Two 99-passenger water taxis will connect National Harbor to Old Town Alexandria beginning in April 2008, according to the president of the company that will provide the service.
Willem Polak told The Examiner the Potomac Riverboat Company will run boats back and forth every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. from at least April through October. He estimates a round trip will cost between $12 and $14.
Potomac Riverboat already runs water taxis from Alexandria to Georgetown and Mount Vernon.
“This is a natural extension of our business,” Polak said Monday.
Though Polak said National Harbor developer Peterson Companies and Potomac Riverboat Company reached an agreement to provide the service is November, an official announcement of the deal is today.
“The water taxi is much more … convenient as opposed to folks having to come over via bus or drive cars,” Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille said. “So this is very positive for not only Alexandria, but also National Harbor.”
National Harbor is Peterson’s 300-acre, $2 billion hotel, office, residential and retail project along the Potomac River in Prince George’s County. Some of the site, located just south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, is scheduled to open next year.
“This is a great development, a phenomenal development [Peterson] has been doing,” Polak said. “These people will be able to come over and enjoy the historic part of Alexandria and at the same time … there is going to be tons to do over at National Harbor.”
Once people arrive at Alexandria from National Harbor, Polak said, they have easy access to his Georgetown and Mount Vernon water taxi services and the King Street Metro Station.
“So it’s a great transportation link,” he said.
Trips between Alexandria and National Harbor will take 20 minutes and water taxis will travel between 7 and 14 mph, Polak said.
“This provides yet another way for the two communities to work closer together to bring much needed revenue to the region,” Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Kwasi Holman said.
The boats will have air conditioning and heating and will probably offer some light concessions, Polak said.
