This is the type of stuff I like to see publicly funded. This maximizes enjoyment for residents and tourists, drastically increases connectivity in many ways, and enhances the overall livability/health and appearance of the City. I’ve always dreamed we would have something similar to the high line in NYC and this is it. It’s a game changer project for Raleigh if it comes to fruition.
15 Likes
Raleigh couple Pat and Tom Gipson made a $10 million donation to make sure the Gipson Play Plaza happens. Hope we can see that type of donation to this project and others in the future.
11 Likes
Thank you for the information. In regard to the Dix/Chavis Strollway I understand that there are funds tied to these projects. Are they set to be in construction this year?
1 Like
11 Likes
At the State of Downtown Raleigh event today, this was presented as a way of connecting the city to Dix Park:
34 Likes
Downtown desperately needs better greenway connectivity. This would help tremendously.
15 Likes
This idea is one of the first things in a long while that has me excited about the possibilities. I am sure it’s a moonshot kind of thing, but I’d love for this group to be a possible promoter, encourager, enabler, whatever. @dtraleigh would a possible first baby step be setting up an Oakline string (topic)?
17 Likes
I like it but I worry this is another butterfly for DTRA/the City to chase. We can’t have 5 more years of whipsawing between a gondola or a raised greenway or a strollway or something else - and that’s before the first round of studies start. Just pick something and make it happen for chrissake.
5 Likes
This is us picking something and putting our effort into it. The gondola was an idea that a speaker on a panel last year threw out there as part of ideation about different possibilities. We also had speakers talk about bridges and paths at that event, too. That got people thinking and then a team worked this idea and have brought it this far. A gondola is not realistic right now. But this idea is and this is the one we are putting our muscle into.
26 Likes
With respect (and I have a lot of respect for you and your work), why is this any more or less realistic than a gondola right now? And I ask this as someone who would prefer this grander project to a gondola.
I would think this would need a ton of legwork (no pun intended) to see accomplished, whereas a gondola would just need some posts and wire and entry/exit stations. I guess what I’m asking is, how realistic is it to expect this project to come to fruition, because it would definitely be transformational for downtown, Dix Park, and everything along the way.
4 Likes
Ok great, thanks Bill.
Sometimes the internet is a magical place where you can accidentally talk to stakeholders while being an armchair quarterback and curmudgeon
4 Likes
Great question and totally fair. I appreciate the interest and dialogue! It is definitely not an easy lift by any means and will require a ton of work and eventually resources. So not pretending this will be a slam dunk or that it’s definitely happening. But it fundamentally relies on things Raleigh has already done, such as build ped/bike bridges (like the one over 440) and essentially it’s similar to greenway extensions. We know how to build those, fund them, etc. And there are various sources for doing that beyond us, such as periodic federal programs (mostly dead at moment, but the pendulum always swings) that fund bridges like this. This idea also essentially brings the greenway, which I think is arguably Raleigh’s strongest asset, into downtown finally (no I don’t count dotted lines on a map). An urban gondola has not been done much, if at all really, in the US before and routing that through a dense area would be a new level of complexity. And then understanding how much it costs to operate on a daily basis, what would be a fare that covers some costs but isn’t prohibitive, etc. as it would essentially be a new transit line. So the ongoing cost is different than this idea, which will still have ongoing cost but likely at different scale and time interval. The funding stack is also likely very different for a project like that. All things that can be done and figured out, but not easy and not a lot of examples to work from in similar context in US. I think it’s a cool idea and I think it could happen eventually. I don’t see any reason it couldn’t work in tandem with all these other connections. But I think this idea makes sense to pursue earlier, as it blends achievable and still catalytic. Eventually, I’d like to see all these things done, but we should start somewhere and I think this makes sense as a place to push ourselves but get something more ambitious done.
27 Likes
Not bothered at all and love this forum because of the interest in downtown!
13 Likes
Thanks for laying this out. As the top Gondola supporter in this forum/country I am officially endorsing the new plan for now
12 Likes
I’m in for The Oakline! Build it!! This concept and plan is the most exciting and well thought out one I’ve seen in Raleigh. 10/10. Let’s put some muscle behind it.
15 Likes
Not to mention having to deal with air rights. I’m sure that you would need to get air rights agreements or purchases over all of the properties that the gondola would pass over.
5 Likes
The community’s excitement for the Oak Line is incredible. Lots of endorsements on the forum!
To help bring this vision to life, please email your council members today to keep the momentum. Ask them to add the project to an upcoming meeting agenda to discuss costs and timelines. While this is a project that will take years to realize, a strong, united push from Raleigh residents can really make this connection to Dix Park a reality!
20 Likes
Would be awesome. I’ll set the over/under of walking along it at 2034.
1 Like
Agreed and well put. The Gondola would be orders of magnitude more complex and costly then building a short segment of greenway. Much more then just stringing some wire between 2 towers.
3 Likes
Well yeah, if you want it to be “good” or “done properly” and not “illegal” or “about to fall down…”
1 Like