A federal judge ruled this week that there was nothing improper about the permit for discharging dredge materials during construction of the Purple Line.
The lawsuit was the third and final attempt to stop the 16-mile light-rail line that will stretch from New Carrollton to Bethesda, with stops in Riverdale Park and College Park.
The nonprofit Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail had argued that the Clean Water Act permit the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted to Maryland officials to discharge dredge and fill materials into nearby waters was “arbitrary and capricious.”
The decision was delayed after U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte, who had overseen the case since January of 2019, recused himself in late February, saying he had recently realized that he lived near a future Purple Line stop.
The case was then handed over to U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar, who ruled against Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail. In the meantime, construction continues along Kenilworth Avenue in Riverdale Park and Campus Drive in College Park, while a bridge over the Northwest Branch in Adelphi is being rebuilt.
Construction on some parts of the Purple Line was stopped earlier this month when workers had to self-quarantine after a gas inspector tested positive for coronavirus. Contractors have also said they may need another $187 million and to delay opening by 17 months to build a better “crash wall” near a stop in Silver Spring.
In the meantime, children who are into trains and are following the Purple Line progress with their parents can check out these fun Purple Line-themed activities to do at home.
