Beginning on or about Saturday, October 24, a light rail vehicle running under live overhead wire may roll between the Lyttonsville Purple Line Station and Dixon Avenue at any point between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. When it reaches Ramsey Avenue, traffic will stop briefly while it crosses. The next night, Wayne Avenue between Dale Drive and Manchester Road closes overnight so crews can hang the overhead wires that will power the trains.
Those two dates start the next five weeks downtown. The heavy digging that shaped daytime Silver Spring for years is giving way to wire installation and testing, and that work runs on a 9 p.m. clock. Saturday mornings on Georgia Avenue look much the same as they did. Driving or riding the bus home after dark is what changes, and the route that works shifts from one week to the next.
Why the Work Moved After Dark
The project has reached a different kind of work. In a September 3 release, the Maryland Transit Administration put Purple Line construction at 92% complete, with light rail vehicle testing underway on more than half of the 16-mile route. Ray Biggs II, the project's senior director, described the change at a Montgomery County Council briefing, as reported by Source of the Spring:
"Across Montgomery County, we are increasingly seeing major civil construction give way to finishing work, restoration, systems installation and testing. In downtown Silver Spring, paving, sidewalks and most traffic signal activations are complete, with testing anticipated later this year."
He added that Wayne Avenue has been paved from Fenton Street to Manchester Place, and that the remaining work there is overhead catenary system work, testing and landscaping. Crews can't string wire over a street while cars are using it, so that work happens overnight, one block at a time.
The Overnight Calendar, Segment by Segment
The Purple Line updates page lists four overnight closures on Wayne Avenue. Each one maintains access for residents and pedestrians.
| Dates, on or about | Where | Hours | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 25 to Nov. 6 | Wayne Ave., Dale Dr. to Manchester Rd. | 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. | Overhead wires over Wayne Ave. |
| Nov. 8 to Nov. 20, about one week | Wayne Ave., Fenton St. to Cedar St. | 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. | Overhead wire installation |
| Nov. 8 to Nov. 20, about one week | Wayne Ave., Cedar St. to Dale Dr. | 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. | Overhead wires over Wayne Ave. |
| Nov. 22 to Dec. 1 | Wayne Ave. and Fenton St. intersection | 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. | Overhead wires over the intersection |
The two November 8 to 20 closures won't run at the same time. On any given night in that stretch, expect one of the two segments to be closed. The Wayne and Fenton intersection closure was originally set for early October and was pushed to late November. John Undeland, communications director for Purple Line Transit Partners, told Source of the Spring that "weather and other unforeseen issues may impact these dates."
Testing is spreading across the map on the same schedule. The Lyttonsville-to-Dixon Avenue testing starts around October 24. On or about November 7, overnight live-wire testing begins between the Riggs Road Station on University Boulevard and Long Branch Station, by way of Piney Branch Road. Expect temporary traffic holds along University Boulevard from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. On both stretches, emergency vehicle access is maintained and pedestrian crossings are managed while trains pass.
The Daytime Calendar Fits Around It
Set the closures next to downtown's fall events and most of the daytime calendar falls outside the new overnight windows.
- Thursday, October 22. The Silver Spring Community Advisory Team meeting, held online on Microsoft Teams from 6 to 7:30 p.m. It includes construction photos, testing updates and a question-and-answer period. The Bethesda and Chevy Chase session follows on October 28.
- Sunday, October 25. Silver Spring Fall-O-Ween runs from noon to 5 p.m. at Veterans Plaza, 1 Veterans Place, with kids' and pets' costume parades and contests, holiday arts and crafts vendors, and sweets. It's free, pet-friendly and held rain or shine. It wraps up four hours before the first Wayne Avenue closure starts.
- November 12 to 15. AFI Silver's Classic Film Weekend brings restored rarities, silent films with live accompaniment and 35mm screenings.
- Friday, November 13. The War and Treaty plays The Fillmore Silver Spring from 8 to 11 p.m., according to the Downtown Silver Spring events calendar. This is the one event that lands inside a closure window. Doors close behind the last song well after 9 p.m., during the week when either Fenton-to-Cedar or Cedar-to-Dale is shut.
