The young mother pushed her stroller across University Boulevard in Langley Park, Md., with the focus (if not the raw speed) of an Olympic sprinter. Racing the tick-tick-tick of the neon walk signal, she joined a throng of pedestrians maneuvering from median to median across eight lanes of battered roadway, while a nearby fleet of backhoes and dump trucks helped install track for the state’s new light-rail line.
The intersection two miles from the University of Maryland campus is one of the busiest in the region, and will see even more pedestrians, buses, bikes and cars converge when Purple Line trains start running in winter 2027. It was one of the stops on a warm Saturday in May for a neighborhood walk that brought together state, county and city officials to see firsthand the challenges that rail construction has brought to the Takoma/Langley Park community, and to discuss what’s still needed to ensure the line improves residents’ lives.
This trek along the tracks—held in partnership with the Takoma Langley Crossroads Development Authority and the Langley Park Civic Association—was the third community-led walk held this past year by UMD’s Purple Line Corridor Coalition (PLCC) to connect stakeholders affiliated with the state’s $9.5 billion transit project with the communities it will serve.
Across shopping plaza parking lots, back alleyways and tidy neighborhoods just steps from the new tracks, the group saw everyday challenges intensified by the years of construction—restricted access to businesses, broken curbs and fewer areas to walk. Clad in Day-Glo safety vests, the horde shuffled down narrow sidewalks inches from the road, their hair windswept by speeding cars.
“This neighborhood offers a mix of high-volume traffic with people needing to get from one plaza to the next on foot, and frankly, it's a recipe for disaster,” said Takoma Park Mayor Talisha Cearsy, who was part of the tour. “We’re trying to guide development from the perspective of a person who lives here.”
Along the two-mile loop, residents and small business owners shared their concerns: Will more street lights be installed for safety? Will Purple Line commuters hog neighborhood parking? Will special crossings be installed to break up the long blocks along University Boulevard, something the group saw firsthand as two teenagers waited to cut through traffic, Frogger-style, and scaled the barriers separating the light rail construction to get to the other side.
“These neighborhoods were not designed for people to walk, so it’s a huge retrofit that needs to happen for people to access the Purple Line on foot,” said PLCC Director Sheila Somashekhar. “And some of these things are make or break and will determine if people can use it.”
The PLCC has worked over the past decade to bring agencies and organizations from both counties and the state to the table to consider affordable housing, business protections and infrastructure, providing perspectives from those living and working in corridor communities. The coalition of public, private and community stakeholders has worked to create resilient, equitable transit-oriented development along the 16-mile light rail line, which includes five stops on campus and is 78% complete.
The walks help address urgent issues, like broken pavement or blocked access to businesses, said Shomashekar; but along with short-term improvements is a potential for more than just spot repairs. Feedback from the Long Branch walk last spring was the impetus for legislation recently passed by the Maryland General Assembly that will offer free Purple Line service to residents living within a quarter-mile of the tracks for its first three months and advertising space for small businesses. The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) just announced another $1 million in grant assistance for small businesses facing disruption from construction.
“We learn so much from these walks,” said Kat Lamb, MTA director of communications. “We learn about both immediate issues that we can bring back to HQ, like, ‘How can we make that crosswalk better and safer?’ but also enduring community concerns. From the PLCC’s great work, we’re learning that we’re not reaching everybody, so how can we improve our communications? Where can we do more?”
The State Highway Administration has reduced speed limits near some future stations. Montgomery County, meanwhile, approved the Eastern Silver Spring Communities Plan, which seeks to improve accessibility through investments in communities surrounding four Purple Line stops.
“We are looking comprehensively at connectivity to the stations, and meeting with community members is key in developing those recommendations,” said David Anspacher, division chief of Montgomery County Parks and Planning. “You’ve got to walk it, you’ve got to hear from people.”
Just off New Hampshire Avenue, the group ended its tour in front of a bustling bus station and future home of the Takoma/Langley stop. As Metrobuses whooshed in and out of the station, residents headed in all directions to jobs and Saturday errands. A project like the Purple Line, said Javier Rivas, executive director of the Takoma Langley Crossroads Development Authority, is so important for connecting the community’s thousands of residents to opportunity—but only if they’re able to safely and easily use it.
“There's a lot of uncertainty, and it's difficult to look past the construction,” he said. “This is an opportunity to envision what this is going to look like and what it's going to bring to the community.”