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December 14, 2009:
Federal Funding approved for Purple Line Design

The Gazette reports that the U.S. Congress has just approved a transportation appropriation bill with funding for several Maryland transportation projects, and the bill is expected to be signed by President Obama. 3M$ is included in the appropriation for federal support of the Purple Line preliminary design. The State of Maryland is submitting the Purple Line light rail to the Federal Transit Adminstration (FTA) to start preliminary engineering. This funding demonstrates the commitment to move the project evaluation and approval forward at the federal level.

November 17, 2009:
Prince George's County Council approves the new Transportation Master Plan.

The Prince George's County Council formally adopted the new Countywide Transportation Master Plan during its November 17 meeting. This new Master Plan includes the Purple Line light rail as a key part of the overall transportation and land use plan for the County. The County Council has long been on the record as unanamously in support of the Purple Line light rail, but having the Purple Line included in the Master Plan is an essential requirement to qualify for federal funding.

Montgomery County is acting now to bring its Master Plan into conformity for Purple Line funding. A draft "Purple Line Functional Plan" is under review by the Mont. Co. Planning Board and a public hearing has been scheduled for December 10, 2009, see our Action Calendar.

October 21, 2009:
Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board approves the Purple Line.

The Washington Area Council of Governments (COG) Transportation Planning Board unanimously voted October 21 to include the Purple Line in the Constrained Long Range Plan. This is the final step to qualify the Purple Line to join road and transit projects across Greater Washington and nationally in applying for funding in the reauthorization of SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users), the Federal surface transportation program for roads and transit.

This vote follows a unanamous Transportation Planning Board vote on June 17 to approve the light rail Purple Line for air quality conformity testing. The COG press release for that decision is available online here.

August 4, 2009:
Governor O'Malley selects Light Rail as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA).

Governor O'Malley announced that he is selecting the Purple Line medium investment light rail alternative at a press event at the New Carrollton Metro Station. The project will now be submitted to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under its "New Starts" process as the State seeks the approval to begin preliminary engineering and competes for federal funding for the $1.5 billion project. The governor's press release is available online here.

January 2009:
Two Counties united in call for Purple Line Light Rail.

• January 15, 2009: The Montgomery County Planning Board votes 4 - 1 to support Light Rail Purple Line along the Master Plan alignment.
• January 22, 2009: Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett affirms support for Light Rail Purple Line along the Master Plan alignmnent.
• January 27, 2009: The Montgomery County Council Votes 8 - 0 in Support of Medium Light Rail option for Purple Line.

October 2008 to January 2009:
Purple Line draws strong support during AA/DEIS comment period.

The MTA released the Purple Line Alternatives Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS) on October 17, 2008 and a ninety day public response period began. The AA/DEIS is available at the MTA Purple Line website. A majority of those testifying at each of four public hearings spoke in support of Purple Line light rail. Many key organizations declared their support during this period. Among the many endorsements:

1. The Washington Post in two editorials:
   "Full Speed Ahead" (11/16/08), "The Purple Line provides a one-time opportunity to connect Prince George's and Montgomery and spur smart growth in the region's suburbs. The current fiscal crisis shouldn't limit the project's ambitions nor sway the state to support an option that is less effective in the long term."
   and also
   "Forward Purple Line" (1/4/09), "...few projects are as attractive to federal funders as the Purple Line, which would ferry thousands of federal workers and has one of the highest ridership estimates of proposed transit projects in the country.. ."


2. The Montgomery Gazette in an editorial:
   "Advance the Purple Line" (12/10/08), "Chances of winning federal dollars are enhanced by unified support of elected leaders and the communities they represent. With a new federal administration looking to pour billions of dollars into transportation projects and infrastructure, a loud voice of support for the Purple Line will carry far. Derailing this project should not be an option."


3. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association. WABA observed in their endorsement: "It is important that bicyclists reject the assertions that the trail and transit are incompatible and that having transit near the trail will devastate the trail. Efforts to build a trail network will be severely undercut if decision makers become convinced trails should never be built alongside transit."