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Caution Urged Around Purple Line Construction, Road Closures

By Maryland Today Staff

While major construction of the Purple Line in the campus core wrapped up in August, lots of work on the state’s new light-rail line continues at the University of Maryland and beyond.

With the Spring 2025 semester starting, the university reminds Terps to use extra caution in their travels on campus.

Light-rail tracks have been embedded along Campus Drive; micromobility (escooter and ebike) operators should use the designated bike paths, while wheelchair users should use sidewalks. A permanent bike path on the south side of Campus Drive extends between Alumni Drive (near Knight Hall) and Regents Drive (near Symons Hall, see map).

Additional guidance:

  • Micromobility riders: Yield to pedestrians at all times.
  • Users of all wheeled devices: Cross the Purple Line tracks at a 90-degree angle. Crossing at a lower angle or riding parallel to the tracks can result in wheels becoming stuck in the rail gap.

green checkmark for biker crossing tracks at 90-degree angle. Red X for biker crossing at lower angle


Road closures and adjustments in traffic patterns will affect drivers this spring:

  • Through approximately Feb. 8, no left turns are allowed from Adelphi Road onto Campus Drive (near University of Maryland Global Campus) from either direction or from Campus Drive westbound onto Adelphi Road southbound (see map).
  • Rossborough Lane has the following closures (see map):
    • West of Baltimore Avenue near Turner Hall and Rossborough Inn.
    • From Baltimore Avenue to Diamondback Drive near Ritchie Coliseum.
    • There are long-term, ADA-compliant pedestrian detours.
  • Baltimore Avenue will have periodic lane closures at Rossborough Lane. At least one northbound lane and one southbound lane will be open at all times (see map).

When completed in winter 2027, the Purple Line will extend from New Carrollton in Prince George’s County to Silver Spring and Bethesda in Montgomery County, and five of the 21 stations will be on or around the UMD campus. With direct connections to Metrorail, Amtrak and MARC, the Purple Line will provide more accessible and reliable transportation for students, faculty and staff.

To find the most up-to-date road closures and detours, visit UMD’s Purple Line website for impacts on campus and the official Purple Line website for impacts beyond campus. If you have questions or encounter issues while traveling around campus, including accessibility concerns, contact purpleline@umd.edu.

To subscribe to receive a text alert when a significant sidewalk or roadway closure is scheduled by the Purple Line, use your mobile phone to text the keyword “UMDPURPLE” (not case-sensitive) to 888777.

For accessible pedestrian routes, go to the online UMD Campus Map, select the "Directions" tab, then click the "Accessible Pathways" checkbox.

Maryland Today is produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications for the University of Maryland community on weekdays during the academic year, except for university holidays.