8-Mile Gondola System Proposed as Alternative Transport in Downtown Austin

Argodesign, the company behind the The Wire urban cable concept, is proposing a gondola system for downtown Austin that comprises an 8-mile long cable route from South First Street, Slaughter Lane North, to Guadalupe Street near the University fo Texas campus.

The concept is similar to gondola systems found in ski resorts, and the downtown project is proposed to be a high-speed, detachable gondola system that makes use of towers and stations above the city's roads. The proposal aims to provide a solution to downtown Austin's three current needs: alternative transport options, boost tourism, and bolster the Austinite's desire to preserve their novelty to "Keep Austin Weird".

But on the practical side, the Mobility Authority board of directors is gathering more information on the proposed project, while considering funding a viability study to see how to make it work. The viability study, if approved, will cost the city $15,000. The amount, however, is a money well invested since it will serve as a precursor to a more detailed feasibility study that could cost $1 million, and eventually a project that would cost between $290-$600 million.

To learn more about this developing story, please click the link to access the original article, or check out our blog for future updates. 

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