WASHINGTON — If you think you’ve spotted Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan at a pro-Purple Line event, check your vision. It’s probably the cardboard cutout the advocates at Purple Line Now are using in an effort to convince the governor that the $2.4 billion light rail project is a good investment.
Advocates said they will be making use of the cardboard cutout of a “virtual” Gov. Hogan in a bid to persuade the governor to give a thumbs-up to the project.
Groups in favor of the Purple Line insist it will help further Hogan’s goal of improving Maryland’s business climate by easing gridlock and tying economic centers together.
On the flip side of the argument, Maryland Sen. Michael Hough, a Republican who represents Carroll and Frederick counties, has sent a letter to Hogan asking him not to build the Purple Line — which would carry riders from Bethesda to New Carrollton — or Baltimore’s Red Line.
Instead, Hough wants Gov. Hogan to expand Interstate 270, a major commuter route that suffers gridlock at a bottleneck in northern Montgomery County.
Supporters and opponents of the transit project are waiting to see what the governor will do about the proposed Purple Line. Hogan’s administration has signaled he will announce his decision by mid-May.
Shareese Churchill, with Hogan’s press office, says the governor has not received the latest proposal from his Secretary of Transportation, Pete Rahn.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
