Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York announced on January 23, 2017 the 2017-2018 executive budget which has included a $15 million dollar gondola. The lift will operate along a route just shy of 1 mile crossing above the Interstate 690 and will connect the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse to the Lakeview Amphitheater.
The decision to construct the gondola has come after a successful concert season at the Amphitheater in 2016 which hosted more than 200,000 patrons and four marquee concerts during the 12-day State Fair event. Currently the two facilities are connected by shuttle buses and as such the construction of the lift will not only provide a convenient means of transportation between the two but also link potential patrons to the Onondaga County “Loop the Lake” trail system. This, it is hoped, will aid in the transformation of the area into a year-round tourist attraction for the state.
The lift itself will have at least 38 cabins and can be increased to 75 as required. Each cabin will have the capacity to hold eight passengers at a time allowing for 1,200 to 2,400 passengers to be transported per hour at peak operational times.
While the project is still dependent on federal approval, construction of the gondola is expected to be completed by June 2018.
