Ask anyone who walks the Tampa Riverwalk on a Saturday morning what "West Riverwalk opening this year" means to them, and most will describe the same thing: finally being able to cross the Hillsborough River on foot near Platt Street, no car required. That is not what opens by the end of 2026. The piece scheduled to open this year is a landlocked stretch next to the University of Tampa. The bridges that would actually let you cross the river car-free are the last piece of the project, not the first.
That distinction matters if you live anywhere near the river and have been tracking the headlines about Tampa's long-awaited west-side extension. The project is real, it is under construction, and a section of it is genuinely close to done. But "close to done" and "crosses the river" are two different milestones on two different timelines, and conflating them is the easiest way to plan a walk that does not go where you think it goes.
What Actually Opens by the End of 2026
The segment nearing completion is a nearly 2,000-foot stretch of new Riverwalk running from Plant Park to Cass Street, right alongside the University of Tampa campus. City officials confirmed in August that this section is expected to open by the end of 2026, weather permitting. The Haskell Company is building it as a 12-foot-wide multi-use trail, with decorative brick banding on both sides designed to echo the historic architecture of Plant Park and the university's distinctive buildings.
It is a real amenity. It gives students, residents, and anyone walking the west bank a longer stretch of paved, tree-lined riverfront than currently exists there. But it is one of six segments in the broader West River BUILD project, and it does not include any river crossing. If your daily walk starts on the west side and you are hoping to loop back through downtown without doubling back to a car, this segment alone will not get you there yet.
Why the Bridges Are Running Behind
The three structures that would actually connect the two banks are the most complicated part of the entire build, and that complexity is exactly why they are scheduled last. Crews are installing nearly 70 drilled shafts and piles to support the Platt Street Pedestrian Bridge, the Brorein Street Pedestrian Bridge, and the Tony Jannus Park Observation Overlook. Each support goes roughly 40 feet into the riverbed, with some reaching nearly 50 feet, and each finished structure is engineered to hold more than 130 tons.
That work began in May 2026 and was still in progress as of the city's most recent construction update. As one Tampa resident who walks the existing Riverwalk daily put it, the current stretch already gets crowded with bikers and walkers at peak times. The new bridges are meant to relieve some of that pressure by giving people an entirely separate crossing point, but building something strong enough to carry that kind of daily traffic over open water takes longer than paving a trail on solid ground.
City leaders have been direct about the full timeline. Mayor Jane Castor has noted that completing the Riverwalk on the east side took seven mayors, and the west-side expansion is being treated with the same long view. The entire West River BUILD project, bridges included, is targeted for substantial completion in spring 2027.
Here is how the pieces line up:
| Segment | What It Is | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Plant Park to Cass Street | 2,000-foot land trail beside University of Tampa | Nearing completion, open by end of 2026 |
| Platt Street Pedestrian Bridge | Overwater crossing | Under construction, supports being drilled |
| Brorein Street Pedestrian Bridge | Overwater crossing | Under construction, supports being drilled |
| Tony Jannus Park Observation Overlook | Overwater scenic structure | Under construction, supports being drilled |
| Columbus Drive and Rome Avenue improvements | Roadway, sidewalk, and living shoreline work | Construction underway on five of six total segments |
| Full project | 12.2-mile continuous path, both riverbanks | Targeted spring 2027 |
What This Means for Your Weekly Route
If you already live near the river, the practical takeaway is simple: this year's opening extends where you can walk on the west side, not how you get across it. The new Plant Park to Cass Street segment links up with Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park just to the north, which reopened in 2018 after a $35 million reconstruction, and it sits close to the existing Blake Trail, the paved path that runs past Howard W. Blake High School.
For anyone starting from the east side, the existing Riverwalk between Curtis Hixon Park and Waterworks Park is still the place to park and walk today. Sparman Wharf near Channelside and Armature Works on North Ola Avenue remain the two most convenient starting points, and that stretch already draws more than two million visitors a year according to Friends of the Tampa Riverwalk.
Once the full project is finished, the payoff is bigger than a longer trail. The completed 12.2-mile path is designed to connect Hyde Park, North Hyde Park, West Tampa, Riverside Heights, Bowman Heights, Ridgewood Park, North Franklin Street, and Yellow Brick Row to downtown, all without a car. That is the version worth waiting for. It is just not the version that shows up this December.
The Part Worth Watching Next
The next milestone to track is not another ribbon cutting on the west bank. It is whether the bridge decks go up on schedule. As of the city's July update, installation of the first bridge decks was expected later that summer, following the drilling of the support shafts. If that holds, the crossings themselves could start taking visible shape heading into 2027, ahead of the broader spring completion target.
For now, the honest read is this: Tampa gets a genuinely nicer stretch of west-side riverfront to walk or bike by the end of the year, and a fuller, connected river crossing to look forward to roughly a year after that. Two different gifts, on two different clocks.
If you are watching this corridor because you are weighing what a home near the river is actually worth once the full path connects, that is a conversation worth having with someone who tracks these projects block by block. Leisa Erickson Group has been following Tampa Bay's waterfront development for years, and we are always glad to talk through what a project like this means for a specific street or a specific home. Let's Connect.
