Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola Would Ferry 6,500 Riders Every Day, Be Really Cheap: Report

GEORGETOWN, DC — Could there soon be a gondola transporting thousands of people over the Potomac River between Georgetown and Rosslyn? The project took one giant step closer thanks to a new study that says the gondola is "feasible," and would actually be quite cheap to build.

As Patch reported Thursday, consulting firm ZGF Architects determined in their report that the gondola was "feasible," a major victory for the project. But just how much would locals use the gondola, and how much would it cost compared to a Metro station?

The study found that the gondola "would provide improved transit for workers, residents, the university and tourists," the report states, and that the minimum daily ridership was estimated to be 6,500.

The study also compares the project with other international gondola systems and suggested that it would probably cost about $80 to $90 million to contruct -- a fraction of the cost of the $1.5 billion it would take to build another crossing under the Potomac and a Georgetown Metro station, which is in Metro's 2040 plan. Even a relatively straightforward Metro station would cost a minimum of well over $100 million.

What's next for the project? Officials will be meeting with various regional stakeholders to figure out the way ahead. If everyone is on board, an environmental impact study would take a few years to complete, and then construction would probably take another few years, putting the completion of the gondola in the early to mid 2020s time frame.

Image via GeorgetownRosslynGondola.com