113 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

7/1/22

 

 

Purple Line Bulletin – July 2022

 

Message from Matt

 

We kicked off the summer with a listening tour, hosting seven Community Advisory Team (CAT) meetings in every community along the Purple Line in June. It was a great chance to reconnect, introduce our new team members, and dive into our construction plans.

 

These in-person meetings—held twice each week—were very well attended. It’s wonderful to see so many people committed to their neighborhoods and interested in the project. We appreciate the time residents took to watch the presentation, ask questions, and offer input.

 

We heard you loud and clear. You are ready to see significant progress, and we intend to deliver.

 

The first goal of these meetings was to introduce the community to the new design-build team, Maryland Transit Solutions (MTS). Since officially coming on board April 15, MTS has been mobilizing its forces” instead of “MTS has been mobilizing their team. We are reviewing their schedule and will provide many more updates via the Pulse newsletter, website, and social media channels.

 

If you missed any of the meetings, don’t worry. You can review the presentations, as well as questions and answers, at purplelinemd.com.

 

The team continues to make progress on the project. The new and improved College Park Bus Loop was reopened for service on June 12, providing more bays for Metrobus, The Bus, Shuttle-UM, MDOT MTA Commuter Bus and the FDA Shuttle.

 

Paving operations commenced in multiple locations, including Arliss Street and Piney Branch Road in Montgomery County, and Annapolis Road, Ellin Road and University Boulevard in Prince George’s County.

 

Our commitment to being responsive to your concerns continues. If you have any issues related to construction, you can email us at outreach@purplelinemd.com or call our hotline, 443-451-3706 (English) or 443-451-3705 (Spanish).

 

 

Construction Photo Update

 

Before: Crews from Pleasants Construction begin milling work on Ellin Road in front of the New Carrollton Metro Station. After: Paving is complete for a smooth new ride.

 

Before: Crews from Pleasants Construction start work on Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring. After: Paving is complete between Arliss Street and University Boulevard.

 

 

 

Business Spotlight: Three Brothers Pizza

 

For decades, Three Brothers Pizza in Hyattsville has been community fixture for pizza, pasta, subs, calzones, wraps and other fresh dishes.

 

Cesar Labastida, who has owned the restaurant since 2001, expects the Purple Line, which will pass by his business, to help deliver customers. “The Purple Line will be a great success once completed and will generate higher sales to all businesses in the area,” he said. 

 

Three Brothers Pizza is open Monday - Thursday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Delivery is available through UberEATS or DoorDash.

 

More information, including locations of Labastida’s restaurant and others in the chain, can be found at www.threebrotherspizza.com.

 

To learn about other businesses along the corridor, please visit: www.purplelinemd.com/business-engagement/business-spotlights

 

 

The Three Brothers store at the corner of Riggs Road and University Boulevard will be a short walk from the Riggs Road Purple Line Station.

 

Cesar Labastida is pictured with Purple Line Business Liaison Marlene Veras.

 

 

 

 

   Purple Line Fast Fact:

 

 

People Behind the Purple Line: Julio Velez, Maryland Transit Solutions Construction Manager

 

Julio Velez comes to the Purple Line project with more than 25 years of experience in project, construction, and program management. He oversees every aspect of the project’s construction, including the schedule, subcontractors, and work specifications.

 

Most recently, Julio played a key role in two huge New York City projects, the Queens-Midtown Tunnel rehabilitation and the East Side Access Project. He worked for seven years on the East Side Access Project, the largest capital project for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It included a new terminal for the Long Island Railroad beneath Grand Central Station, 40 miles of new track and modernization of the busiest intersection of passenger train lines in North America.

 

The Purple Line’s underground cavern in Bethesda will require similar drilling and blast techniques and a similar suspended concrete arch concept that was deployed on the East Side Access Project. Experience working in densely populated urban areas also is an important part of delivering the Purple Line.

