WASHINGTON — District Wharf’s Recreation Pier will be what connects people to the water and one of its services is The Wharf Jitney, a small, electric-powered ferry that will shuttle people from The Wharf to East Potomac Park and Hains Point in about three minutes.
The Jitney is free and will run twice an hour, daily from April through November, and on weekends in March and December.
And take your dog along with you.
The dog-friendly ferry has room for 10 to 12 people, with additional space for golf bags and bikes. It shuttles passengers to the East Potomac Park.
Hains Point has always been one of D.C.’s best-kept secrets.
“There are 370 acres on Hains Point and East Potomac Park in general, and there are 20 tennis courts over there, there are a couple of golf courses over there, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and a road that goes around the perimeter that many people training for triathlons and other things and bikers and runners use. It’s an incredible recreational amenity,” said Monty Hoffman with The Wharf Development team Hoffman-Madison.
The new dock at East Potomac Park was built in partnership with the National Park Service with funding provided by The Wharf’s developer, and a boating access grant from the District Department of Energy and Environment and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration Program, Boating Access Subprogram.
The total cost of the project, including the 22-foot, canopy-covered Duffy boat, was $500,000, with the grant covering about $228,000 of the cost.
The East Potomac Park dock, a 60-foot by 12-foot public dock, will also allow for short term dockage of nonmotorized boats from April through November. The Wharf Jitney will be the only motorized boat allowed on the dock.
At District Wharf, the 432-foot long Recreation Pier, is one of four public piers at the Southwest Waterfront development. It has water activities and rentals at the Boathouse at the base of the pier.
Recreation Pier, adjacent to District Wharf’s 7th Street Park, also includes a 14-foot tall gas-powered fire feature called The Torch, swings, lounge chairs and outdoor desks.
Recreation Pier itself is an architecturally impressive structure. It splits in two, with one section some 14 feet above the water and the other dips down into the water.
“Not only do we provide the free access to East Potomac Park, but also we provide paddle boards and kayaks and such, you can rent them by the hour, or if you have your own you can take it and drop it into the water and it’s sort of a safe zone from the active boating community,” Hoffman said.
“Especially mornings, it will be wonderful to take a kayak out as an exercise routine or just for pleasure, but we want to make it accessible to everybody.”
Seventh Street Park is a 10,000-square-foot public park with an interactive water fountain that features spouts, cooling misters and multicolored LED lights.
The $2.5 billion Phase 1 of The Wharf, which includes a mile of waterfront on 24 acres on the Washington Channel in Southwest D.C., with 3 million square feet of apartments, condos, office space, hotels music venues, restaurants and retail, holds its grand opening Oct. 12.
