Purple Line Legal Pact Gets Final OK, Sets Stage for New Contractor
A deal resetting Maryland’s relationship with its private partners for the $2-billion Purple Line light rail project was approved Dec. 16 by the state’s Public Works Board. The thumbs-up formally settles a protracted legal dispute over responsibility for millions of dollars in cost overruns for the 16-mile, 21-station project across the Washington, DC suburbs and clears the way for a new design-build contractor to take over major construction.
The three-member board, chaired by Gov. Larry Hogan (R), an ardent Purple Line supporter, unanimously OK’d a $250-million settlement finalized last month with the concession, Purple Line Transit Partners, to pay it an initial $100 million by Dec. 31 and the remaining $150 million by the end of next year, or upon completing a new financial agreement once a contractor is in place.