Eight Responses to Georgetown Gondola RFP, Team Will Be Chosen By End of April

• March 22, 2016
• 2 Comments

by UrbanTurf Staff

A gondola connecting Rosslyn to Georgetown. Rendering created for UrbanTurf by Capital Pixel.

The wheels are in motion to find out if a gondola over the Potomac River is indeed feasible. After releasing the official Request for Proposals (RFP) for the feasibility study of an aerial gondola that would connect the Rosslyn Metro with Georgetown, the Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID) has heard from several teams.

“We’ve received eight excellent responses to the RFP and are very pleased,” the BID’s Nancy Miyahira told UrbanTurf. “The committee hopes to have a decision by the end of April.”

The team that will conduct the study must demonstrate its ability to assess all aspects of the potential construction, operation and maintenance of the gondola system. One key facet of the study is determining the various locations for stations and other infrastructural elements such as towers and haul rope alignments. There are also real estate considerations involved, including ownership of and entitlements attached to different locales, whether stations can or should be incorporated into mixed-use developments on either side of the Potomac River, and potential impact on proximate properties and sight-lines.

The team picked to conduct the feasibility study will ultimately furnish a final recommendation as to how the Georgetown-Rosslyn gondola will look and function, both aesthetically and logistically. Once chosen, the team is expected to deliver a recommendation and accompanying renderings and 3-D models to the public by the end of 2016.

The gondola concept was born out of the Georgetown 2028 plan, which aims to make Georgetown, which is more isolated than similarly-vibrant and amenity-filled neighborhoods, more accessible and transit-friendly.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/eight_teams_respond_to_georgetown_gondola_rfp_team_will_be_chosen_by_end_of/11012

2 Comments

1. UrbanDevelopmentBuff said at 6:48 pm on Thursday March 24, 2016:
   This idea is stupid. Arlington should save its money and build a light rail bridge connecting the two sides of the Potomac. Once DC gets on-board, it can be extended down M or K St.

1. Gav said at 4:42 pm on Friday March 25, 2016:
   I would tend to agree with UrbanDevelopmentBuff....a waste of money. I can't imagine it being so much faster to cross the river by gondola than on foot over the bridge. Thats before you consider what you would have to pay and walk to/from the stations on either side. Further, is there really enough foot traffic there to make the venture viable? At the risk of being slagged, a well planned street car (learn from mistakes!) would be more useful longer term.