The Maryland Transit Administration will begin a series of four public open houses tonight on the Bi-County Transitway project, the state’s version of the “Purple Line,” which would connect Bethesda in Montgomery County with New Carrollton in Prince George’s County.

The transitway would provide a 14-mile high-capacity public transportation link — either bus-rapid transit or light-rail service — between the Bethesda and New Carrollton Metro stations. The project as currently planned would not follow the Capital Crescent Trail, which has been at the center of the debate for decades.