Environmental Advocates Push Back Against Encore Gondola Proposal

EVERETT, MA — The possibility of a gondola system connecting Encore Boston Harbor to nearby communities is concerning some area advocacy organizations. Wynn Resorts is looking at running a gondola from the casino to the Assembly Orange Line stop in Somerville, while Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria has applied for a $200,000 grant to study a 1.5-mile aerial tramway connecting Encore to Everett City Hall, the Boston Globe reported last week.

The original plan was to connect Assembly and Encore by a footbridge, which is already in the permitting process. Everett officials hope to see both the bridge and aerial tram come to fruition but say Wynn would likely only bankroll one, the Globe reported.

Of the two, a gondola would be the more attractive option for providing additional transportation opportunities for Everett residents. Officials told the Globe the gondola connection could potentially be extended to Everett Square, providing a nexus from the city center to trains into Boston.

But environmental, walking and bicycling advocates don't want planners to forget about the footbridge. A "workhorse" piece of public infrastructure, the bridge would connect residents of Lynn, Saugus, Revere, Malden and Everett with Somerville, Boston and Cambridge, according to the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA).

"It will be to people-powered commuters as the Zakim and Tobin Bridges are to drivers," Erica Wood, an MyRWA spokesperson, wrote in an email to Patch. "Such safe non-motorized routes are increasingly necessary as our region grapples with gridlock and the need to cut carbon emissions."

It may come down to choosing between the footbridge or the gondola, but for now it's just speculation. The tram remains a concept at this point, an Encore spokesperson told the Globe.

Read more from the Boston Globe.