Purple Line Bridge Over Conn. Ave. Envisioned

Preliminary images of what the Purple Line bridge over Connecticut Avenue could look like recently were released by the Maryland Transit Administration.

The current design calls for separate light rail and Capital Crescent Trail bridges spanning Connecticut Avenue, along with a switchback connection from the Capital Crescent Trail to Rock Creek Trail north of the Purple Line and east of Rock Creek. The bridges will be designed to be compatible with the park setting, according to transportation administration planners.

The Purple Line station at Connecticut Avenue will be above-grade, they added.

Right-of-way acquisition and final design phases begin this fall. Construction is slated to begin in 2015, and the Purple Line is scheduled to open in 2020, if all (funding, planning, right-of-way acquisition, etc.) goes according to plan.

The Purple Line is projected to cost $2.2 billion, half of which is proposed to be paid for by the state, the other half by the federal government, according to the transportation administration.

Editor's note: This article has been corrected.