Joelle Lang-Fredman
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Traveling between Georgetown and Rosslyn could get a whole lot easier.
A new study finds that building an airborne shuttle across the Potomac River to connect the two towns and alleviate traffic on the Key Bridge would be affordable.
“Roads are at capacity, our public transit is at capacity, and so I think we’ve got to start looking at new ways for people to get around,” Mary-Claire Burick, president of the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, said. “This could absolutely be that new way.”
Talk of a Georgetown gondola began in 2014 when the idea was mentioned in a Georgetown 2028 plan.
This recent study found that it would cost $80 to $90 million to build the new transit system, which is cheaper than building a Metro station.
Not only is it affordable, but Burick said the new transit system would attract new businesses and please residents.
“You can see how a gondola would help attract businesses that want to locate in very accessible urban hubs, and also connect our residents who really want to navigate between neighborhood amenities without their cars,” Burick said.
As opposed to a new Metro station, which could take up to 10 years to build, the gondola system could be build in just two to four years. Building would only begin after an environmental impact study, which would also take two to four years to complete.
Burick said the gondola is being designed specifically to add to the atmosphere of both towns and not to detract from them.
“The consultants actually put in additional funding to make sure there was high-quality design that would actually enhance the public realm,” Burick said.
While city and Arlington County leaders haven’t approved the project yet, they have agreed to review the study.
“I think people start out a little skeptical,” Burick said. “I think the more you learn about it and the more you dive in to the numbers, you start to realize this is something that could work.”
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