WASHINGTON — The private group building the Purple Line will miss a Tuesday deadline to reopen a bridge to traffic.
The closure of the Lyttonsville Place Bridge between Lyttonsville Rd. and Brookville Rd. was limited to six months under a construction contract, however Purple Line Transit Partners said Monday that construction issues will delay completion of the bridge for a few more weeks.
Purple Line Transit Partners now aims to open the bridge, located near East-West Highway and 16th Street in Silver Spring, around Jan. 2.
The group blames “factors associated expedited construction,” plus recent rain for the delay.
The concrete deck of the bridge was put in place last week.
Official detours for the closure include Seminary Road, 16th Street, Jones Mill Road and East-West Highway.
Even after the bridge reopens to cars, it will remain one lane each way with a designated area for pedestrians to walk across.
Crews will continue to work on the bridge to add sidewalks, future drop-off lanes and access to the future Lyttonsville Station and Capital Crescent Trail.
Other construction and blasting continues all along the 16-mile, 21-stop Purple Line route between New Carrollton, College Park, Silver Spring and Bethesda.
Additional road and lane closures are expected for the next few years.
The light rail line, which is separate but will connect to the Metro system, is expected to open as early as the end of 2022.
Meanwhile, the company is conducting safety drills, including simulated smoke, underground in a tunnel being dug for the project:
