Prince George's County Plan Envisions Transit Expansion | TheCityFix DC

The Washington Post reported Monday that Prince George's County is updating its 25-year-old transportation master plan to include an extension of the Metro Green line, the proposed Purple line, and consideration of high-occupancy toll lanes on County highways. According to the article, the County Council would like to see the Green Line extended from Greenbelt to Fort Meade via Beltsville, Laurel, and the massive Konterra development project that is currently under construction. Officials would also like to see the proposed Purple Line extended from New Carrollton to National Harbor by the Potomac River.

It's telling to compare Prince George's County's transit plans and growth with the Washington Area's other more wealthy suburban jurisdictions: Montgomery County, Fairfax County, Arlington, and Alexandria. Like Prince George's, each of these jurisdictions sports some of the most expensive, highest capacity heavy-rail facilities in the United States. Yet Prince George's continues to have some of the most stubbornly underutilized stations in the 86-station, and 106.3-mile Metro system exhibiting relatively little transit-oriented development and density around stations and high rates of driving trips to their stations versus other modes.