The deadline for private companies to submit plans to build and operate the Purple Line has been extended again by Maryland transportation officials, according to The Washington Post.
The move will shift the March 12 deadline back to Aug. 19 in order to give the private companies “more time to find cheaper ways to do the project,” according to the Post report.
The March 12 deadline was already a shift from the original Jan. 9 deadline. The submission deadline was delayed at that time to give incoming Gov. Larry Hogan and his administration more time to review the project before making a decision about whether it would move forward.
Hogan’s transportation secretary nominee Peter Rahn has said he’s taking steps to understand the massive project. Rahn is in the process of meeting with bidders to see if the project can be done for less money than the estimated $2.45 billion, according to the Post.
Rahn is scheduled to appear at his confirmation hearing in Annapolis at 5 p.m. today, where he’ll likely face questions from Montgomery County legislators who support the project.
The Action Committee for Transit, an advocacy group that supports the Purple Line, released a statement Friday, saying it’s “disappointed” by the delay in awarding the contract for the Purple Line.
“The Purple Line will provide relief to commuters and create jobs for hard-pressed Marylanders,” the group wrote in a statement. “The time for Gov. Hogan to get this project moving is now.”
The 16-mile light rail line that’s designed to connect parts of Prince George’s County with Bethesda and Silver Spring in Montgomery County was scheduled to begin construction later this year and open in 2020. A transportation official cited in the Post report did not know what impact, if any, the delay will have on the project timeline.
Correction: Originally, this article listed Aug. 12 as the new deadline date, it is in fact Aug. 19, we regret the error.
