The Town of Chevy Chase Council next week will hold a public hearing on the latest Maryland Transit Administration proposal for a Purple Line crossing at Lynn Drive.
Earlier this month, MTA officials presented what they called their last stab at a Lynn Drive crossing to the Town’s Purple Line Mitigation Advisory Group. There are about 230 crossings a day of the Capital Crescent Trail on the existing small path there, including many students making their way to Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.
But previous proposals were either ruled out by MTA or rejected by the Town because of concerns about high retaining walls behind homes in the Town.
MTA engineers said they can lower the height of the Purple Line retaining wall about five to six feet by moving the underpass about 250 feet to the west of the existing crossing. The design would require a right-of-way acquisition of the property at 4306 Montgomery Ave. Once that property is acquired, there would be room for a switchback ramp that would offer access to the rebuilt Capital Crescent Trail and Montgomery Avenue.
To access the underpass, Town residents would have a five-foot-wide sidewalk running along the base of the retaining wall to the tunnel, which would be about 10 feet high and 14 feet wide.
The sidewalk would require a temporary construction easement into the backyard of John Keppler, who lives at 7508 Lynn Drive. At the meeting in early June, MTA Purple Line project manager Mike Madden said no temporary construction easements on Town property will be necessary for the construction of the Purple Line or trail.
MTA officials also said either the Town, Montgomery County or some combination would be responsible for the costs associated with the crossing project.
Last month, the Town of Chevy Chase Council voted 4-0 to request MTA include the underpass design as a placeholder in its Request for Proposals issued to private concessionaires bidding to build the light rail system. If the Town decides against the MTA proposal, MTA officials have said they will include no Lynn Drive crossing of the Purple Line.
The public hearing is set to start at 7 p.m. on July 9 at the Town Hall (4301 Willow Lane).
Image via MTA
