Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola: How Will It Work?

We've all heard the news that officials are looking into the possibility of a gondola over the Potomac River that would ferry people between Rosslyn and Georgetown -- but how exactly would it work?

Gondolas are more commonly seen in ski resorts, but the Georgetown-Rosslyn gondola has been proposed as a solution to a dual problem for those without vehicles -- the lack of access Georgetown residents have to a Metro station, which Rosslyn has, and the difficulty Rosslyn residents have getting to shopping or work in downtown Georgetown without either driving or taking a long walk across the Francis Scott Key Bridge. In addition, the gondola would hopefully alleviate traffic congestion on the bridge.

The idea would be to put cars on high wires parallel to the Key Bridge, and to have both the public and private sector fund the effort. Currently, architecture firm ZGF Architecture is in the midst of conducting a feasibility study to see if the project should move forward.

So where would you get on and get off the gondola? That question hasn't been settled yet. While the stop in Arlington would almost certainly be the Rosslyn Metro station, it's not yet been determined where the Georgetown stop would be.

There's also the question of the size of the cars. A typical gondola would only hold a few passengers at a time, whereas a larger aerial tram car would hold up to 200 passengers, according to a WTOP report.

Right now, there's no official estimate on how much it would cost to build the system and to sustain it, as well as who exactly will foot the bill. That's all part of the feasibility study.

Many residents are hopeful that the gondola project could alleviate their woeful commute across the bridge, not to mention the nightmarish parking situations in both Georgetown and Rosslyn. But there's still a long way to go before the project even get approved, let alone comes to fruition.

Image via Rosslyn Business Improvement District

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