- September 15, 2025
- More articles By Terp Staff
- Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle
A ONE-STOPLIGHT town might sound sleepy, but a new traffic signal at UMD instead will illuminate its growth.
Nearly 170 years after the university’s founding, the first stoplight in the campus core became operational July 31 at the intersection of Campus Drive and Regents Drive near the “M” as part of the state’s Purple Line light-rail project.
It’s among three new permanent traffic signals coming to the campus at reconfigured intersections to help accommodate future light-rail train traffic in a bustling community of 55,000 faculty, staff and students.
The other two signals are at the intersection of Union Drive and Alumni Drive and at the new intersection of Campus Drive and Rossborough Lane east of Baltimore Avenue.
The Purple Line, when completed in winter 2027, will extend from New Carrollton in Prince George’s County to Silver Spring and Bethesda in Montgomery County; 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 Terps.
