Can you imagine something like this joining Georgetown and Rosslyn? Image by Steve Morgan licensed under Creative Commons.

The proposal for a gondola between Georgetown and Rosslyn has been around for a few years, and in June the DC Council passed a budget that leaves the door open for the idea to grow. Inspiration for the gondola came from the the Aerial Tram in Portland, Oregon, but we could also look to Portland for another way to move people across the Potomac: a bridge for transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

When GGWash contributor Jon Steingart wrote about the council’s move in June, commenter CrossingBrooklynFerry asked: “Why not simply build a new bridge across the Potomac?”

That got me thinking about a related project in Portland that might serve as a model for such an ideal: Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, which opened in the fall of 2015.

A car-free bridge

True to Portland’s spirit, Tilikum Crossing is unique in many ways: most notably, it is off-limits to private vehicles. The bridge serves light rail, the Portland Streetcar, transit buses, bicyclists, pedestrians, and (if needed) emergency vehicles. No cars allowed.

The impetus for Tilikum Crossing should sound familiar: motor vehicle traffic congesting nearby bridges over the Willamette River, leaving little to no space for transit or those trying to cross on foot or by bike.

Similarly, the Key Bridge connecting Georgetown to Rosslyn is often snarled in traffic, slowing down cars and buses alike. There seems to be little political will for repurposing any general-purpose lanes for transit – hence the gondola proposal.

The view from Tilikum Crossing, inside MAX light rail car. Image by the author.

A model for Greater Washington?

Along Portland’s redeveloped South Waterfront, visitors can reach the Aerial Tram through a variety of transit options facilitated by Tilikum Crossing: a streetcar stop (directly adjacent), a MAX light rail stop (a short walk away), and local bus routes, not to mention walking and cycling.

Meanwhile, the proposed Georgetown-Rosslyn gondola would only serve a single use.

So, instead of a gondola connecting the Rosslyn Metro to the Exxon site in Georgetown, why not emulate one of Portland’s grander ideas: an entirely new bridge with dedicated transit, bike, and pedestrian access? That would provide the desired rapid connection between the two areas while allowing for a wider range of uses.

The relevant area in Portland, with additions by the author. Image by Google Maps.

Costs and comparisons

Initial analysis of the Georgetown-Rosslyn gondola estimates construction costs at $90 million. Meanwhile, Tilikum Crossing was built for $135 million. A 50% cost difference is nothing to dismiss lightly, but the gap isn’t as great as I initially thought.

To help secure funding, TriMet was able to group their new bridge with the Orange Line project – allowing them to use one federal grant to cover much of the cost of both Tilikum Crossing and the new light rail-specific infrastructure.

Such a funding structure may or not be applicable to the planned K Street extension to Georgetown – even assuming that the DC government decides to dedicate the resources necessary to move forward.

The point is that creative financing options are out there, and, in addition to better bus, bicycle, and pedestrian connections, a bridge would leave open the possibility of someday bringing the streetcar across the river to Rosslyn.

In the long term, a new tunnel for Metrorail between Rosslyn and Georgetown would be an even better connection. In the meantime, the bridge by itself would speed up the Circulator and other bus service.

And a gondola, too?

Building a bridge wouldn’t necessarily replace a gondola system – in fact, they could complement each other, as is Portland’s approach. The situations aren’t exactly the same, but there are some parallels worth considering.

After all, as many observers have noted, connecting Rosslyn to Georgetown is only one part of the problem – what do travelers do once they reach, say the Exxon parcel on M Street? The fairly steep incline from the riverfront to other parts of Georgetown can be difficult and time-consuming to traverse – one method is most (in)famous as a horror movie setting.

A gondola station at the riverfront and/or M Street – with stops at Georgetown University’s main campus (perhaps the Car Barn?) and Medical Center – would provide a much-needed transit connection for students, visitors, and employees coming from Metro and (hopefully, eventually) the streetcar.

There is precedent: in Portland, OHSU championed the aerial tram project as a crucial service for their growing community, and put their own funds behind securing the naming rights as well as paying for operational costs in proportion to the use by OHSU-affiliated travelers.

An intra-Georgetown gondola may seem fanciful, but it may well be an appealing option as the university attempts to make the most of its space-constrained main campus. Between parking infrastructure and the Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) – of which the Rosslyn route carries about 2,000 passengers per day – there are existing resources that could be repurposed if the Georgetown area enjoyed stronger transit connections.

Of course, it’s quite a task to build anything in a historic area like Georgetown. However, permitting for a Potomac-crossing gondola would also be arduous, requiring sign-off among multiple agencies and entities like the National Park Service. Either way, it would require dedicated activism and coalition-building to make the project happen.

Tilikum Crossing / Orange Line opening day. Image by the author.

Thinking bigger and better

Perhaps a new bridge across the Potomac isn’t feasible – logistically or politically. And none of this is to necessarily say that the Georgetown-Rosslyn gondola as proposed wouldn’t be worthwhile – a similar idea, New York City’s Roosevelt Island Tramway across the East River, works quite well.

But as long as we’re thinking creatively about how to address regional transit issues – and a gondola certainly counts as creative – we should consider a myriad of options, even those that may seem too big or too expensive at first.

After all, Tilikum Crossing was once a crazy idea, one that many thought impossible: the modern era’s first major car-free bridge in the car-loving United States. Hopefully – whether in the Washington region or elsewhere – it won’t be the last.

Ben Lockshin works in public affairs by day, does theater and improv by night, and is a nerd about transit, housing, and urban development at all times. His play CAVEAT, a comedy about four young adults searching for affordable housing in DC, ran at the 2017 Capital Fringe Festival. He lives car-free in Park View.