We have more information about a proposed gondola system running between Dodger Stadium and Union Station, with an environmental review process for the project beginning Oct. 1.
The timeline for the gondola system has been extended, with the environmental review to be completed by 2022 and construction beginning as early as 2025. At full capacity, the gondola system could move up to 5,500 people per hour to the ballpark, allowing over 10,000 fans to commute to the ballpark before the start of a game. While this won’t relieve all the traffic issues at Dodger Stadium, a gondola system could lessen the traffic. Dodger Stadium was built at the peak of car culture, with over 18,000 parking spots at the ballpark, and while there is a dedicated bus line, the Dodger Stadium Express, running to and from the ballpark, there is obviously room for additional mass-transit solutions. These are not either/or situations, and no one solution will ease the Dodger Stadium traffic congestion.
The system could also potentially serve El Pueblo, Union Station, Chinatown, Mission Junction, Elysian Park and Solano Canyon. A Union Station regional transit hub would provide connections with light rail, Metrolink and Amtrak services.
Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies LLC, owned by former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, is working with Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the project.
“This gondola is about more than an easier trip to Dodger games. It will make our stadium more accessible to everyone, bring cleaner air to our communities and provide an economic boost for our local businesses,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti, chairman of the Metro Transportation Authority board of directors, via press release. “With today’s incredibly important step forward, we are even closer to bringing this project home and adding an iconic new attraction to one of the great entertainment and sports capitals of the world.”
Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies LLC also released additional renderings of the system:
Gondolas have also been discussed as a potential option for the Oakland A’s if they build a new ballpark at Howard Terminal. A proposed Portland (OR) ballpark features a gondola system bringing fans to and from a waterfront site. (Tunnels and gondola are an interesting trend now in alternative ballpark transportation.) A Portland Aerial Tram already serves some 2.1 million users a year, and Disney runs a gondola system at Florida’s Disney World to link parks with farflung resorts.
Renderings courtesy Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies LLC.
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