Dodgers News: Gondola Project Causing Concerns Ahead of Scheduled Completion

Dodgers Stadium is expected to have the gondola finished by the 2028 Olympics

If there is one thing that comes to your mind when you think of Los Angeles chances are high that horrible traffic or public transportation will be at the top of your list. The Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART) is finding a way to help fans get to Dodgers Stadium with these negatives in mind, but there is still some worries to be considered.

The new gondola is slated to be finished by the 2028 Olympics with the hopes of increasing better public transportation to the stadium while also reducing the amount of cars coming into the stadium for parking. In retrospect, this seems like a good idea, but the problems not thought about are what it means for the surrounding neighborhoods. 

A part of living near Dodgers Stadium includes dealing with the traffic of fans from all over all season long. This has already been hard enough to deal with, but at least it has helped drive up business in the surrounding cities.

The game is over… 50,000 people are ready to leave Dodger Stadium.

How long before the last person gets on a gondola? #Dodgers https://t.co/fPrmQjIZ7J

— Dodger Fan Weekly (@DodgerFanWeekly) September 13, 2022

Concerns over the new project will not only still keep the traffic heading to Dodger Stadium, but may also risk smaller businesses who thrive off the traffic heading to the stadium according to Metro board Director and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis (quotes via Isai Rocha, LA Weekly).

“I do want to see that there are more public hearings. I’m still very concerned that I’ve heard from residents repeatedly, especially in China Town… who have not been made fully aware of what the impacts are going to be, including the small businesses.”

Questions continue to pop up about how other public transportation, like the Dodger Stadium Express, be affected as well by the new gondola. Despite the worries, Mayor Eric Garcetti who was once skeptical now seems on board believing that "getting 10,000 of the 50,000 people off the roads is still positive."