 

“We’re definitely used to doing very large projects,” Julio said. “I’m excited to get to work and complete this transit project for Maryland.”

 

 

 

 

[CNJRoss]

WTOP-FM, 8/23/22

 

Construction on delayed Purple Line light rail project to ramp up soon

 

While you might have seen crews out here and there over the summer, next month heavy construction is set to begin on the troubled Purple Line after almost two years. Hundreds of construction workers recently signed a labor agreement for the completion of the light rail job.

 

“You are seeing a little bit of ramp-up — still a lot of inspection and current sites getting things prepped,” said Steve Lanning, business manager of Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 11. “After Labor Day is when you really are going to start seeing the workforce grow and a lot more construction activity.”

 

 

Continue here. 

[KevinKorell]

Railway, Track & Structures, 9/14/22:

 

 

 

   Problems persist for Maryland’s Purple Line light rail project  

 

 

Delays and cost overruns have plagued Maryland’s Purple Line project, and there does not seem to be a recovery any time soon.

 

A panel representing the light rail project met with the Montgomery County Council on Sept. 13, and even though some progress has been seen there are still issues with the workforce and the supply chain.

 

Story

[KevinKorell]

Washington, DC Post, 9/28/22:

 

 

 Purple Line study: Without help, light-rail line will bring gentrification    

 

 

Government officials and community groups should protect affordable housing and small businesses to prevent gentrification around Purple Line stations under construction in Maryland, according to a two-year analysis released Wednesday.

 

Full story

[KevinKorell]

WJLA-TV, ABC-7 in Washington, DC, 1/19/23:

 

 

    New pedestrian bridge in Chevy Chase installed as part of Purple Line light rail project  

 

 

Late Wednesday night through 3 a.m. Thursday, crews closed Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland to install a pedestrian bridge that will be part of the Capital Crescent Trail.

 

Full story

[KevinKorell]

WJLA-TV, ABC-7 in Washington, DC, 1/19/23:

 

 

   Purple Line possibly delayed additional 7+ months, could push start date to 2027  

 

 

A construction progress report obtained from the State of Maryland by 7News indicates the much-delayed Purple Line faces even more delays if something is not done to speed the project up.

 

Read

[CNJRoss]

(Washington) DC News Now, 5/26/23

 

Executive director of Purple Line light rail leaves project

 

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — The person overseeing the Purple Line project, which will establish light rail service between Bethesda and Carrollton, said he no longer is the executive director.

 

Matthew Pollack posted his announcement on LinkedIn Friday, stating that after three years with the Maryland Transit Administration, “it’s time to transition leadership of the Purple Line project over to the team that will take the project across the finish line.”

 

 

Continue here.  

[KevinKorell]

DC News Now, 5/30/23:
 

 

  Businesses affected by Purple Line construction can apply for grant money     

 

 

Small businesses affected by the construction of the Purple Line may be eligible for grants of up to $10,000.

 

Article

[CNJRoss]

WTOP-FM, Washington, DC 6/1/23

 

Md. transportation secretary doesn’t have ‘a lot of faith’ in expected 2026 completion of Purple Line

 

After a two-year pause when the original contractor backed out, work is resuming on building the 16.2-mile-long Purple Line light-rail project.

 

With a new contractor in place, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said his agency is putting the pressure on new builders, Maryland Transit Solutions, to complete the line. However, he said he doesn’t “have a lot of faith” that an October 2026 completion is possible.

 

“It has a ways to go. I’m not going to sugarcoat it for people; it’s just a reality,” Wiedefeld said.

 

 

Continue here.  

[CNJRoss]

7/14/23

 

 

 

Purple Line Bulletin – July 2023    

purplelinemd.com  

 

Message from Ray

 

I wanted to let our stakeholders, partners, community advisory team members, and business owners know, as soon as possible, about an important change regarding Purple Line construction.

