Maryland's Purple Line Clears Final Legal Obstacle

"A federal judge in Maryland has rejected the third and final lawsuit brought by opponents of the state’s Purple Line project," reports Katherine Shaver. 

The plaintiffs, the nonprofit Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail, Chevy Chase resident Leonard Scensny and former Chevy Chase resident John M. Fitzgerald, "alleged that the Corps permit allowing dredging and other work in streams and wetlands is illegal under the Clean Water Act," according to Shaver.

The string of lawsuits managed to delay the final completion date for the project substantially over the years, but the project now looks cleared to begin a phased opening in late 2022, according to Shaver. "The ruling resolves the final lawsuit against the 16-mile light-rail project, meaning that construction may proceed unimpeded between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County."