Critics say line will hurt; others disagree.
Nora Levy-Forsythe jogs the Bethesda segment of a 13-mile nature trail that links Georgetown to Silver Spring almost every day when home from college. But, as construction of the $1.93 billion Purple Line threatens to plow through several miles of the Capital Crescent Trail, Levy-Forsythe said she would give up this oasis of nature. And it’s not just the trail—19 acres of forest and more than 5,000 feet of streams may be demolished when the Purple Line is built, according to environmental impact documents the Maryland Transit Administration drafted in 2008. “I’m totally for more public transportation,” Levy-Forsythe said. “If it means less SUVs in this neighborhood, less big cars, less any cars really, I’m fine with it.” MTA officials …
Purple Line friends and foes, as well as those simply wanting to learn more about the planned arterial light rail, met with MTA staff at an open house in Chevy Chase on Wednesday night.
With the Purple Line now officially in the preliminary engineering stage, poster boards illustrating the light rail’s total estimated costs, along with what the Purple Line might look like, have been touring Montgomery and Prince George’s counties over the past few days at a series of open houses held by Maryland Transit Administration staff. At Wednesday’s purple balloon-festooned open house at the National 4-H Youth Conference Center, both proponents and opponents of the proposed 16-mile light rail connecting Bethesda and New Carrollton (with over 20 station stops in between) had much to say about the “Locally Preferred Alternative,” as Governor Martin O’Malley has categorized the project. “We’re really happy about how this is going,” …
Emil Farkwarp
10:58 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Oh, boo-hoo for those who border the trail who don't want a train there now. IT WAS A TRAIN TRACK FOR A HUNDRED YEARS. They can be grateful for the recent quiet period but it is time to get the trains running again. more ›