Purple Line

Bethesda, MD.   •   $2 Billion value  

The Purple Line project is a 16-mile light rail line that will extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. It will connect to four branches of the Metro rail system at Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park and New Carrollton, as well as all three MARC commuter rail lines, and Amtrak. Twenty-one stations are planned along the alignment. Once complete, the light rail will operate mainly in dedicated or exclusive lanes, allowing for fast, reliable transit operations.

The project also includes the completion of the Capital Crescent Trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring, the completion of the Green Trail along Wayne Avenue to Sligo Creek Parkway, and the construction of a bike path through the University of Maryland Campus. The project required close coordination with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, State Highway Administration, and local municipalities in the project area.

Traylor’s underground group constructed the 1,208-foot cut and cover/sequential excavation method (SEM) tunnel, one underground station, and a deep shaft/cavern in rock. Traylor’s heavy civil group provided structures expertise on the construction of 16 bridges that will be replaced or reconstructed along the alignment.

The contracting team’s involvement in the project ended early, per agreement in accordance with the contract, due to inordinate delays outside the contracting team’s control.