Gondola on County Board Agenda

ARLINGTON, VA -- When the Arlington County Board meets Thursday night, one item on the agenda might catch your eye: Funding for the study of a gondola between Rosslyn and Georgetown.

The County Manager is recommending approval of $40,000 (16 percent of total $250,000 cost) to kick in to the study, being spearheaded by Georgetown, according to the County Board agenda for the meeting.

The Parties to the agreement are:

• District of Columbia DOT
• Georgetown Business Improvement District
• Rosslyn Business Improvement Corporation
• Georgetown University
• Arlington County
• JBG Associates L.L.C.
• Gould Properties/Vornado
• DC Surface Transit, Inc.

The purpose of the Gondola Study is to explore the ridership demand, cost of installation, cost of operations, type of operations, engineering and technical issues, and entitlement and permitting issues, associated with the planning and deployment of gondola ropeway technology between the area around Rosslyn and Georgetown.

How did the idea get started? In 2014, the Georgetown Business Improvement District developed the Georgetown 2028 15 Year Action Plan. The Georgetown 2028 Plan recommended a “feasibility study on the construction, cost, and operation of an aerial gondola to provide a fast, reliable and picturesque transit link between Rosslyn and the Georgetown commercial district and Georgetown University.”

Last summer, at its July 2015 County Board Meeting, the Arlington County Board adopted the Rosslyn Sector Plan as a long-term vision and guide for the Rosslyn Coordinated Redevelopment District. The Rosslyn Sector Plan recommends coordination with the District of Columbia on potential transportation infrastructure projects that enhance connections, “such as the aerial gondola between Rosslyn and Georgetown.”

On Jan. 7, the county’s Transportation Commission voted 6-3-2 in support of the County’s participation in the Gondola Study. Those who opposed participation in the study expressed concern that the primary purpose of a gondola would be for tourism rather than for transport.

The commission said in a letter to Libby Garvey, County Board chair, that without the study, it would be hard to say whether the gondola was a worthy project that solves a real transportation issue in a cost-effective manner.

IMAGE: Rendering of gondola courtesy of Georgetown BID