New River Boating and Waterfront Guide 2026

The New River runs west from the Intracoastal Waterway near Cordova Road through downtown Fort Lauderdale, then splits into a North Fork and a South Fork, with the North New River Canal and South New River Canal farther west.

The clearest official outline is the state manatee rule for Broward County. Its New River Area takes in the New River, Tarpon River, North Fork New River and South Fork New River west of the northerly extension of Cordova Road, east of a salinity control structure in the North Fork about 600 feet west of NW 34th Avenue, and east of SW 27th Avenue across the South Fork, including Marina Bay just west of Interstate 95 (Florida Administrative Code, Rule 68C-22.010). East of Cordova Road, the rule groups the river with the Stranahan River, the Port Everglades Turning Basin, Lake Mable and the Intracoastal Waterway.

The Coast Guard counts river miles along the same channel: the SE Third Avenue bridge sits at mile 1.4, Andrews Avenue at mile 2.3, the Florida East Coast Railroad bridge at mile 2.5 and the Seventh Avenue bridge at mile 2.7 (eCFR, 33 CFR 117.313). The City of Fort Lauderdale counts 165 miles of navigable waterways in the city as a whole (City of Fort Lauderdale, Marine Facilities).

Three New River road drawbridges open on signal except during weekday rush hours, and the Florida East Coast Railroad bridge stays open except when a train, inspection or maintenance closes it.

The railroad bridge carries a fixed schedule: it must open for 10 minutes each hour from 5 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., with set openings at 7:00, 9:00 a.m., 4:00, 6:00 and 10:00 p.m., plus a second 10 minute opening in each hour from noon to 2:59 p.m. (eCFR, 33 CFR 117.313). Its tender is on site at all times and gives operating information 24 hours a day on VHF-FM channels 9 and 16 or by telephone at (305) 889-5572; green lights mean vessels may pass, flashing red means a train is coming. Public vessels, tugs with tows and vessels in distress may pass any of the road bridges at any time.

For a skipper heading upriver from the Intracoastal on a weekday, the practical window is outside 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 4:30 to 6 p.m., timed to an FEC opening, because the Andrews Avenue draw may stay down for inbound boats while the railroad bridge is closed for a train (Coast Guard New River rule).

The New River through Fort Lauderdale is a year-round slow speed manatee zone under state rule, and parts of the South Fork and the New River canals farther west are idle speed.

Rule 68C-22.010 lists the New River Area, from Cordova Road west to the North Fork salinity structure and SW 27th Avenue on the South Fork, under its Slow Speed zones, with no seasonal limit on that zone (Florida Administrative Code, Rule 68C-22.010). West of SW 27th Avenue, the waters of the South Fork New River, North New River Canal and South New River Canal, east of SW 34th Avenue and north of a line about 1,300 feet southwest of the eastbound Interstate 595 bridge, are an Idle Speed zone, which includes the Florida Power and Light canal that joins the South Fork north of the State Road 84 bridge.

The Broward County Zones rule belongs to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and has been amended several times since its first version on 3-19-79; the current text took effect on 11/14/2011 (Florida Department of State, Rule 68C-22.010).

The City of Fort Lauderdale rents slips at New River/Downtown Docking, 100 slips with full utilities on the downtown promenade off Las Olas Boulevard, and runs Cooley's Landing marina with a boat ramp.

New River/Downtown Docking offers cable, electric, phone, sewage and water connections at each slip and is managed from the main marine office at 450 SW 7th Ave, phone (954) 828-4626, open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (City of Fort Lauderdale, New River/Downtown Docking). The city describes the slips as sitting on a brick-paved promenade within walking distance of shops and sidewalk cafes.

Cooley's Landing, at the same 450 SW 7th Ave address, covers 2.96 acres and adds a boat ramp, fishing, a renovated comfort station with showers and a laundromat, picnic tables, a pavilion and parking (City of Fort Lauderdale, Cooley’s Landing). The city says all of its marine facilities are open to the public on a first come, first served basis, monitors VHF channel 9, and has had them designated Clean Marinas by the Florida Clean Marina Program (City of Fort Lauderdale, Marine Facilities). Rates sit on a separate dockage rate card.

The City of Fort Lauderdale runs four free sewage pump-out stations for boaters, including Smoker Park, Marshall Point and the Cooley's Landing marina.

Smoker Park at 501 S. New River Drive is self-service 24 hours a day, as is the fourth station at Cox's Landing Boat Ramp, 1784 SE 15th Street. Marshall Point and Cooley's Landing Marina, 450 SW 7th Avenue, are assisted service only, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (City of Fort Lauderdale, Marine Facilities).

Two details on the city pages need checking before a trip. Marshall Point is listed at 401 SW 4th Avenue in one pump-out list and at 410 SW 4th Avenue in another on the same New River docking page (New River/Downtown Docking). And the marine pages still say mobile sewage pump out service is coming spring 2026, a date that has passed with no update posted as of October 18, 2026; boaters should call the marine office at (954) 828-5423 or (954) 828-4626 to ask whether it has started.

King tides temporarily flood Fort Lauderdale's lowest-lying neighborhoods, and the city page relays a NOAA prediction of king tides on at least 40 days in 2026, including late October, November and late December.

The city's predicted 2026 king tide periods still ahead include October 24 to 31, November 5 to 11, November 22 to 28 and December 24 to 25, and the city warns that rain, wind and high water tables can raise local tides even higher (City of Fort Lauderdale, King Tides and High Tides). To track the river itself, the city monitors a city-installed tide gauge on the New River for accurate local tide measurement.

For riverfront property, the city requires new seawalls to be built to a minimum top elevation of 5 feet, inspects and maintains 215 tidal valves, and invests $1.5 million a year in restoring and raising city-owned seawalls under its Phase 2 Seawall Master Plan (City of Fort Lauderdale king tides). Flooded roads, unusual flooding or clogged storm drains go to the city's Customer Support Center at 954-828-8000 or the FixIt FTL app.

Last verified: October 18, 2026, against the Coast Guard drawbridge rule for the New River on eCFR, Florida rule 68C-22.010, and the City of Fort Lauderdale marina, docking and king tide pages.