 

The Maryland Transit Administration and Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP) today requested approval from the Board of Public Works (BPW) of a modification to the Purple Line Public-Private Partnership (P3) Agreement that formally extends the contractual deadline for achieving Revenue Service Availability to Spring 2027.

 

This schedule change reflects the ongoing challenges and complexities of completing construction in a dense urban environment, the ongoing national workforce and supply chain issues, delays in completion of utility relocation activities, and the unique history of the Purple Line Light Rail Project. The project’s history includes two highly uncommon events: the set aside, and later reinstatement, of a key federal government environmental approval in 2016 and the replacement of the design-build contractor in 2022. The new design-build contractor faced unexpected conditions as some construction sites that sat dormant for nearly two years were reopened.

 

The Maryland Transit Administration and Purple Line Transit Partners collaborated over the last several months to identify and mitigate delays where possible and to reach agreement on an equitable resolution of project delays. In addition to the seven-month extension of the project’s Revenue Service Availability deadline, the Maryland Transit Administration will provide net compensation to Purple Line Transit Partners of $148 million, including an increase of $205 million paid during the construction period, less a $57 million reduction to payments made during the operations and maintenance period. This compensation amount reflects the additional cost of continuing construction activities during the extended period.

 

Work on the Purple Line continues to progress. The project is more than 50% complete, and construction is actively advancing along the entire alignment from New Carrollton to Bethesda at 60 active construction sites with more than 400 workers. A significant amount of current construction activity includes utility relocation work and replacement and upgrading of storm drain systems that are critical to the project but does not create the same visual impact as a station construction might.

 

The Maryland Transit Administration and Purple Line Transit Partners will continue to meet weekly to review construction progress, anticipate potential schedule impacts, and develop mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of further delays. Mitigation strategies may include scheduling construction work concurrent with utility relocation, resequencing work activities, extending work hours, adding additional crews, revising maintenance of traffic plans, and ordering materials in advance to ensure timely delivery.

 

Thank you for your support and understanding as we work to deliver this critical infrastructure project that will expand transit opportunities between Prince George’s County and Montgomery County.

 

As always, please keep us informed of your concerns through our outreach team: outreach@purplelinemd.com or call us at 443-451-3706 or 443-451-3705 (Spanish).

 

-Ray Biggs, II

Project Director 

 

 

Construction Photo/Update:

 

Above: Construction crews are making progress installing track on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, where we instituted a long-term traffic configuration change on Campus Drive between Diamondback Drive and River Road. The Purple Line will have five university stops and travel through the center of campus.

 

Below: Crews are progressing on a pair of bridges along the alignment in Silver Spring – placing concrete on the Talbot Avenue bridge and several bridge spans at the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center in Silver Spring, which will be one of four hub stations on the Purple Line. 

 

People Behind the Purple Line: John Donovan  

 

John Donovan is the new Deputy Program Director for Construction Oversight of the Purple Line. He joined the project in spring 2023 to manage the 16-mile light rail line construction that will connect Bethesda with New Carrollton, Maryland. 

 

The Omaha, Nebraska native brings nearly 36 years of construction experience to the Purple Line. He has worked on various projects, most notably, the proposed 240-mile Texas Bullet Train between North Texas and Houston and California's 400-mile high-speed rail project. John received his degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska.

 

As construction director, John oversees numerous aspects of the project, including civil construction (civil engineers, architects, electricians, technicians, etc.), systems and track construction (rail and ballast installation and mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, etc.), and environmental compliance (project adherence to environmental laws and regulations). He said each area of construction is as equally important as the other. 

 

John thrives on the project's fast pace and enjoys working with a great team of professionals. 



He's always been interested in engineering, math, and science. As his schedule allows, he donates time to mentoring high school and special needs students studying math. 

 

The Nebraska "Cornhusker" John has been married 37 years and has two children. In his spare time, John likes to spend time with family, golf, hunting waterfowl, and fishing; and he also enjoys watching college basketball and baseball.