Maryland BPW approves Purple Line settlement; light-rail project will progress
The Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) approved an agreement between the state and the organizations comprising its public-private partnership (P3) in the Purple Line that will end all current litigation and move the project forward.
“The projection is that the Purple Line will take at least 17,000 cars off the road every day, which will help to relieve traffic congestion and which will help make our environment cleaner and healthier. This project is at the heart of our state’s balanced, all-inclusive approach to infrastructure,” Gov. Larry Hogan said in remarks before the BPW. “The Purple Line is a long time coming, and we have certainly had to overcome some significant hurdles that set us back. Opponents delayed it for two years, costing taxpayers money, and threatened to kill this critical project, but we kept pushing and working hard to keep moving forward.”
The $250-million agreement will see the state pay Purple Line Transit Partners (PLTP) $100 million by Dec. 31, 2020, with the balance of $150 million to be paid either on the date a new design-build contractor is brought onto the project or 12 months following approval of the agreement, which would be Dec. 16, 2021.
PLTP originally sought an $800-million settlement and Gov. Hogan offered praise of Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Gregory Slater, Meridiam and Star America, two of the P3’s original entities, for “engaging in some very tough negotiations which have resulted in successfully saving Maryland taxpayers more than $550 million.”
A partnership between Meridiam and Star America will continue to coordinate with the state to solicit and secure a new design-build contractor for the light-rail project.
Secretary Slater told the BPW there is a conservative timeline to finalize a new design-build contractor in place within nine months, but he noted he doesn’t think the process will take that full time citing current interest in the project from the marketplace.
“We will now be able to move forward with a new design-build contractor more aligned with our vision and the best interests of Maryland taxpayers,” said Gov. Hogan. “I want to thank all of the dedicated workers who have been out on the job continuing to keep construction going while we worked around the clock working out the details of this negotiated agreement.”
Once complete, the Purple Line light-rail project will run between Bethesda, Md., and New Carrollton and provide connections to Red, Green and Orange Metrorail lines, MARC and Amtrak rail services, as well as local buses.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
