By Brenda Wintrode

Landscapers planted winter-hardy yellow pansies at the M Circle last week, replacing the red begonias and marking the last time workers would make this change before it moves to its new location in the spring. 

The new M will sit in front of Mitchell Hall to make way for the Purple Line track being installed along Campus Drive.

“We’re delighted that it was considered a critical part of the project from early on,” said Karen Petroff, assistant director of Arboretum/Horticultural Services. 

A graphic on the university’s website shows the new M, which will be next to a Purple Line station, as the centerpiece of a green space complete with sidewalks and benches.

“One of the main things the new M will provide is easier access both to the public and to maintenance staff,” Petroff said. 

Pedestrians and landscapers will be able to walk around the entire M without having to cross a traffic circle as they do now. 

This past weekend, junior and bioengineering major Owen Roy was taking photos with friends at M circle before the group’s annual dinner in D.C. He said the group dodged some cars crossing the traffic circle and is glad the M’s new location will be safer for picture taking.

Roy grew up in University Park and visited campus frequently as a kid.  

“I think it is still a little sad to see it move … even though it is going to be the same size and shape …because that’s kind of like something you see right as you drive on the campus every time,” Roy said.

The plan also includes the installation of bioretention stormwater drainage systems along Campus Drive and in various locations along the tracks. Large cement boxes called Filterra boxes will be inserted into the ground, where they will catch not just the stormwater but the solid trash and pollutants traveling along with it. 

Petroff said either small trees or shrubs will be planted in the boxes depending on location, and they will act as natural filters.

“The plants are doing the work,” Petroff said. 

When stormwater flows into the box’s inlet, a top layer of mulch will trap solid trash and pollutants. The roots and plant matter beneath will treat the water before it flows back into the ground. Workers will periodically remove trash accumulation from the top layer.

Petroff said retaining stormwater runoff is just good practice.

“There are many reasons to keep water on-site: the quality of our waterways, the avoidance of additional treatment facilities and eliminating the additional burden on piping systems.” 

Purple Line construction workers are now excavating traffic islands and replacing them with construction barrels and barriers. The current M will stay just where it is until a replica is created in front of the Mitchell Building. 

The University of Maryland made the following statement on its website: “We understand how important M Circle is to the Terp community, and have ensured that our campus will never be without its treasured M.” 

Cars will still use Campus Drive after the Purple Line is up and running.

The Purple Line corridor stretches 16.2 miles from Bethesda to New Carrollton and will expand transportation options by connecting to the MARC train, Amtrak trains, multiple bus routes and the red, green and orange Metro lines. 

According to Gary Witherspoon, the assistant director of Public Outreach and Communications for the Purple Line, the goal for the project is to have “substantial operations underway in late 2022.”