Is Arlington Going to Kill the Georgetown Gondola?

ARLINGTON, VA — Everything had been rolling along just fine for the Rosslyn to Georgetown gondola, with a consulting firm declaring the project feasible recently. But a letter sent by Arlington County indicates that the Virginia side may not hold up its end of the bargain.

Arlington is more focused on other more pressing transportation projects, and is currently giving a flat no to the gondola project, according to the letter, signed by Arlington County Board Chairman Jay Fisette.

"Board members, along with our staff, have reviewed the conclusions of the feasibility study for the proposed aerial gondola between Rosslyn and Georgetown," the letter states. "The study addressed many of the important components, including ridership demand, cost of installation, cost of operations, engineering, technical issues, and permitting requirements. An estimate of $80-$90 million was included in the study as the order of magnitude construction cost of the project.

"The Rosslyn-Georgetown gondola is not a project included in our recently approved Capital Improvement Plan," the letter continues. "Given our identified and pressing transportation needs, along with some ongoing concerns about the long-term value of the gondola, the Board is not in favor of any further funding of the gondola project."

So does that mean the project's dead? Fortunately for gondola fans, that's not the case, according to a recent Washington Post report, which quoted Joe Sternlieb -- president of the Georgetown Business Improvement District -- as saying that "people on this side of the river will continue to have conversations for the next year or so" and they will re-engage with Arlington at a later date.

In addition, Arlington County Board Vice Chair Katie Cristol said that if private investment money materializes for the project, "we'd be happy to have a conversation about easements," the Post reported.

The gondola would stretch over the Potomac River and connect Georgetown's M Street with the Rosslyn Metro station, giving Georgetown residents access to the Metro rail system while offering Arlington residents an easy way to get to the trendy M Street corridor without driving.

Image via GeorgetownRosslynGondola.com