KCRag Forum

Interesting video on the topic of urban gondolas...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdTE4TCqkZo

....which got me thinking about the Chastain idea. I don't like the Liberty Memorial location he proposed, aesthetically and otherwise, but I thought maybe it could work in another part of downtown with difficult geography, specifically the West Bottoms. Residential is growing down there, of course, but there are few (any?) good pedestrian options up to downtown. Having a novel form of transportation could boost the appeal of the area, both to residents and tourists.

The two connections could be near the Case Park pavilions and Union Depot's former site, or really anywhere there's open space and the right geometry for clearance.


Thoughts?

We need to have transit connections at both ends.

I think the end points need to be at higher use locations. The video mentions that the gondolas can have multiple stops. I think that 1-2 stops in the West bottoms with the line ending at Kemper would potentially be a good design. Supposedly, this system is relatively cheap so this could potentially have the development boost of a streetcar for a fraction of the cost.

It would be cheaper to run a gondola into the West Bottoms than a streetcar. I've always thought running an East-West streetcare line along 12th Street made sense at some point in the future at least from Pennsylvania eastward to Paseo assuming the West Paseo neighborhood gets redeveloped. I don't see any real upside to extending it to the West Bottoms in the foreseeable future because of the expense. This is where a gondola extension would make sense. Especially if some downtown parking could be shifted to the Bottoms.

A gondola from the downtown to the West Bottoms has been a pipedream for a few since the 70's when the named Kemper Arena first opened. Probably will be another 40 or more years before one gets constructed. Expanding bus service provides more flexibility at a much lower cost.

Would rather see the funicular tunnels reused. They were working fine in the past and probably would be safer.

beautyfromashes wrote:Would rather see the funicular tunnels reused. They were working fine in the past and probably would be safer.

Not going to happen, ever

1. the tunnels are apparently unstable
2. one newer east tunnel outlet is gone and the older is only accessible through a building
3. the west outlets would be just over or just under I-35. so you would need to do a major engineering project to move I-35 vertically up or down

On, and it wasn't a funicular line, they were cable cars. a funicular has the the two trains setup to counter weight each other

^ yep, about as likely as gondolas.

beautyfromashes wrote:^ yep, about as likely as gondolas.

100x less likely than gondolas. gondolas at least could be done without hundreds of millions in prep work moving roads

I also agree that the two endpoints need higher use locations - you're going from nowhere to nowhere, with little to no population density, development opportunity, transit connections or businesses nearby. Maybe move the gondola to end deeper in the West Bottoms or near Kemper. Or why not extend it to connect both downtown KCMO and KCK with a stop in the West Bottoms?

Kemper to West Bottoms to Convention Center?

Maybe draw a TDD between Quality Hill-Kemper Arena-Downtown KCK? And get matching funding from a private partner like Foutch Brothers? It would be a nice addition to the view of the skyline from the west. I really like this idea.

Per the Internet: Gondolas cost about 4-12 million a mile. A 1km system takes about a year to build.