ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland's Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved a new contractor for the Purple Line light-rail project.
Once complete, the line would span 16-miles and transport passengers between New Carrollton in Prince George’s County and Bethesda in Montgomery County.
Initially it was estimated the cost of the project was $1.97 billion, but that has now increased by almost 75 percent to $3.43 billion.
The board blamed the price tag on "the post-pandemic market, the total project cost includes rising material costs across the industry, material shortages due to supply chain challenges, a smaller labor force, increases in the insurance market and other factors."
The developer originally contracted to complete the project quit following a dispute in 2020.
Construction was supposed to be complete by March 2022, that's since been pushed all the way back to 2026.
