Purple Line Construction Halts in Maryland as Contractor Woes Deepen

Purple Line Transit Partners, the contractors managing construction of the beleaguered Purple Line in Maryland, have begun to walk off the job as a dispute about cost overruns brings the project to a screeching halt.

September 23, 2020, 12pm PDT | James Brasuell | @CasualBrasuell

Maryland Department of Transportation

Purple Line Alignment

"The companies building the Purple Line have stopped construction as they proceed with plans to quit the light-rail project amid disputes with the state about cost overruns," reports Katherine Shaver.

Workers still on the job are securing construction sites along 16 miles of the Purple Line route in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

"Maryland transit officials said they are still trying to reach a settlement with Purple Line Transit Partners, the concessionaire managing the broader project, over what PLTP says are about $800 million in delay-related cost overruns," according to Shaver. The fact that contractors are walking off the job doesn't bode well for a speedy resolution, however.

"State officials have said PLTP’s departure would add one to two years of delays to a project the concessionaire says is already more than 2½ years behind schedule," according to Shaver.

The potential for PLTP to walk off the job has been hanging over the project since May, when the contractors first notified the state about its intentions to walk off the job.

Full Story:

Purple Line construction stops as builders prepare to quit

Published on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 in The Washington Post