Williamsburg ‘gondola’ gains support as L train shutdown looms

With no one solution set in stone in the quest to find a viable alternative to the L train when it shuts down for 18 months in 2019, the ideas just keep rolling in. However, a two-year-old proposal for an aerial gondola that would connect North Brooklyn and Manhattan is now gaining support from local officials (h/t DNAinfo).

Asemblyman Joesph Lentol, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, and Council member Stephen Levin have collectively drafted a letter to mayor Bill de Blasio, asking him to consider the gondola, named the East River Skyway, as a solution for the impending L train shutdown.

“The East River Skyway is an innovative and hip mode of transportation that embodies the forward thinking population of North Brooklyn,” stated Assemblyman Lentol.

The idea was construed by CityRealty site president Daniel Levy, back in 2014 as a greener way to cut commute time for North Brooklyn residents into Manhattan. According to Levy’s proposal, the skyway would possess the ability to transport about 5,000 passengers per hour and more than 100,000 people each day, with an average trip time of six minutes while avoiding the production of on-site emissions.

Officials believe that if Mayor de Blasio gets on board with the idea, the project could be completed in time for it to be utilized as an alternative mode of transportation while the L train is out of commission. Though it would cost an estimated $134 million to build, Levy and local officials are confident that they could raise enough private funding the cover the cost.

“The proposed L Train shut down has underscored the importance of having redundant transit service to North Brooklyn and we should be exploring all options, including the concept of an East River Skyway,” said Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney.

NYU has already shown support for the idea. Let’s see what the de Blasio administration will have to say about it.

• De Blasio Should Back Gondola Plan Before the L Train Shutdown, Pols Say [DNAinfo]