Process

There are many steps that MTA must go through before the Purple Line becomes a reality. These steps ensure that:

  • Transportation, community and environmental impacts from the Purple Line project are assessed.
  • These impacts are avoided, minimized or mitigated to the extent possible.
  • Public participation and community input help guide the decision-making process.

1. Public Scoping

In September 2003 MTA held a series of meetings inviting the public, government agencies and any interested parties to provide input on potential transportation, social, economic, and natural environmental issues. This input was used to further define the problem and identify the need for the project, settle on the initial range of alternatives to be considered, and identify potential issues related to the proposed alternatives that would need to be addressed in the environmental document.

2. Alternative Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Study

The next step is analyzing and identifying the alternatives to retain for detailed study. This begins the formal alternatives analysis and environmental process. The results of this step are documented in a "Definition of Alternatives" report.

Bus and rail alternatives and alignment options that have been retained for detailed study are then fully evaluated and better defined so that their environmental effects, community impacts, transportation benefits, and costs can be accurately assessed. The end product of these activities will be the Alternatives Analysis and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS) document, which is distributed for review and then discussed at a formal public hearing.

3. Final Environmental Impact Statement

Preliminary Engineering and a Final Environmental Impact Statement (PE/FEIS) will be prepared based on the outcomes of the AA/DEIS process and the selection of a Preferred Alternative.

4. Record of Decision

A "Record of Decision" (ROD) will be sought from the Federal Transit Administration at the completion of the PE/FEIS process. The ROD formally transitions a project from the planning and environmental process into design and construction.

MTA is taking the lead on this project, with the support and close coordination of a team that includes the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, State Highway Administration, and local municipalities in the project area.