The winter of 2018/2019 has seen a lot of activity towards achieving improved access to Georgetown. With Amazon’s announcement, regional leaders are looking for ways to improve DC transit connections with Arlington. Introducing and strengthening connections to the Metrorail system through Georgetown could be an important part of this solution.
In December, three FC2 Trustees placed an op-ed in The Washington Post arguing for the need for improved access to Georgetown and the Gondola as a viable means to this end. Ted Leonsis (owner of the Wizards and Capitals), Matt Kelly (CEO of JBG Smith) and Tom Davis (former U.S. House Representative) called on the region to embrace creative solutions for our transportation infrastructure. Rosslyn has long been the congestion choke-point for the Metro system, and Georgetown is the District’s largest employment center without a Metro station. The Gondola, they say, is an option that could provide a seamless connection between Georgetown and the Rosslyn Metrorail station–and could be built more quickly and cheaply than a new bridge or metro tunnel.
Two weeks after the op-ed, Georgetown University and FC2’s Tony Williams sent a joint letter to DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson asking that the city acquire land that is uniquely positioned to enable future transit connections to Georgetown. The former Exxon site is located immediately adjacent to Key Bridge, and is privately owned and slated for residential development. If acquired by the city, the site could serve as a key element of a future Georgetown transit hub.
The Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola Coalition has taken the lead on efforts to increase access to Georgetown. The Coalition has 40 members, including Clyde’s Restaurant Group, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, the Georgetown BID and the FC2.
