New way for Hollywood visits
THE famed Hollywood sign, worldwide symbol of Los Angeles, could be easier to reach if a proposal for an aerial tramway up the mountains gets the go-ahead.
Warner Bros movie studio on Tuesday announced details of a proposal to build a tramway from its Burbank film lot up the steep sides of Mount Lee to the sign.
Warner Bros said it would pay for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the proposed Hollywood Skyway.
The 13.4m white Hollywood letters, originally created in 1923 as an advertisement for a real estate development, are a designated historical monument. But there is no easy way to get close to the sign, apart from a rugged hike from Griffith Park, and tourists clog surrounding neighbourhoods trying to find ways up to it.
The proposed Hollywood Skyway would take just six minutes.
Warner Bros said its proposal would “reduce street congestion, improve safety, and ease neighbourhood frustrations,” adding that it would include an educational visitor centre at the top of the skyway, and a parking and transit hub near its Burbank studio.