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Tampa Riverwalk

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According to the city, the purpose of the Riverwalk is to "enhance the image of Tampa as a beautiful and unique destination" and highlight Tampa's waterfront.

Origin and description

Tampa's Riverwalk has its origins in the 1970s, when much of the downtown waterfront consisted of aging warehouses and industrial facilities related to the nearby Port of Tampa. Tampa mayor Bill Poe conceived the idea of a park and walkway behind Curtis Hixon Hall, a civic center along the Hillsborough River that was one of the few public spaces in the area. The city built a short stretch of boardwalk on the east side of the river behind the Hall, but a lack of funds to buy adjoining properties and subsequent mayors' disinterest in the project paused further construction. Tampa renewed its push to revitalize its "desolate" downtown in the mid-1980s, and over the next decade, obsolete Curtis Hixon Hall was replaced by a riverside park and the Tampa Convention Center, Amalie Arena, and the Florida Aquarium were constructed with mostly public funds along the waterfront. However, change was limited by many underutilized spaces and poor transportation options inside the downtown area.

In 2002, mayoral candidate Pam Iorio pledged to jumpstart the Riverwalk project if elected. She won, and construction soon began on two parks behind Amalie Arena and a connecting pathway along the Garrison Channel. The Riverwalk progressed in phases over the next few years with funds from the city, a $20 million fundraising campaign, and occasional state and federal grants. The project reached a significant milestone in 2010 when Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, a new Tampa Museum of Art, and the Glazer Children's Museum all opened near the location of the original 1970s boardwalk, which had been replaced by the widest portion of the modern Riverwalk directly across the river from the University of Tampa. Bob Buckhorn, who succeeded Iorio as Tampa's mayor, was a strong advocate for downtown redevelopment and continued the push to expand the Riverwalk. In 2014, a federal transportation grant was used to complete a $9.2 million boardwalk under the Kennedy Boulevard bridge, connecting all existing segments into one continuous path about two miles long. A further northward extension completed in 2016 stretched the path past the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and under Interstate 275 to newly opened Waterworks Park in the adjoining neighborhood of Tampa Heights, bringing the total length of the Riverwalk to 2.6 miles (4.2 km).

Upon completion, Tampa's Riverwalk quickly became both a community gathering place and a busy non-vehicular corridor connecting various downtown attractions and hotels. Besides pedestrian traffic, bicycles and motorized scooters are available for rent at many stations along the path, and a water taxi provides service between the Riverwalk and nearby areas such as Hyde Park, West Tampa, Harbour Island, and Davis Islands. In addition, the TECO Line Streetcar runs parallel to the Riverwalk along the Garrison Channel and provides a connection to the interior of downtown and the nearby historic neighborhood of Ybor City.

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