Saturday, January 19, 2013
Catch up on headlines this week from across Montgomery County.
A 130-year-old local grocery chain is closing up shop; a North Potomac resident nicknamed "The Turbanator" advances to the next round of American Idol; and Montgomery County councilmembers pledge to increase police presence in schools. These are just a few of the stories Patch reported this week. Get caught up on top headlines here. Magruder's Closing All Locations GAITHERSBURG—Magruder's is closing all four of its supermarkets, including Montgomery County's Gaithersburg and Rockville locations, but they may re-open under new ownership in the future. Read more on Gaithersburg Patch. Man Guilty of Running Prostitution Ring from Rockville Pike Hotel ROCKVILLE—He’s been dubbed “The Pimp on the Pike.” Now, Nahshon Kornegay, 31, of District …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Notable outcomes include passing a resolution on tighter gun restrictions, delaying funding for county transportation projects and a denied school board request for additional funding.
The Montgomery County Council met Tuesday for its first session of 2013. Notable outcomes from the meeting include: Plans For Projects Tied To Purple Line Delayed Citing a lack of state construction funding, County Executive Ike Leggett announced Tuesday the postponement of several county projects tied to the Purple Line light rail, The Washington Examiner reported. The proposed south entrance to the Bethesda Metro station — which would allow riders to transfer between the Purple Line's Bethesda terminus and the Metro — and funding for the Capital Crescent Trail — the popular path that would have to be reconstructed if the Purple Line is built — were delayed, according to the report. There is no timeframe as to when funding for the $2.5 …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The state transit agency is considering elevating the Silver Spring stop on the Purple Line 80 feet in the air, the Washington Examiner reports.
Plans for a 16-mile light rail transit system running from Bethesda to New Carrollton with stops in Silver Spring are up in the air—way up in the air. The Washington Examiner reports that state transit officials proposed building the Silver Spring Transit Center station 80 feet above the MARC train tracks. The station would be enclosed in a sort of tube to counteract wind exposure, Mike Madden, manager of planning for the Purple Line with the Maryland Transit Administration, said when he unveiled the plans at a community meeting. Engineers with the state agency are exploring other options. Five Silver Spring stations are planned for the system: Silver Spring Transit Center, Silver Spring Library, Manchester Place, Long Branch and Piney …
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Catch up on the top news in Montgomery County this week.
Report: Study Shows ICC Speed Limit Can Safely Increase To 60 MPH GAITHERSBURG—An engineering study of the ICC has concluded that the speed of the highway can safely be raised to 60 mph, pending an analysis of crash data. Read more on Gaithersburg Patch. Montgomery Village Man Killed In Gaithersburg Crash GAITHERSBURG—A 21-year-old Montgomery Village man was killed early Sunday in the collision of his Honda Civic and another car on Snouffer School Road in Gaithersburg. Read more at Gaithersburg Patch. New Renderings Unveiled For Bethesda Purple Line Station BETHESDA -- Maryland Transit Administration officials unveiled new renderings Tuesday for the Bethesda station on the planned Purple Line. Funding for the 16-mile light rail line …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Lawmakers will mull ways to fund state transportation projects at a Wednesday summit, where the light rail project will be identified as "at risk."
The cost of building the Purple Line has jumped from $1.93 billion to $2.15 billion, marking the second price increase in the last two years, the Washington Examiner reports. The 16-mile light rail that will connect Bethesda and New Carrollton, recently hailed as one of he best transportation projects in the country, is planned to open in 2020. But Maryland has none of the $4.7 billion it needs to build the Purple Line and Baltimore’s Red Line, according to the report. If the Maryland Transit Administration is approved for the federal funds it’s hoping to secure from the Federal Transit Administration for the light rail projects, the money would only cover 40.6 percent of the Red Line and 46.8 percent of the Purple Line, according to the …
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Sierra Club lauded the light rail project in its list of country's best and worst transportation projects.
The Sierra Club has named the Purple Line amongst the best transportation projects in the country in its list of 50 best and worst projects nationwide. The 16-mile light rail line will connect Bethesda to New Carrollton. It's scheduled to open in 2020, but the project is not yet fully funded. According to the Sierra Club, good transportation projects should "provide an opportunity to further reduce our dependence on oil, reverse climate disruption, and save money." "Because transportation infrastructure lasts for decades, the impacts of transportation investments are felt for many years to come, with huge consequences for America’s ability to move beyond oil," read the report. The light rail line has been hotly contested by some advocates…
Friday, October 12, 2012
Some Montgomery County Council members recently suggested that a county gas tax be levied to pay for the Purple Line. Do you agree?
The future of the Purple Line, with its $1.9 billion price tag, is far from certain. In fact, many Maryland lawmakers have doubts that the Purple Line will ever be built, due to lack of funds, The Examiner reported: Though state officials hope to get as much as 50 percent of the costs of these projects from the federal government, the state is on the hook for the rest. And with the state's transportation trust fund lacking funds and state lawmakers having rejected proposals to replenish it this year, several Montgomery County lawmakers are nervous that the money will run out in 2015 and the projects will die. But one solution, Montgomery County Council Chair Roger Berliner recently suggested, is for Montgomery County to levy its own gas …
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Purple Line Now wants to raise the gas tax to help replenish the fund.
The Purple Line activist group responsible for a February flash mob in Silver Spring in support of the proposed line, is calling on Maryland legislators to raise the gas tax during its July special session so that the line that will link Montgomery and Prince George's counties will be able to proceed. Purple Line Now, a nonprofit organization formed in 2002, proposed a gas tax hike to help replenish the transporation trust fund. "Maryland motorists have been getting a cheaper and cheaper ride since 1992, the last time the gas tax was raised," Purple Line Now member Ralph Bennett said. "Gas prices have fallen 60 cents since April - now is the time to add a small amount to the price of gas to fund the transit projects and roads all …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Users of the Capital Crescent Trail disagree on what should go through the Bethesda tunnel: the Purple Line or the trail.
For more on the Purple Line, check out our series. Speak out: Do you think the Purple Line or the trail should run through the Bethesda tunnel?
38.98251
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Elm Street Park
4600 Elm St, Chevy Chase, MD
Near the Bethesda tunnel
/articles/purple-line-progress
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/locations/7012713
State funding hurting from gas tax rejection. Future federal funding uncertain until 2015.
The Purple Line, the proposed 16-mile light rail transit system extending from New Carrollton to Bethesda, could be missing one vital component for its progression: funding. With the Maryland budget in crisis and a congressional stalemate over highway funding, the Purple Line’s construction could be pushed back, although several officials interviewed about the project would not predict how long the delay might be. The federal government approved preliminary engineering for the project in October, qualifying it for funding through New Starts, a federal program for new transit projects such as the Purple Line, bringing it a significant step closer to construction. From there, cost estimates and construction schedules could be fine-tuned …
Ian Cooper
9:55 am on Friday, January 18, 2013
I'm beginning to suspect that there's an element of elitism behind the inability of Montgomery County to get its act together regarding the Purple Line. Perhaps there's a fear that Bethesda would be overrun by folks from the 'Socialist Republic' of Takoma Park or by the unwashed hooligans of the University of Maryland in College Park. more ›