The Spring Street Bridge in downtown Silver Spring will close Friday and not reopen until January 2025 due to construction of the light-rail Purple Line, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced.
During the closure, the existing bridge, paved for cars over rail tracks, will be demolished and Purple Line crews will build a new span, according to MDOT.
A portion of Spring Street and Second Avenue will be closed, and a portion of 16th Street running through Silver Spring will be closed to through traffic. Signs will direct drivers to a detour along 16th Street and Georgia Avenue, according to a diagram provided by MDOT.
Montgomery County Ride On bus routes 1, 5, 11, 18, and 28 are expected to experience detours throughout the construction period. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is encouraging riders to consider alternatives stops to avoid delays. More information is available on MCDOT’s website.
Under construction since 2017, the Purple Line is a 21-station light-rail line that will run from Bethesda to New Carrollton and connect riders to the Metro’s Red, Green and Orange lines as well as to MARC and Amtrak trains and bus services. Construction of the line has faced numerous delays since the project’s inception, but state transportation officials expect that it will be open for service in late 2027.
The Spring Street Bridge replacement follows the replacement of the Talbot Avenue Bridge in Silver Spring. That bridge reopened May 24 after roughly seven years of closure.
Last month, MDOT announced the Capital Crescent Trail is projected to reopen between Bethesda and Silver Spring in spring 2026—a year earlier than expected. The 11-mile trail, which runs from Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to Silver Spring, has been partially closed since 2017 due to Purple Line construction.
According to Senior Project Director Ray Biggs II, the Purple Line is more than 60% complete, “including thousands of feet of completed rail track, underground utility and stormwater management systems installed, and communications ductwork for electrical wiring and telecommunications lines well underway.”
