Cost, Practicality Concerns Plague D.C. Area Transit Project

The Purple Line, a transit project in the Washington, D.C., area connecting parts of Montgomery and Prince George counties in the Old-Line State, is more than five years behind schedule and more than US$4 billion over its original US$5.6 billion budget, the Washington Examiner reports, citing the Washington Post. It includes a mezzanine connecting the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Bethesda Station and the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Purple Line stop in Bethesda, as well as a new second entrance to the Bethesda Station served by six elevators. That portion of the project — funded by Montgomery County and designed by MDOT — was originally estimated at US$2.5 million, but is now at an astonishing US$52 million. Beginning construction in 2017 and originally anticipated to open in 2022, the Purple Line is now expected to open in late 2027. In addition to the cost overruns, some lawmakers have expressed concern that there is very little time savings (approximately 7 min) versus current bus or WMATA options.