Georgetown-to-Rosslyn Gondola Study May Get Partial Funding From Arlington
By • February 18, 2016 0 1139
The Arlington County Board will vote tonight on whether to approve a Multiparty Memorandum of Agreement for a study on the feasibility of a gondola between Rosslyn, Va., and Georgetown, D.C., according to its website.
The project was conceived by the Georgetown Business Improvement District, which, according to the website Arlington Now, will pay $75,000 toward the study. The county, if the MOA passes, is expected to contribute $40,000, which the Arlington County Board report listed as 16 percent of the total cost.
The Georgetown BID proposed the gondola in its Georgetown 2028 15-year Action Plan, in which it recommended a “feasibility study on the use of a gondola lift to provide a fast, reliable, and exciting transit link between the Georgetown Commercial District, Georgetown University and Metrorail.”
That long-shot proposal got a lot of buzz in the local press and real estate blogs.
Christopher Slatt, chairman of the Transportation Commission, wrote in a letter to the Chair of the Arlington County Board that the Commission recommends the approval of the MOA.
“The majority of the commission felt that without a study, it is hard to say whether the gondola could be a worthy project that solves a real transportation issue in a cost-effective manner,” Slatt wrote. “The gondola would bypass Key Bridge congestion and is, perhaps, uniquely suited to handle Georgetown’s topography.”
According to the Arlington County Board’s report, those not in favor of the gondola are concerned it would simply be a tourist attraction and not assist in transportation issues.
