The Georgetown-Rosslyn Aerial Gondola Lift is a proposed transit system connecting Georgetown to the Rosslyn Metro station. It could be built decades before a Georgetown Metro Station at a small fraction of the cost and would provide much of the benefit – essentially becoming Georgetown’s Metro Station serving the largest employment center in DC that doesn’t currently have Metro.
“To remain globally competitive, the Washington region must seize every opportunity to improve connectivity with better transit. Urban gondolas have proven their value in cities across the globe and there is no better place to introduce them to this region than by connecting the people, jobs, and retail of Georgetown and Rosslyn.
A public private partnership to develop this project will harness the resources of our region’s strongest institutions to reduce congestion and air pollution, improve commute times and provide much better access to jobs for all our citizens.”
What is a gondola lift?
A gondola lift is a "car" suspended and propelled by moving cables strung between two stations.
The Project & Funding
The Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola project is an idea born out of the Georgetown Business Improvement District's Georgetown 2028 15-Year Action Plan for the commercial district.
The project kicked off with a 2016 study conducted and funded by a partnership that includes the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, Arlington County, Rosslyn Business Improvement District (BID), Georgetown University, Gould Property Company, JBG SMITH, Penzance, and Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID). Led by ZGF Architects, the feasibility study’s objective was to identify and lay out the demand, financial, regulatory, design and real estate considerations of an aerial gondola lift between the two commercial districts. Partners contributed a total of $215,000 in order to launch the study, which deemed the gondola feasible.
The partners envision riders enjoying a hassle-free, four-minute ride that whisks them across the Potomac River as they savor the aerial and skyline views.
Interested in supporting this initiative? Learn more about the Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola Coalition.