Brief History of the ICW

The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a 3,000-mile inland navigation route that weaves its way along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, offering a protected path for commercial and recreational vessels alike. The ICW starts technically in Boston, Massachusetts but federally maintained around Norfolk, Virginia.  Its origins date back to the early colonial period, when natural inlets, rivers, and sounds were used by traders and fishermen to move goods while avoiding the dangers of open seas. But it wasn’t until the early 19th century, with the rise of canals and a push for internal improvements, that the dream of a continuous waterway truly took shape.

The modern ICW was largely shaped by the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1919, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began to seriously connect and maintain the route as a federal project. By dredging channels and linking rivers, bays, and man-made canals, the ICW became a safer and more efficient alternative for maritime travel, especially critical during wartime when coastal shipping was vulnerable. Today, it remains a vital maritime highway maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers at a minimum depth of 12 feet deep and width of 125 feet. Although some boaters report much shallower depths due to tides and boat wake moving sand and sediment!