Water Transit Strategic Plan

In 2015, we created a Water Transit Strategic Plan to set a vision for marine activity in and around the Inner Harbor. The 2015 plan studied the free, city-run Harbor Connector ferry service and the Harbormaster Office. In Spring 2025, BCDOT began working to update the plan. The project team studied ridership on each of the Harbor Connector’s three routes, as well as changes in employment and residential locations in order to formulate recommendations for the ferry service. BCDOT also formed stakeholder and steering committees – composed of other city agencies and parties with an active role in maritime activity – to assist in creating recommendations for the Harbormaster Office and strategies to ensure the city keeps waterfront infrastructure such as docks, piles, cleats and bollards in a state of good repair.

BCDOT plans to hold a public meeting on Jan. 21 at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park (1417 Thames Street, Baltimore, MD, 21231) from 6-7:30 p.m. to present recommendations from the plan and gather feedback. The public meeting will have a virtual component via the following Webex link: https://bmore.webex.com/bmore/j.php?MTID=m389934c41b9ff6b8e7ccd3e4ee113ee2

The access code for the meeting is 2346 662 7454.

The password for the meeting is 93tYuVASGG3.

BCDOT Water Transit Strategic Plan public meeting announcement and update

In 2015, we created a Water Transit Strategic Plan to set a vision for maritime activity in and around the Inner Harbor. The 2015 plan studied the free, city-run Harbor Connector ferry service and the Harbormaster Office. In Spring 2025, we began working to update the plan. The project team studied ridership on each of the Harbor Connector’s three routes, as well as changes in employment and residential locations in order to formulate recommendations for the ferry service. BCDOT also formed stakeholder and steering committees – composed of other city agencies and parties with an active role in maritime activity – to assist in creating recommendations for the Harbormaster Office and strategies to ensure the city keeps waterfront infrastructure such as docks, piles, cleats and bollards in a state of good repair.

We plan to hold a public meeting on Jan. 21 at the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park (1417 Thames Street, Baltimore, MD, 21231) from 6-7:30 p.m. to present recommendations from the plan and gather feedback. The public meeting will have a virtual component via the following Webex link: https://bmore.webex.com/bmore/j.php?MTID=m389934c41b9ff6b8e7ccd3e4ee113ee2

The access code for the meeting is 2346 662 7454.

The password for the meeting is 93tYuVASGG3.

The following recommendations are from the draft Water Transit Strategic Plan.

Recommendation: Convert HC2 into a “peak-only” service that operates between Canton, Locust Point and Maritime Park in the mornings from roughly 6:40a to 10a and in the afternoons from 4p-8p.

Ridership on HC2, which “ping-pongs” back and forth between Canton Waterfront Park and Locust Point, has declined significantly since Under Armour moved its headquarters from Locust Point to Baltimore Peninsula. At the same time, ridership on HC1, which ping-pongs back and forth between Locust Point and Maritime Park, has increased significantly with the growth of Harbor Point, including the opening of new offices for T. Rowe Price and Morgan Stanley. Some trips during the morning and afternoon peak periods on HC1 are at capacity, meaning that the boats are so full, riders have to wait for the next boat in order to make their trip.

By adjusting HC2 so that in the morning it serves Canton -> Locust Point -> Maritime Park -> Canton, additional capacity is added on trips between Locust Point and Maritime Park, which will help address overcrowding on the HC1 boats. Additionally, riders living near Maritime Park will have a new direct connection to Canton Waterfront Park. The map below shows the route configuration in the morning.

In the afternoon, the route would run in reverse, traveling from Maritime Park -> Locust Point -> Canton Waterfront Park -> Maritime Park. By running the route in this way, additional capacity is added on the high-demand afternoon trips from Maritime Park to Locust Point. The map below shows the route configuration in the afternoon.

HC1 would remain unchanged, providing all-day service back and forth between Maritime Park and Locust Point. HC3 would remain mostly unchanged, but service would begin at 6:30 a.m. rather than 6 a.m. The recommended change on HC3 is due to very low ridership on the first trips each morning.

Recommendation: Complete ferry landing improvements that were initially planned to be executed through the FY22 discretionary grant.

In 2023, Baltimore City DOT was awarded a $5.9 million grant to improve ADA accessibility at the Harbor Connector landings and to fund the acquisition of two new hybrid ferry boats. That grant has since been frozen by the federal administration. The Water Transit Strategic Plan recommends that as local funds and other sources become available, we should pursue performing the improvements to the Harbor Connector landings, which includes relocating the Maritime Park stop closer to Bond Street Wharf, and the relocation of the Pier 5 landing to Harbor East (see map below). In addition to construction of these new landings, improvements are also planned at the existing landings at Locust Point, Federal Hill and Canton Waterfront Park.

Recommendation: Launch weekend Harbor Connector service

In December 2025, BCDOT partnered with Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and Baltimore Development Corporation to provide weekend service on the Harbor Connector Dec. 6-7 and 13-14. During those weekends, the service provided more than 3,000 rides to passengers on a route connecting Locust Point, Fells Point, Harbor East, Harborplace and Federal Hill (see map below).

The Water Transit Strategic Plan recommends the city work with the contractor to implement seasonal weekend service on the Harbor Connector. Depending on the hours of the service, this recommendation would likely cost roughly $200,000-$250,000 annually. This recommendation is dependent on identifying new funding sources. In addition to weekend service, the city is undertaking an effort to improve the visibility of the Harbor Connector service through enhanced marketing and signage.

Recommendation: Consider new Harbor Connector routes, including expansions to Riverside, Point Park, Baltimore Peninsula and Westport.

Based on a survey conducted in summer 2025, Baltimore Peninsula, Fells Point, Harborplace and Riverside are the destinations current Harbor Connector riders would most like to see service expanded to include. The Water Transit Strategic Plan considers addition of service to each of these locations as well as Westport, which is part of a major mixed-use development project known as One Westport.

In most cases, the locations of ferry landings shown on the maps below are conceptual only. The exact landing locations would require further study. Additional capital funding would need to be identified in order to design, permit and construct the landings, and operating funding would need to be identified in order to run new service between the new landings.

Recommendation: Include maintenance dredging of the Inner Harbor in the city’s budget every 3-4 years.

Just east of Pier 6, silt and debris are constantly flowing down the Jones Falls and being deposited into the Inner Harbor. This continual shoaling forms a “hump” across the Inner Harbor approach channel, creating a hazard to safe navigation for tall ships and modern navy gray hulls visiting the Inner Harbor annually, and for major civic events such as biennial US Navy Fleet Weeks. The plan recommends the city include maintenance dredging as a recurring expense in the annual capital or operating budget.

We are undertaking a maintenance dredging project that will begin in early 2026 and will remove silt and debris from a portion of the Inner Harbor just south of Pier 6. The total cost of the project is estimated to be roughly $2.5 million. This dredging will allow safe navigation for tall ships, modern navy vessels and sea service vessels entering the Inner Harbor during the Sail250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore event, marking America’s 250th birthday in July 2026. A similar event held in 2012 to mark the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 had an estimated economic impact of $166.1 million for local Baltimore businesses.

Recommendation: Designate One City Agency to Manage Wharfage Agreements

Wharfage agreements, which are essentially leases that involve access to city-owned waterfront, are currently managed by multiple city agencies. The plan recommends that a single City agency negotiate and manage these agreements. Revenue from wharfage agreements and waterfront land leases should be deposited into a Harbor Infrastructure account for maintenance of the maritime facilities that support the agreements. This recommendation was also included in the 2015 plan but was not implemented.