Mississippi Aerial River Transit
| MART Mississippi Aerial River Transit |
|
|---|---|
During the World Fair, 1984
|
|
| Overview | |
| Status | Dismantled in 1994 |
| Location | New Orleans |
| Coordinates | 29°56′40″N 90°03′45″W / 29.94444°N 90.06250°WCoordinates: 29°56′40″N 90°03′45″W / 29.94444°N 90.06250°W |
| Termini |
Algiers, New Orleans Warehouse District (the fair site) |
| No. of stations | 2 |
| Open | April 1984 |
| Closed | April 1985 |
| Operation | |
| No. of carriers | 53 |
| Carrier capacity | 6 |
| Ridership | (max.) 2,000 hourly |
| Operating times | 10 am – 2 am |
| Trip duration | 4 min |
| Fare | $3.50 roundtrip |
| Technical features | |
| Aerial lift type | gondola lift |
| Manufactured by | Pomagalski SA |
| Line length | 2,300 feet (701 m) |
| No. of support towers | 2 |
The Mississippi Aerial River Transit, or simply MART, was a gondola lift transport system spanning the Mississippi River in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was constructed for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition. After the fair, this served as the second urban aerial lift and the first gondola lift commuter system in the United States, in operation for just a year before closing.
The system featured 53 separate cars, a 2,300 feet (700 m) cross-river cable, twin steel towers that lifted the cable 200 feet (61 m) into the air, two station houses, concrete pillars that anchored the cable and two 358 feet (109 m) steel towers. Each of the two main towers were supported with 12-inch (300 mm) steel piles driven 285 feet (87 m) into the ground, with each tower weighing 200 short tons (180 t). Its twin towers were the tallest ever constructed for a gondola lift, not counting the Emirates Air Line in London, built nearly three decades later, which is 50% taller.
Plans for the gondola were initially approved by the city on May 6, 1982. It was developed by the Mississippi Aerial River Transit-Perez Inc., or MART-Perez, which included noted local architect August Perez III. In 1983, the Banque de l'union européenne of Paris provided financing for the project through an $8 million loan. In foreshadowing the future problems the gondola would face, on its maiden crossing, after being blessed by Archbishop Philip Hannan, the ride would temporarily stall.
The ride took four minutes to complete and crossed over 300 feet (91 m) above the Mississippi River, and had a maximum capacity of 2,000 passengers per hour.
During the fair, this was billed as the signature ride of the exhibition; however, it drew only 1.7 million riders, half as many as projected. Built to showcase a form of non-polluting commuter transit, after the fair the system was open for use by commuters traveling from Algiers in the Mississippi's West Bank to the Warehouse District across the river, where the fair was held. By April 1985, the system would shut down due to low ridership.
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