Around New England

Proposed $100 Million Gondola in South Boston Re-Routed

March 4, 2018

Supporters of building a $100 million gondola from South Station to a massive office complex in Raymond L. Flynn Marine Park off Drydock Avenue in South Boston have decided to re-route it down Summer Street.

The original design had the gondola traveling over the Mass. Pike interchange in the Seaport district and by the new Omni Hotel now under construction, according to the Boston Business Journal.

The idea of building a gondola as an above-ground alternative to moving people underground has drawn both interest and heavy criticism.

Supporters say it would move people relatively cheaply, compared to the cost of building tunnels and bridges.

Opponents call it a crazy scheme, and argue that replacing the current bus route in the Silver Line tunnel with rapid transit would move more people faster and make more sense. They also express concerns about the visual impact, noting that Boston spent years and billions of dollars getting rid of the elevated Central Artery and replacing it with the major Big Dig tunnel.