In 2015, the CEO of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC) saw a TV show about an urban gondola in Colombia that was helping solve the city’s congestion problems at a much lower cost than traditional transit.
It sparked the idea for a 2.5-mile aerial gondola parallel to the Bayonne Bridge to transport commuters over the Kill Van Kull from Richmond Avenue and Forest Avenue in Staten Island to the 8th Street Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station in Bayonne. Commuters would walk down a flight of stairs directly onto the light rail platform.
One year later, Laetner Poma, the same company that manufactured and designed Bayonne’s wind turbine, won the SIEDC design contest for a conceptual gondola. In April of 2018, the SIEDC secured funding for a $212,000 feasibility study from the New York City Council; the Nicotra Group, a Staten Island real estate developer; and the Bayonne municipal government, which contributed $10,000.
Ever since, the SIEDC has been promoting the idea across the region as a less costly alternative to buses and trains. Prototype gondola cabins were trucked around Staten Island to show to commuters, who are increasingly frustrated with the bus system.
While a gondola would primarily service Staten Island commuters heading to Hudson County and Manhattan, some Bayonne residents who commute to Staten Island may find it useful, in addition to tourists, who would have a unique view of New Jersey ports and the New York skyline.
Must be a better way
Now, many Staten Islanders take the S89 bus from Richmond Avenue to the 34th Street light rail station and then take the light rail to Exchange Place. But frustration is building over packed buses, high fares, and spotty service.
“We have too many cars and not enough roads,” said SIEDC President Steve Grillo, who spoke at a keynote breakfast on April 16 for the SIEDC Business Conference. “That gives you two options. You can go above the road or below the road.”
Grillo compares the cost of building a mile of subway, about $400 million, to the cost of the 2.5-mile gondola, $167 million. The original plan for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, after all, extended it over the Bayonne Bridge to Staten Island.
“We’re talking about a really affordable mechanism of transit,” said Grillo. “It’s highly efficient because it’s always running. It never stops, unlike buses and cars.”
Compared to trains and buses, which require operators for every bus and train, a gondola would require operators only at the point of boarding.
The gondola trip would take about 13 minutes with 163 10-person cabins running every 12 seconds, 24 hours a day, with capacity to transport up to 3,000 people per hour. Grillo estimates daily ridership to be between 2,800 and 7,600. The cost of a ticket, he estimates, would be somewhere between $4 and $6. Those figures are up for debate, though, as he acknowledges the practical need for some form of fare integration between NJ Transit, the MTA, and ferries.
Still only a concept
For the concept to become reality, the SIEDC would need the cooperation of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ Transit, Bayonne city officials, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Many are skeptical of the project for that reason. It would require a lot of capital from investors and government. Another option is for funding to create more frequent buses and dedicated lanes to get buses to destinations faster. Extending the light rail into Staten Island remains a vision for regional planners, too.
“It would be premature to speculate about the effects of a gondola on transportation funding and economic development,” said Bayonne Mayor James Davis in a statement. “Hopefully, the feasibility study will help us to answer questions about funding and development. That’s what feasibility studies are for.”
Grillo said one of the primary benefits of the gondola, other than to commuters, would be to facilitate real estate development in Staten Island and Bayonne.
“We think the gondola will really enhance development opportunities in the region,” he said.
Whether or not the gondola sees the light of day, it advances ideas about mass transit beyond buses and trains.
“There are gondola systems all over the world,” Grillo said. “This is not just amusement park or ski slope technology. This has urban application.”
For updates on this and other stories check hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Rory Pasquariello can be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com.
