The Maryland Department of Transportation awarded more than 100 businesses between $1,000 and $40,000 as part of the first round of grant awards for the Purple Line Small Business Grant Program.
The grants are designed to support small businesses along the Purple Line that will be impacted by construction, officials said. The funding will help business owners sustain operations, preserve jobs and expand services. Grant awards totaled $1 million, and the four-year program is scheduled to invest $4 million in eligible businesses along the corridor.
“Maryland’s investment in the Purple Line represents a tremendous economic growth opportunity that will connect communities from Bethesda to New Carrollton,” Paul J. Wiedefeld, Maryland’s Transportation Secretary, said. “These grants will support small businesses whose operations are impacted by construction to ensure they are ready to thrive once the Purple Line opens.”
The department said it received more than 450 applications, and made the awards after a competitive selection process, based on the business owner’s demonstration of need and proximity to the priority impact areas.
Officials said businesses that did not receive an award during the first round of funding, or that did not apply, are encouraged to submit applications during the next funding cycle opening on June 2.
The Purple Line is a 16-mile, 21-station light rail line extending from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. Construction is 76 percent complete with more than 80,000 feet of track installed and all 21 future stations under construction. The project will also include 19 miles of new and improved sidewalks, and new bike paths and trails.