Good morning, Ward 3 neighbors,
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I¡¯ll write to you later today with an update about the budget process. For right now: I am writing separately, strictly to share news about a City opportunity for new transportation infrastructure that has become available, albeit with a tight timeline for decision making.?
A transportation and engineering consortium co-based in Copenhagen, Denmark and Medellin, Colombia has approached Takoma Park as a candidate for a pilot urban gondola lift system. There has been interest around the US, including in Georgetown and Rosslyn,?in using gondolas as a transportation solution because they have a low-carbon footprint in terms of construction and also can be installed in areas with limited right-of-way. The consortium, named (Maryland Washington Associates - Aerial Access), or MWA-AA, is looking for a demonstration project that would link the District with Maryland, crossing multiple jurisdictions, serving as a?green?transportation improvement,?and functioning as a ¡°proof-of-concept¡± that could be experienced firsthand by federal decision makers as well as state representatives from around the country and international visitors.
Tentatively, the MWA-AA?partnership with Takoma Park (including the District and Prince George¡¯s County) would explore the feasibility of constructing a gondola line running from The Parks at Walter Reed (near Butterworth and Georgia Avenue, NW) to the Takoma-Langley Crossroads Transit Center.?
Stops along the way would include:
?
??(1) the intersection of 4th Street NW in Old Takoma DC,?
??(2) the intersection of Laurel and Carroll Avenues in Old Town,?
??(3) the Junction (using part of the current parking lot),?
??(4) the Maple Avenue Library/Community Center area,?
??(5) Essex House at the bottom of Maple,?
??(6) the intersection of Flower and Carroll, and?
??(7) potentially, Brown¡¯s Corner (the intersection of Carroll and University),
for a total of nine stations including the two terminus points. Please scroll down?for a representative photo of an urban gondola station.
Future extensions of the line could potentially include a scenic crossing of Rock Creek Park to the Chevy Chase/Connecticut Avenue area and Friendship Heights, as well as a crossing of Northwest Branch to reach Hillandale and perhaps even White Oak. Because the system would provide links to both the Metro Red Line and the Purple Line, I've heard it referred to tentatively as the Magenta Line. My sense is that the Montgomery County Planning Board?is going to signal support for this project because it could allow for potential rezoning?to permit?pedestrian bridge crossings between some stations and the upper floors of mixed-use buildings.
There are of course logistical considerations here, among them noise (although my understanding is that gondola technology has made these systems very quiet), tree protection, construction arrangements, and the use of City-owned land for some of the stations. For example, the Laurel Avenue station might require the permanent closure of the second, inbound lane by the church; and the Junction station, unless it could be sited at B.Y. Morrison Park, would require using about one-third of the City-owned parking lot next to the Co-op. In addition, there are practical concerns, some of which I believe we should discuss in the upcoming community meeting. These include:?privacy?for home and apartment dwellers along Carroll, Grant, and Maple Avenues as well as Anne Street (since gondola cars would be traveling at upper-story window levels or higher); protection from lightning strikes;?the potential for installing wind turbines?on the tops of the system's support towers; how to allow safe?bike transport via the gondola cars; and how to prevent squirrels from nesting in or otherwise damaging the equipment (this has been an issue in some cities). However, it is important to note that an aerial tramway system is not subject to the same flooding risks as a traditional wheel- or rail-based system.
In comparison with other modes of urban public transportation, gondola systems are significantly less expensive, with a typical construction cost of $3 million to $12 million per square mile (2023 estimate). Assuming a high-end estimate of $15 million per square mile (given that we might want particular design features to protect our urban canopy), the 3.5-mile pilot project, with a total of nine stations, could cost somewhere in the range of?$53 million. This could be a remarkable opportunity for Takoma Park to reduce traffic congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, provide stream?protection,?add more vibrancy to neighborhoods, attract visitors, preserve green space, and build connections across the community, as well as across jurisdictions.
MWA-AA has indicated that because of their limited footprint, urban gondola systems even longer than the one proposed have been constructed in cities outside North America in as little as eight months?once design is complete. This compares quite favorably to the construction timeline for the Purple Line. MWA-AA is confident that this project could be accomplished without cost overruns?and on schedule.
Remarkably, the offer made by the consortium, which seeks to establish a proof-of-concept in the United States, would require just a 20% share investment from Takoma Park (with the District adding 10% and Prince George¡¯s County and WMATA?an additional 5% each). The total cost to the City would be in the range of $10.4 to $12 million. The only catch is that in order to secure selection for this project, the City would need to budget for an up-front lump-sum payment?in Fiscal Year 2026. There is hope that the new federal administration, via DOGE, could provide some support for this project; but given the current budget outlooks for Maryland and Montgomery County, the likelihood is that the remainder of the lump-sum payment would need to be covered by a one-time?property tax increase of approximately 40 cents, so that just for this one year, property owners would pay in the range of 93-95 cents for each $100 of assessed value.
To emphasize: This is a proposed pilot project for which the City is a finalist. A clear indication of municipal and community support will be needed, so that necessitates a quite tight timeline in the next few weeks, despite the fact that we are in this challenging budget season.?Please stay tuned for details, but?mark your calendars for a likely community meeting about this proposal on or about April 31.
As a Ward 3 resident and current council member, I recognize that many of us are concerned about new construction costs. However, this proposal seems to be something of a?¡°³Ü²Ô¾±³¦´Ç°ù²Ô¡±?as an opportunity to pursue many of our community priorities, both locally and in terms of our global values. Going further,?MWA-AA representatives have mentioned that their outreach to Takoma Park is based in part on a sense that our community would particularly benefit?from this aerial transport system, stating that "having a daily opportunity to view one's own community from 100-200 feet above has been shown to help people put things in perspective and thus to restore a collective sense of humor."?
Best regards,
Roger
