The County Council, at the request of the county executive, introduced a special appropriation of $231,000 to assist local small businesses that have been affected by Purple Line construction.
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 Maryland Transit Administration has released new photos of the cars that will make up the light rail vehicles serving the Purple Line.
The county’s Planning Department has released a study that recommends a series of proposals that could strengthen diverse retailers in three areas. The Retail in Diverse Communities Study looked at three communities—Silver Spring, Takoma-Langley Crossroads, and Wheaton—where local businesses have faced recent challenges not only from the pandemic, but also from redevelopment (primarily Wheaton) and Purple Line construction.
Purple Line contractors plan to begin two additional utility relocation projects in Silver Spring on Monday, Dec. 21, weather permitting, according to the Maryland Transit Administration. The first involves relocating both underground and overhead utilities along a stretch of 16th Street. The project will start at Lyttonsville Road, just south of Second Avenue, and go to Spring Street.
The State of Maryland and its partners – Meridiam, Star America, and Fluor – this week announced they had reached a $250 million agreement that settles all outstanding financial claims and terminates the current litigation between the parties regarding the Purple Line project.
Since mid-October, Capitol Heights-based Pessoa Construction has been performing utility relocations along Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring and Kenilworth Avenue in Riverdale for the Maryland Purple Line project.
The county’s Planning Department has released a report that analyzed and made recommendations concerning the level of comfort for pedestrians walking to future Purple Line stations. The Purple Line report focuses specifically on the comfort level for pedestrians walking within a half-mile of each station.
The Montgomery County Planning Board yesterday unanimously approved a Scope of Work for the Silver Spring Downtown Plan that adds portions of adjacent neighborhoods to the study area. The decision at the virtual meeting adopted staff boundary Option D, an expansion within a half-mile/ten-minute pedestrian “walkshed” from the future Silver Spring Library Purple Line Station.