Purple Line is a Go, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Says

• June 25th 2015

by Lark Turner

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The imperiled Purple Line will move forward, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday.

The Purple Line’s future was in doubt after Hogan questioned its high cost during his successful campaign for governor, saying money for the Metro would be better spent on infrastructure for cars. But on Thursday, Hogan announced that he’d directed the Maryland Department of Transportation to move forward with the new transit line, though the project will be scaled back.

“I have always said this decision was never about whether public transit was worthwhile, but whether it is affordable and makes sense,” Hogan said in a news release. “In reducing costs here, hundreds of millions of dollars will become available for other important projects. Our administration promised to chart a new course for Maryland – one where economic development and jobs are our top priority. The Purple Line is a long-term investment that will be an important economic driver for our state.”

The new line will connect Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. The state will have a smaller share in the overall project under Hogan’s plan, which will now ring up to $168 million in costs for the state of Maryland. Hogan didn’t detail the cuts at Thursday’s news conference, but he did simultaneously announce big investments in the city’s roads and bridges in a likely nod to his campaign promises. For the plan to work, it will require investment from Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, Hogan said.

It wasn’t all good news for public transit on Thursday, though. Hogan nixed a planned Baltimore Red Line that would have connected that city’s east and west suburbs, a $2.9 billion project, according to The Baltimore Sun.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/purple_line_is_a_go_maryland_gov._larry_hogan_says/10050.