as needed. Montgomery County transportation officials said last month that pedestrian detours would be set up around the work zone, ensuring business access and maintaining some parking on Georgia Avenue.
Though the Purple Line is progressing, Bonifant Street businesses say that navigating its construction has been challenging.
Café via Roma at 911 Bonifant Street is now hidden behind a tarp-lined chain-link fence surrounding the construction zone next to the Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library at Fenton and Bonifant Streets.
The café opened in September and serves coffee, pastries, and Italian cuisine in the former location of Lewi Cafe, which closed in 2022.
Meanwhile, Mandalay Restaurant & Cafe at 930 Bonifant Street has struggled with Purple Line construction since returning to downtown Silver Spring.
The Myint family reopened their restaurant in the summer of 2022 after their move to the former Walter Reed complex in D.C. fell through, prompting the community to call for the beloved Burmese eatery’s return.
“Mandalay Family: Joe is standing by to take your order!” the restaurant said in an October Instagram post. “A reminder that even though Bonifant street is undergoing significant construction we ARE open for business. The construction and the disruption it has caused is negatively impacting our business. Do remember that we are open and serving the same delicious Burmese food.”
Transit officials say the Maryland Purple Line is over 65 percent complete and expected to begin service in winter 2027.
Photo: Maryland Purple Line / Facebook