Warner Bros. wants to build a $100-million sky tram to the Hollywood sign

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

The Hollywood sign in Los Angeles is one of California’s most notable landmarks, so naturally, tourists are itching to get selfies to prove they saw the big white letters up close. Over the years residents of the area near the signs have grown tired of this increase in sightseers making life harder for them, and now Warner Bros. has put forth an idea to make everyone happy: build a sky tram to ferry people to the sign in style.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that WB is offering to fund the construction of the tram – currently called Hollywood Skyway – that would transport visitors to the sign, starting from a designated section of their Burbank studio parking lot. The Skyway would then take visitors on a six-minute ride around the back of Mt. Lee where the sign is located, stopping at a visitor center (which would offer a historical background of the sign and Griffith Park), with trails leading to the sign.

Here is some concept art for the Hollywood Skyway

Right now, the estimated cost of the tram is about $100 million, and though the studio would charge a price to ride it will share a portion of the ticket sales with the city. All in all, the project would take around five years to complete, and that includes “planning, environmental review process and construction.” The environment review process is what could determine if the project goes through, with many concerned with how the tram will impact the environment and local wildlife.

But, for some, like the residents near the sign, the impacts on the environment may be worth it to ease their burdens. The growth in social media sites like Instagram and Snapchat have meant more selfie-seekers are making their way to the sign, which means people parking in local neighborhoods, with ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft coming and going as well.

Of course, there is a litany of other concerns. How much would WB charge people to go up? Would they raise prices in the future? Would this stop people from still finding their own way up for free? At first glance, it seems like a good idea, and surely the news around it, if it should be completed, would drive tourists to the tram simply out of curiosity. In that regard, any alleviation of tourists will be a welcome relief for the people who live near the sign.  But the effects of long-term, who can say? All we know is that should it be successful, Disney will just make a bigger and better tram in the shape of the Millennium Falcon.