The next year will bring a tremendous amount of work for Prince George’s County planners as they incorporate the proposed Purple Line into a host of future county transportation plans, a county official told The Examiner on Tuesday.

As it is in nearby Montgomery County, the idea is to have a full picture of the impact of the Purple Line so Prince George’s officials can intelligently weigh in once state highway officials come out with their alignment plans within the next year, according to Harold Foster, the transportation planning coordinator for Prince George’s countywide planning division. The Purple Line is conceived as a Metro line that will run parallel to the Capital Beltway, tie together four other Metro lines and extend from Bethesda to New Carrollton. A major part of the debate, yet to be resolved, is whether the transit route will be light rail or bus rapid transit.

“We have reasonably specific guidelines from [County Executive Jack] Johnson and the council, who want to see it as light rail,” Foster said. “So we have an oversight role to make sure the alignment is consistent with the state’s plan.”

As well as considering the Purple Line in Prince George’s master plans, authorities are making it part of the conversation about future development plans for the New Carrollton Metro station area.

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Currently, the plans for the existing station don’t include the Purple Line route, but whether light rail or rapid transit is adopted figures into the New Carrollton station in a big way, according to William Washburn, a planner coordinator with the Community Planning Division in Prince George’s.

dlevitz@dcexaminer.com