Activists from every cause under the sun along with county, state and federal elected officials were ponying up cash and time for a Wednesday night fundraiser to support the proposed Purple Line.
Cash raised at the $50-a-ticket “Purple Line Now!” event would go toward promotional and advertising efforts for the project, which is conceivedas a Metro line that will run parallel to the Capital Beltway, tie together four other Metro lines and extend from Bethesda to New Carrollton.
Rep. Al Wynn, who will join state Comptroller Peter Franchot and union, business and environmental leaders at the fundraiser, said the Purple Line is one of his top transportation priorities.
“It works for both Montgomery County and Prince George’s County,” Wynn said. “And it addresses two of our major issues in both counties: congestion and global warming. It will help get people off the road and provide a link between the two counties to job centers in both areas and it will also help reduce auto emissions.”
Lisa Fadden, vice president of public affairs for the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, said the line would be good for the local economy.
“In order to make commerce happen, you have to be able to move people,” Fadden said.
Officials have moved slowly on the Purple Line, which has an estimated price tag of more than $1 billion, including hundreds of millions in federal funding which will be required to finish the job.
Purple line supporters say it was put on the back burner under former Gov. Robert Ehrlich, who they say drained the state’s transit trust fund.
“That has put this and other transit and road projects at a standstill,” Joe Shapiro, spokesman for Franchot said.
The project was delayed again earlier this year by state officials who said more time was needed to determine ridership and cost-effectiveness figures.
Maryland Transit Administration Project Manager Mike Madden said there is no holdup on the Purple Line project, but the ongoing studies of the impacts the new line could have on the region are part of the process.
“In some places people are concerned about what will happen to traffic if it operates on a roadway,” Madden said. “Others are concerned about noise, visual and possibly property impacts.”
A major part of the debate, yet to be resolved, is whether the transit route will be light rail or bus rapid transit. Madden said that decision likely won’t be made until spring 2008.
