MDOT MTA Purple Line

The Purple Line is a 16-mile light rail line that will extend from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrolton in Prince George’s County. This significant transportation infrastructure improvement will provide direct connections to WMATA Metro Red, Green, and Orange Lines while also offering quick transit options for commuters connecting to MARC, Amtrak, and local bus service.

After the original delivery team experienced a series of setbacks and delays, Soltesz was retained to support the transitional implementation team. We helped obtain regulatory agency approvals for environmental, stormwater, floodplain, drainage, and utility conflicts the original design team was unable to resolve in a timely manner.

The Maryland Department of Transportation and the Purple Line Transit Partners tasked Soltesz with resolving issues and securing approvals of the delayed permits. With our expertise in obtaining these permits, Soltesz successfully interfaced directly with the Maryland Department of the Environment, Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County review agencies.

We reviewed design plans prepared by the prior design team, and offering suggested improvements that included guidance on how to best address the outstanding comments by the various agencies involved. In doing so, we accelerated the review process and allowed for the transitional implementation team to better position themselves to deliver the remaining Purple Line permits that will allow construction to continue with as minimal disruption as possible.