49 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

Washington, DC Post, 8/27/14:

Town of Chevy Chase won’t file Purple Line lawsuit, official says

Leaders for the Town of Chevy Chase have spent about $214,000 so far on legal fees as part of their long-held opposition to the planned Purple Line route, but the town has no plans to file a lawsuit against the light-rail project, as a trail advocacy group did Tuesday.

Story here.

[KevinKorell]

DCist, 8/27/14:

Purple Line Will Not Threaten Endangered Shrimp-Like Species, Says U.S. Fish and Wildlife

One of the biggest delays for the proposed Purple Line—a light rail line that would connect D.C. to the Maryland suburbs through Rock Creek Park—is two rare, endangered shrimp-like crustaceans called the Hay's Spring Amphipod and Kenk's amphipod.

Full story

[KevinKorell]

Next City, 8/27/14:

On the Heels of D.C. Metro’s New Silver Line, Maryland Moves on the Purple Line

Unlike the pedestrian no-man’s land where passengers currently disembark in sprawling Tysons Corner, the Purple Line will be a 16-mile light rail connecting dense, walkable communities inside the D.C. Beltway in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties that form the core of the new, retrofitted suburbia like Silver Spring.

Continue

[CNJRoss]

Metro Magazine, 8/29:

Md. MTA Purple Line approved for engineering phase



The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) received notice that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has advanced the Purple Line project to the engineering phase of its New Starts grant program. This action is a key milestone toward securing federal funding for the project and beginning construction next year.

Entry into the New Starts Engineering phase is the final milestone required before FTA can sign a Purple Line Full Funding Grant Agreement. With this achievement, MTA can start to incur costs that are eligible for federal reimbursement.

SNIP

The Purple Line will go to construction in 2015 and be open for service 2020.

Read more here.

[Sloan]

Feds review Purple Line foes' shrimp woes

Two Chevy Chase, Md., residents and the Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail, a citizen's group, have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to stop the proposed Purple Line light rail transit project due to claims of threatening two species of small invertebrates in nearby streams, despite assurances from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that such impact is extremely unlikely.

http://www.railwayag...nt=Full Article

[CNJRoss]

WTOP radio, 10/25:

Purple Line: How to grow without leaving folks behind

WASHINGTON -- A forum on Saturday in Silver Spring brought together groups from Montgomery and Prince George's County to discuss how to capitalize on the Purple Line without hurting people living or running small businesses in the area.

The light-rail line would connecting communities like Bethesda, Silver Spring, Lyttonsville, Takoma Park, Langley Park, Adelphi, College Park, Riverdale Park and New Carrollton.

Whether the project actually gets built depends on the November election. . . .

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

BethesdaNow.com, 4/10:
 

Purple Line Opponents Expand Lawsuit Against Federal Government

 

A group of Purple Line opponents from Chevy Chase has expanded its lawsuit against the federal government after unsuccessful attempts to find endangered critters in local streams.

 

John Fitzgerald, Christine Real de Azua and the Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail on Thursday filed an amendment to their lawsuit from last summer that claims state transit officials mischaracterized the Purple Line’s stormwater runoff impact, refused to do a separate health impact study and used proprietary information for ridership estimates — something the group says is forbidden by federal regulations.

 

The broadened lawsuit also says the light rail, which would run from Bethesda to New Carrollton, wouldn’t address top traffic priorities because Montgomery County’s 10 most congested intersections are all on north-to-south roads.

 

The original lawsuit, filed against the Federal Transit Authority, Department of Transportation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of the Interior, focused more specifically on the environmental impact of the light rail on two species of amphipods — small, shrimp-like critters thought to live in creeks near the Purple Line’s route.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

Progressive Railroading, 9/23:

 

Maryland transit agency wins FTA award for Purple Line planning

 

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) won the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) 2015 Outstanding Achievement Award of Excellence in Environmental Document Preparation for the Purple Line's final environmental impact statement.

To be given at the American Public Transportation Association's annual meeting in San Francisco next month, the award recognized the Maryland agency's "well-managed" process for environmental documentation, MTA officials said in a press release.

"The review committee was particularly impressed with the presentation of information, including the use of reader-friendly language, graphics and tables, while successfully resolving complicated environmental issues," said Megan Blum, the FTA's environmental protection specialist.

 

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[CNJRoss]

The Washington Post 12/3:

 

Maryland’s highest court hears oral arguments in Purple Line fence fight

 

Maryland’s highest court heard oral arguments Thursday in the case of a Chevy Chase homeowner who was cited for building his back fence 14 feet beyond his property on public land long preserved to build a light-rail Purple Line.

 

The Maryland Court of Appeals decision, which is at least several months away, could complicate the Maryland Transit Administration’s plans to build part of the 16-mile transit line along a three-mile wooded trail between downtown Bethesda and Silver Spring. It also could affect about 84 property owners who Montgomery County officials say have built fences, sheds, decks and other structures behind homes that back up to the trail. County officials say those structures encroach on public land intended for the Purple Line.

 

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[CNJRoss]

Metro Magazine, 12/14:
 

Maryland Purple Line EIS receives FTA 'Outstanding Achievement' award

 

An environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared for Maryland's proposed Purple Line light rail transit extension has received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

 

The 2015 Outstanding Achievement Award for Excellence in Environmental Document Preparation in the EIS category recognizes environmental documents that exemplify best practices for a well-managed environmental documentation process, comply with prevailing requirements and expectations, and reduce paperwork.

 

Continue here.