County judge closes damaged and undamaged legs of 67-year-old line, with June 30 date set for owner to provide update on pipe condition.

Legal challenges have once again played havoc with the construction schedule for Maryland’s Purple Line, raising the possibility that the 16-mile light rail system may miss its planned 2022 start-up date according to state transportation officials.

Claiming that the Purple Line is nearing a “crisis point,” Maryland transportation officials have asked a federal appeals court to issue an emergency order allowing construction to begin on the stalled $5.6 billion light-rail project. 

Proposals are due in March for the first segments of the Northeast Transmission Water Line, the largest line the city has built to date.