Riverfront gondola ride goes back on line today

Spokane’s newly installed gondola ride in Riverfront Park reopens at noon today just as the park’s fall leaf color nears its peak.

The $2.5 million replacement for the park’s former gondola ride was temporarily shut down in September because a required state parks permit had not been obtained.

Now, Spokane parks officials have received their permit after agreeing with state officials to station an employee at the western turnaround tower to make sure passengers are safe as they swing down across the lower Spokane Falls and back up to the starting point.

Eventually a camera will be mounted near the gondola’s western tower in the shadow of the Monroe Street Bridge so an employee will not have to be stationed there during ride operations, said park manager Craig Butz.

The 2,250-foot loop is equipped with 15 cars that carry as many as six passengers each and are accessible to people with disabilities.

The ride will operate from noon to dusk Fridays and Saturdays, including today, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. The ride is expected to operate later into the evening after the spotting camera is installed in the next several weeks. Tickets are $6 for adults; $5 for teens, seniors and people with military w/I.D; and $4 for children 3-12.

The old gondola was shut down for three years during reconstruction of the Monroe Street Bridge. During the closure, parks officials decided to purchase the replacement SkyRide from Doppelmayr CTEC of Golden, Colo., the North American branch of a Europe-based group of companies.

City officials sold $2.5 million in bonds to finance the project. Revenue from the ride is expected to more than cover the principal and interest payments on the bond borrowing.

The area around the gondola loading terminal – at the southwest corner of the park – has been repaved in recent days. Wider walking paths were installed around the gondola, including the walkways next to the Joy of Running sculpture. New landscaping and roofs over the gondola’s ticket booth and loading area are yet to be installed.