The Los Angeles City Council on Friday, March 22, approved a $500,000 traffic study focused on Dodger Stadium that could delay city approvals needed to construct a 1.2-mile aerial tramway connecting baseball fans to the stadium on skyway gondolas.
The city council on an 11-2 vote backed a motion by Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez of Council District 1 to consider the results of the study and alternatives to gondolas — such as dedicated bus lanes — before making decisions involving permits, land use and general plan changes the project needs to move forward.
“The city will not take any action on these items until the traffic study is completed,” said Hernandez in an interview after the vote.
But the study does not suspend all work on the project. Developers of the Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART) project can continue to work with city staff on process issues while the study progresses, as outlined in an amendment to Hernandez’s motion made at the start of the meeting.
“We are grateful the motion was clarified to ensure the project will continue processing. City agencies have been diligently involved from day one ensuring the project meets city standards, and we look forward to that continued collaboration as the project moves forward,” said Nathan Click, spokesman for Zero Emissions Transit. ZET is the nonprofit owner responsible for building, financing and operating the gondola project.
The project would consist of a 1.2-mile aerial tramway to transport baseball fans to Dodger Stadium via sky-high gondolas above older neighborhoods in northeast Los Angeles. It would be the first aerial tramway in Los Angeles.
Gondolas would take passengers over or near Chinatown, Solano Canyon, Elysian Valley, Angelino Heights, and Echo Park, to and from the stadium’s parking lots — in overhead buckets that can fit 30 to 40 passengers. About 5,000 passengers could be handled per hour on a sky-high, Disneyland-esque ride that would last seven…
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