Proposal envisions commuter gondolas over Potomac

WASHINGTON — A proposal to build a ski resort-style gondola system over the Potomac River connecting the nation’s capital to nearby Virginia is technically feasible and would cost $80 million to $90 million to build, according to a study released Thursday.

The bottom line: the aerial gondola project isn’t some fanciful, futuristic idea or a tourist gimmick, and it’s an option for commuters that’s “cool and feasible,” said Joe Sternlieb, the president of the Georgetown Business Improvement District, one of the groups that paid for the study.

Associated Press/ZGF Architects LLP A ski resort-style gondola system connecting Washington and Virginia is called "cool and feasible."

The study said if officials want to move forward, getting the necessary state and local approval to build the project would take three to four years, and construction would take two years. The system of enclosed cabins would likely have a weekday ridership of 6,500 and just under 2 million riders a year.

The proposal envisions a 4-minute ride with cabins coming every 20 to 60 seconds. Each cabin would hold eight to 12 people, Sternlieb said.

Similar urban systems carry passengers in Portland, Oregon, and New York City. The Portland system opened in 2007 while a tram system in New York has been taking passengers to Roosevelt Island since 1976.

In Washington, the idea is for the system to be an extension of the region’s Metro train system, with riders using their Metro card, Sternlieb said. It would link Virginia with Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood, which does not have a Metro stop.

The system would cost $3.25 million a year to operate and maintain, the study said.

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