October 22, 2026
Since the start of October, the East Las Olas Boulevard bridge over the Intracoastal has carried all of its cars on the south side. There is one lane in each direction, each 10 feet wide. The north sidewalk is closed, and people on foot or on bikes share the south side. The City of Fort Lauderdale's traffic advisory says this setup stays in place through late 2026.
On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the 67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show opens. One of its sites is Las Olas Marina, right at the east foot of that same bridge. The bridge was narrowed for a construction phase. Show week is the first time it has to carry a world-scale event in that state, and the same week, the free water options locals use to get around without a car switch to show service or shut down.
The work is Florida Department of Transportation project 449257-1-52-01, built by Seacoast Incorporated. The estimated construction cost on FDOT District 4's project page is $14,053,215. The scope includes a new solid-surface aluminum deck, fresh paint on the steel, new electrical systems and wiring, new span locks and marine fenders, a renovated tender house, and minor paving where the bridge meets the road on each end.
Work began in May 2026. FDOT gives two different finish dates. The project page says Summer 2027. The traffic-shift notice for the current lane setup, issued later, gives the project's estimated completion as "Late 2027." In both versions, the south-side setup that ends in late 2026 is one stage of a project that keeps going for months after it.
Getting to this stage took some patience. The 48-hour full closure needed to move traffic to the south side was first set for Sept. 22, then pushed back for weather. It finally ran from 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1. Back in July, the city had described a different setup that put traffic and pedestrians on the north side. The later city and FDOT notices replaced it, so the south-side layout is the current one.
From now through mid-November, three separate schedules overlap at this one crossing. This table puts them side by side.
| Date | What happens at the Las Olas bridge |
|---|---|
| Since Oct. 1, 2026 | Traffic shifted to the south side, one 10-foot lane each way, north sidewalk closed |
| Through 10 p.m. Nov. 13, 2026 | Drawbridge opens only on the quarter-hour and three-quarter-hour, with single-leaf openings |
| Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, 2026 | Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, with Las Olas Marina as a show site |
| Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, 2026 | LauderGO! Water Trolley not operating; regular Water Taxi service suspended |
| Late 2026 | Current lane configuration expected to end |
| Summer 2027 or Late 2027 | Project completion, depending on which FDOT document you read |
The show and the pause in regular water service share the same five days, Oct. 28 through Nov. 1. Both bridge schedules began before those five days and keep going after them.
Las Olas Marina is one of six 2026 show sites. The others are the Broward County Convention Center, Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Hall of Fame Marina, Superyacht Village and Pier Sixty-Six Marina. On the show's own site, Las Olas Marina is listed as the location for brokerage yachts from 60 to 200 feet. The rest of the year, Las Olas Marina works as a public waterfront spot, with a promenade, deep-water slips for megayachts, restaurants and retail.
The Las Olas Marina Garage appears on the official FLIBS parking list. That puts show parking inside the same bridge-end area where eastbound cars come down off a single lane. City and FDOT notices issued so far do not list any extra road closures or lane restrictions for show week beyond the bridge setup already in place. FDOT's standing advice in its traffic-shift notice still applies. Use other routes when you can, and allow extra time.
Show hours are the most useful planning tool for anyone who has to cross. According to the FLIBS FAQ, the show runs:
Shuttles start an hour before opening and stop an hour after closing. So show-related traffic around the Convention Center hub runs from about 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
For an Isles household, the usual car-free option is the water. During show week, that option works differently.
The city's free LauderGO! Water Trolley will not run from Oct. 28 through Nov. 1, 2026, because of the boat show. Water Taxi of Fort Lauderdale also suspends its regular service for the show and becomes official show transportation, with unlimited boardings at the show stops. A FLIBS pass costs $15 for one day or $65 for five days. Children under 5 ride free, and Water Taxi annual-pass holders and Windward VIP guests ride free too.
For a resident who just wants to get across the Intracoastal on a Thursday afternoon that week, the free option is gone and the paid one now runs the show's routes.
FLIBS steers its own visitors toward the Broward County Convention Center at 1950 Eisenhower Blvd. It calls the center its transportation hub, with more than 3,000 parking spaces at $40 per day and connections to the other show sites. The free shuttle routes FLIBS lists are:
If you plan to go to the show yourself, buy tickets ahead of time. They are sold online only, with no box office at the show. An adult one-day general admission ticket is $48, two days is $80, Wednesday Preview is $73, and a child's one-day ticket is $19. Children under 6 get in free with an adult. Active military members and veterans can request free one-day general admission through the show.
Isles residents with a boat at the dock face their own version of the squeeze. Under a temporary deviation reported by the U.S. Coast Guard's District 7, the drawbridge has opened only at a quarter past and a quarter to the hour since 8 a.m. May 18. Those openings are single-leaf. A full opening is available at the same times, but only with two hours' notice to the bridge tender. Waterway Guide's navigation alert lists the end of that schedule as 10 p.m. Nov. 13, 2026.
Show week falls inside that window. The water near Las Olas Marina will be busy with yachts of up to 200 feet coming and going for the brokerage display, and the bridge they pass under is running on a construction schedule. The deviation's end date of Nov. 13 comes 12 days after the show closes and does not match the late-2026 end of the road setup. Each was set separately, and neither one is a finish date for the project.
When the yachts leave Las Olas Marina and the Water Taxi goes back to its regular routes, the bridge will look the same as it does today. The single south-side lane each way and the closed north sidewalk are scheduled to last into late 2026. FDOT's list of remaining work includes the deck, span locks, fenders and the tender house, which points to more traffic changes before completion. FDOT's own estimates for that completion range from Summer 2027 to Late 2027. The city's advisory warns that every schedule on the job can shift with weather or unforeseen conditions, and the late-September weather delay showed that already.
The City of Fort Lauderdale's City News page and FDOT District 4's project page post the bridge notices for each new stage. Those are the two places to check before the next closure date is announced.
If you own a home on the Isles and want to know how a construction timeline running into 2027 fits with your own plans for the next year, whether that's a listing date, a renovation or just a calendar, Kenny Silverman is glad to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
Through expert market knowledge, strategic marketing, skilled negotiation, and personalized guidance, Kenny delivers an exceptional client experience from start to finish.
ADDRESS
REMAX Experience