Purple Line Moves into Phase 3 of Planning, Meetings Planned for Riverdale, College Park

As planners of the Purple Line project waits to hear whether or not it will receive federal funding, they continue to move forward with the initial studies.

After completing phases 1 and 3, which looked at bicycle access and Corridor access, planners will now conduct studies related to phase 3— station design, access and Transit Oriented Development (TOD).

The analysis will focus on the five stations, out of 11 stations, planned for the light rail that do not fall within a recently approved sector plan or transit district development plan. This does include the stations proposed for Riverdale Road at Beacon Heights, Riverdale Park at Kenilworth Avenue, River Road at M-Square, College Park at University of Maryland and West Campus at University Hills.

The analysis will look at how pedestrian-friendly the proposed sites are and determine how the station should be designed to help accessibility.

Design Engineers Robert Duffy and William Washburn presented information about phase 3 at Riverdale Park's Sept. 26 work session. Washburn said more meetings have been planned in Riverdale, although dates haven't been verified yet for the meetings.

In Riverdale Park, would be the most affected by the Purple Line construction, as well as stations.  The MTA has met with business owners and residents to discuss the project.

To see what was said at each of those work groups check out the Purple Line website — under Neighborhood Work Groups, click "River Road" and "Riverdale Road." To sign up to get information about area meetings, click "Neighborhood Work Groups Sign Up Here."

If you are a Riverdale business owner or resident and believe you will be directly affected by the project, you can call or e-mail,

Michael Madden, Project Manager, Maryland Transit Administration, at (410) 767-3694, mmadden@mta.maryland.gov. En Español, llama Carlos Abinader a (301) 577-2063, cabinader@mta.maryland.gov. You can also be added to the mailing list by e-mailing purpleline@mta.maryland.gov.