<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2ju6Fj_0wFlqdMu00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2ju6Fj_0wFlqdMu00" width="1250" height="833" ><figcaption>The Purple Line’s terminal on Campus Drive under construction at the University of Maryland, College Park. (Theodore Rose/The Black Explosion)</figcaption></figure>Major Purple Line construction is moving away from the main campus, but will continue outside of the newly-finished station on Campus Drive, with extensive closures coming in the following months, Maryland Transit Solutions reports at the College Park Community Advisory Meeting.The first major closure will be the Rossborough Lane-Baltimore Avenue intersection, located near Ritchie Coliseum, in the next few months. The southbound lanes of Baltimore Avenue will be closed with traffic being diverted to one lane in each direction on the northbound lanes. Construction will then move to the northbound lanes and traffic will be moved to two one-way lanes on the southbound lanes.The tracks will run along Rossborough Lane towards the College Park Metro station.“Since I have a car on campus, it will make it much more tedious to simply travel to each end of campus - whether it be for food, class, or simply seeing a friend,” said Basim Ahmed, a senior bioengineering major. “The amount of traffic it will cause will most likely cause stand still traffic most of the time.”Ahmed also says that the construction on the intersection of Campus Dr. and Regents Dr. has made navigating campus “considerably more difficult.”Gabrielle Messi, a freshman, said that when she walks to class she “can see [construction] is affecting drivers in cars.” She believes that the intersection closure will make this worse. Doran Bosso, CEO of the Purple Line Transit Partners, said that Purple Line construction has also presented safety issues on campus. Bosso warns tracks can be “a little more slippery than normal asphalt” when it is raining, presenting a danger to micro mobility vehicles. “When my skateboard goes over the tracks, especially during that intersection, I have to go super slow to avoid falling due to how big the tracks are, kind of like mini speed bumps but not as subtle,” Ahmed said. “A couple times I’ve gone over it too fast and my balance felt really shaky.”The university community should expect to see closures at the College Park station parking garage. A temporary station will open over winter break in order to complete track connection to the Metro station. “This [is] a tricky area because it’s not a straight line,” said Javier Devesa, with Maryland Transit Solutions. The installation here will have to be completed all at once because the curved track cannot be done in small pieces, said Devesa.Devesa said this construction will be done over winter break in order to, “minimize as much as possible the effects for vehicles and pedestrians,” since the Metro station is a high-traffic area. The past year of Purple Line construction was marked by the completion of the Metro station on campus. Dr. Ray Biggs II, the senior project director of the Purple Line, said that it was “a big highlight of this year,” as they were able to finish major construction in the campus core a year ahead of schedule. Courtney Brown, the senior director of the Office of Administrative Services at this university, said that it was especially important to complete this area of construction.“[It was] very disruptive, especially in the campus core,” said Brown. Finishing the construction there was “hugely impactful…so that people can get around campus much more easily.”Students have noticed that navigating campus is easier now. “For the most part, there has not been a significant difference, especially this year where a lot of construction has been cleaned up a bit,” Ahmed said. “However, due to the construction trucks and closed roads, it has become more annoying to drive in the campus area.”Brown said that “minor construction will continue [with] more limited disruption.” Track installation still has to be completed on Campus Dr., along with installing infrastructure for the station and the light rail vehicles, such as the overhead catenary system which is used to electrify and deliver power to light rail vehicles. Ten miles of track have been installed thus far and track insulation has been installed along the completed track. The first light rail vehicle was built this year and operational testing will begin in the Spring of 2026. Carlo Colella, vice president &amp; chief administrative officer at the University of Maryland, said that Campus Drive and Regents Drive will become one-way once operational testing begins on campus. The Purple Line is projected to be operational by the winter of 2027. Biggs II said that construction is still on track to be completed by this date.</div></body>

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Purple Line construction moves away from campus core, towards busy intersections

Major Purple Line construction is moving away from the main campus, but will continue outside of the newly-finished station on Campus Drive, with extensive closures coming in the following months, Maryland Transit Solutions reports at the College Park Community Advisory Meeting. The first major closure will be the Rossborough Lane-Baltimore...