- Saturday, November 21. The Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade steps off at 10 a.m. from Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street, heads south on Georgia Avenue and ends at Silver Spring Avenue.
The parade and the last closure share a street. The parade page lists Wayne Avenue from Georgia Avenue to Fenton Street among its road closures. The overnight closure of the Wayne and Fenton intersection begins on or about Sunday, November 22. One detail on that page needs checking before parade morning. Its road-closure section is still headed "Saturday, November 22," which doesn't match the parade's November 21 date, so confirm closure times and garage hours closer to the day. The same section says the Town Center garage at Ellsworth Drive closes at 2 a.m. on parade day and the Wayne Avenue garage closes at 8 a.m.
Brunch is daytime business too. Easy Like Sunday opened this summer at 8455 Fenton Street, in the former El Sapo space, The MoCo Show reported.
Late-Night Bus Riders Feel It Most
Drivers can take a different street. Bus riders find their stop skipped. During the Wayne and Fenton closure, Ride On routes 15, 16, 17, 20 and 28 will be detoured nightly from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., Source of the Spring reported. The detours published so far include the following stop changes:
- Route 15 toward Takoma Langley Transit Center skips eastbound Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street, stop 27060, and eastbound Wayne Avenue at 824 Wayne Avenue, stop 27061. Riders board at Silver Spring Transit Center Bay 222, stop 17484, or at eastbound Wayne Avenue and Cedar Street, stop 27062.
- Route 15 toward Silver Spring Transit Center skips westbound Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street, stop 27100, and westbound Wayne Avenue and Georgia Avenue, stop 16080. Riders use westbound Wayne Avenue and Cedar Street, stop 27098, or Bay 222.
- Route 16 toward Takoma skips southbound Fenton Street at Colesville Road, stop 16038, and at Ellsworth Drive, stop 16011. Riders use northbound Georgia Avenue and Ellsworth Street, stop 14677.
- Route 20 toward Hillandale skips the same two Fenton Street stops. Riders use stop 14677 or eastbound Thayer Avenue and Fenton Street, stop 26372.
Inbound, routes 16 and 20 both skip southbound Fenton Street and Bonifant Street, stop 22178. Route 16 riders use northbound Fenton Street and Thayer Avenue, stop 22166, and Route 20 riders use northbound Thayer Avenue and Fenton Street, stop 26398.
What "Almost Done" Still Means During the Day
The overnight schedule is new. Some daytime construction is still in place.
The Spring Street Bridge
The bridge closed for reconstruction in summer 2024 and was first scheduled to reopen in January 2025. Delays came from relocating overhead utilities, building a new foundation and working around CSX and Metro train schedules. In a statement to Source of the Spring, the MTA said the bridge is "substantially complete and will soon carry traffic." No official reopening date has been set, because several items still have to be completed with Montgomery County. The Spring Street detour stays in place until then.
The Lane Patterns That Remain
- Wayne Avenue between Sligo Creek Parkway and Fenton Street stays at one lane in each direction, street parking is prohibited in the work zones, and temporary lane closures may happen from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- The Dixon Avenue and Bonifant Street intersection stays closed through October while track goes in on Bonifant Street. Access to the garage and businesses there is maintained.
- Work continues on the Silver Spring Library Station at the Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library. Bonifant Street stays one-way eastbound from Georgia Avenue, and access to the library stays open.
- The right lane of southbound 16th Street between Lyttonsville Road and Spring Street remains closed through fall 2026 for retaining-wall work. Two lanes stay open.
The Opening Date
Service is still slated to begin in winter 2027. Biggs told the County Council the date depends on safety testing results and remains "dynamic." When Transportation and Environment Committee chair Evan Glass asked about a possible April 2028 opening, Biggs said it "can go either way," according to Source of the Spring. Expanded testing is planned for 2027, so trains running at night in Silver Spring will likely continue after this fall's closures end on December 1.
Every date above is listed as "on or about," and the Purple Line updates page is where changes show up first.
Purple Line timelines affect more than late-night routes. They shape how homes along Wayne Avenue and near the stations are priced and shown while construction finishes. If you're thinking about how the line's progress fits your own plans, the Anthony Lacey Home Team follows these schedules as closely as we follow the market. Schedule a Free Consultation, and we'll go over what the next few months mean for your street.
