Public Comment Period on Purple Line Extended

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), in coordination with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), has extended the time period in which residents can comment on the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation (FEIS) on the proposed Purple Line from 30 days to 45 days. The comment period, which began on September 6 and was originally scheduled to end on October 7, has been extended through October 21.

The Purple Line is the planned $2.2 billion, 16-mile, 21-station modern light rail line that would connect the Bethesda Metro station in Montgomery County with the New Carrollton station in Prince George’s County. The line would provide connections to major business districts and activity centers in Bethesda, Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Langley Park, College Park, University of Maryland and New Carrollton.

The east-west line would link Metrorail’s Red, Green and Orange lines. The average daily ridership in 2040 is anticipated to be more than 74,000.

The purpose of the FEIS is to identify and address issues raised by agency and public stakeholders throughout the project development phase. Copies of the Purple Line FEIS are available at select libraries and public facilities in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and at PurpleLineMD.com.

The public can review the 10 chapters of the FEIS and comment on all aspects of the document, including the alternates considered, transportation and environmental impacts, and plans for implementing the construction. Comments will be collected and provided to the FTA, which will then issue a Record of Decision on whether to move the project toward further design development and the right-of-way acquisition process.

Comments can be submitted online or by sending an email to FEIS@purplelinemd.com with “FEIS COMMENT” as the subject heading.

Written comments can be sent to: Purple Line: FEIS Comment
Maryland Transit Administration
Transit Development & Delivery
100 S. Charles Street
Tower Two
Suite 700
Baltimore, MD 21201.

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