Post by gondola-project

• The Edmonton Gondola is awaiting city council approval of an agreement before continuing with detailed design. During a council’s urban planning committee meeting more than 30 people spoke in favor of the gondola and recommended the council approve the project. The $155-million gondola project would require no public funding, be integrated with public transit, and could potentially bring the city revenue through land leases needed for the system (e.g. tower bases). See a related Weekly Roundup here. SCJ Alliance, the parent company of the Gondola Project, has been retained to provide gondola expertise for this project.

• Sun Valley Resort in Utah expects construction of two new high-speed quad lifts to begin this spring. The systems are being designed and installed by Leitner-Poma. The lifts will be equipped with heated seats and bubbles. Chair lift bubbles are clear plastic covers that riders can pull down to shut out the cold and wind. The new lifts will also provide access to 1,650 acres of terrain and reach an elevation of 9,500 feet.

• Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. has revealed the plans to redevelop Gondola Square. The project is expected to break ground in April with one of the major steps being moving the gondola terminal 300 feet east. The resort has applied for a permit from the city of Steamboat Springs. The redevelopment will be the biggest project since the resort opened back in 1963.

• Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) has issued a request for proposal for a gondola feasibility study in the St. Petersburg and Clearwater areas. The idea of gondola systems in the Tampa Bay area has been discussed for years and the study is one of the first steps for moving forward. St. Petersburg wants to investigate the feasibility of connecting the Tropicana Field and Innovation District areas. The city of Clearwater on the other hand is looking for a connection from their downtown to Clearwater Beach with a potential stop on Island Estates. See a related Weekly Roundup here. SCJ Alliance, the parent company of the Gondola Project, has pitched a gondola for Tampa Bay Area.

• A 100-year-old aerial ropeway cart in England has emerged from a Cornish cliff. The cart has begun to peak out of the cliff as it slowly erodes. The ropeway system was built to transport tin-rich sand up the cliffs to the Gwithian Tin Sand Works facility. The ropeway while efficient, was not a complete success so a tunnel was built to transport the sand. The Gwithian Tin Sand Works closed at the beginning of World War II, but ropeway remains still exist.