A judge’s ruling last week to have the federal government reevaluate the Purple Line light-rail project has not stopped all work from proceeding.
Purple Line Transit Partners, the group of companies that has partnered with the state to build, operate and maintain the $5.6 billion project, will be taking soil borings starting Aug. 16 on Wisconsin Avenue and the Capital Crescent Trail to examine underground conditions along the proposed path of the light-rail project, according to a public notice sent out Thursday.
The Capital Crescent Trail work will happen between Wisconsin and Connecticut avenues on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Purple Line Transit Partners said in the joint notice with the state that trail access will be maintained at all times. Crews will be working for the next two to three months on the trail.
The Wisconsin Avenue work is scheduled to begin Aug. 16 and take place on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. near the Elm Street intersection and will include intermittent lane closures. The work is expected to take two to three weeks.
The work is necessary so Purple Line Transit Partners can conduct geological studies on the rock and groundwater conditions of the soil below the proposed corridor, according to the notice. After completing the borings, the holes will be filled and any sidewalk or roadway dug up during the process will be patched.
The work was announced a little more than a week after U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon vacated federal approval of the 16.2 mile light-rail project, a move that could delay or jeopardize the project. The judge cited Metro’s woes as the reason why the federal government should re-asses the project.
Maryland Secretary of Transportation Pete Rahn said the state plans to appeal the ruling that would require the state to conduct a second ridership study for the project.
Prior to the ruling, the state had estimated the Purple Line would start construction later this year and be completed in 2022.
Location of work along Capital Crescent Trail via PLTP
Location of work along Wisconsin Avenue via PLTP