Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Free water boat trolley links hot spots on the New River
Free boat trolley transportation has returned to downtown Fort Lauderdale’s New River, linking residents and visitors with some of the city’s most popular waterfront restaurants, nightlife destinations, museums and parks, at no cost.
The Riverwalk Water Trolley began running March 12, after nearly a year’s hiatus, with eight stops, four on each side of the river.
Whether you are looking for a romantic date-night ride from Salt 7 to the Broward Center or out with the boys headed from the Downtowner to Esplanade Park, gateway to the Himmarshee District, the free trolley is an option.
Downtown Development Authority president Jenni Morejon says the service is a useful part of the hospitality infrastructure that makes Fort Lauderdale attractive to a growing influx of new residents and visitors.
“The New River is the life blood of downtown. It’s our signature shared space,” Morejon says. “There’s been a lot of pent-up demand to return water transportation. Especially during COVID, people want to be out and about in open air.”
The yellow, canopy-topped boats operate 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily and arrive at each stop every 20-30 minutes, with a COVID-safe limit of 10 masked passengers per boat.
Stops on the north side of the river include Laura Ward Park, just off Las Olas Boulevard at the Stranahan House; Huizenga Plaza; Riverfront Plaza, just west of Andrews Avenue; and Esplanade Park. Stops on the south side of the river are Tarpon River, across the water from Esplanade Park; New River Yacht Club; the Downtowner Saloon; and Smoker Park.
The Riverwalk Water Trolley is funded by the City of Fort Lauderdale, where commissioners recently approved a three-year, $735,000 contract with the Water Taxi of Fort Lauderdale to operate the service.
The Water Taxi will continue its ticketed service throughout downtown Fort Lauderdale, the Intracoastal and Hollywood.
Morejon says the trolley is part of the DDA’s mission to increase downtown mobility and walkability, especially as new restaurants and residential towers have gone up along the river.
“And it’s fun. It’s also about providing an experience,” she says.
High-rise and mid-rise proj
ects in Fort Lauderdale’s city center have added 7,000 residential units in the past seven years, half of that in the last two years, Morejon says. More than 600 hotel rooms have been added downtown in the last three years.
According to Morejon, the DDA recently received a report comparing moveins at downtown residential units, which went from 80 units per month in the first quarter of 2020 to 200 per month in the first quarter of 2021.
“With so many people and companies coming to South Florida, it’s a pretty compact, dense downtown. So you should be able to walk or bike or scooter or move around comfortably, safely without a car,” she says.
For more information, call 954-828-8000 or visit FortLauderdale.gov/watertrolley.