Mississippi Aerial River Transit, Gondola lift in New Orleans, US

The Mississippi Aerial River Transit was a cable car system that crossed the Mississippi River at about 300 feet high, connecting the Warehouse District to New Orleans' West Bank. The system transported passengers over the wide river in roughly four minutes per trip.

The cable car system opened in 1984 for the Louisiana World Exposition and was the first urban commuter gondola system in the United States. After operating for just one year, the system closed and never reopened.

On its maiden crossing the ride stalled shortly after Archbishop Philip Hannan blessed it, a moment locals later recalled as an omen. During the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition the gondola was billed as the fair's signature ride, yet it carried only 1.7 million passengers, half the projected number. Five of its 53 cars later served as booths at The Olde N'Awlins Cookery.

Nothing of the system survives: demolition was complete by February 1994, so there are no remains or markers to see. The East Bank station stood at the foot of Julia Street, next to what became the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center; the West Bank station was on De Armas Street in Algiers. Both riverbanks are publicly accessible, and the crossing line can be traced between these two points.

Before demolition, the 53 cars were sold off: some became fishing huts and a deer stand, and The Olde N'Awlins Cookery briefly used five as restaurant booths. In 1993 the towers also hosted two base jumps by Christopher Vincent and a Greenpeace banner reading "Break the circle of poison."