City of Tampa pushes to extend 2.6 mile Riverwalk in downtown

TAMPA, Fla. - The City of Tampa is pushing to extend its 2.6 mile Riverwalk by 300 feet.

"I know this has the potential to grow exponentially," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said during a Port Tampa Bay board meeting on Tuesday.

Once it goes south along the Hillsborough River on the west side of downtown, the Riverwalk dips south of the convention center and then behind the park south of Amalie Arena.

Its current ending is at the bridge just before Sparkman Wharf.

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The mayor wants to see it loop all the way around the port's terminal two, and end at the aquarium's traffic circle.

"There is a worldwide trend towards not only allowing the cruise passengers to benefit from the waterfront, but also providing that value and that benefit to the communities as well," said Castor.

The question, though, is whether the high security area can be opened for people to walk through when cruises aren't docking to let passengers on or off.

"You can't go and sit on the tarmac and have a picnic," said Lisa Wolf-Chason, a spokesperson for Port Tampa Bay. "We have some of those same regulations, obviously different industries, but very related."

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As government projects go, this doesn't figure to be relatively expensive, with very little construction required beyond fencing, lighting and ways to quickly secure or unsecure an area. No one knows the exact cost.

"I would like to see the balance of the security versus the costs associated with that and not jeopardize the cruise ship operation," said port board member Hung Mai.

There is now a task force that will begin studying the extension idea.

The mayor wants an answer in 90 days.