CLEARWATER, Fla. — In Tampa Bay, one way you can avoid the traffic is to use the waterways instead.

That’s always been the idea behind the Clearwater Ferry, which goes from Clearwater to Dunedin.

Thanks to a new grant from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the service is set to expand from three days a week to four.

That’s welcome news to the businesses along the route, like Spoiled Rotten in downtown Dunedin.

“The more people we can bring to Dunedin, the more folks get to know the little town that we love so much. That’s always great for everybody,” said manager Jenna Ray.

Ray says she hears from customers often that they discovered Dunedin by taking the ferry from Clearwater.

“They let us know they just came over from Clearwater on the ferry and that they’ve never been to Dunedin before,” Ray said.

The Clearwater Ferry first launched in 2015 with service from Friday to Sunday. It takes passengers between Dunedin, Clearwater Beach and Coachman Park, helping them to avoid the major traffic on the roads to and from the beach.

“Customers will let us know how convenient it is instead of struggling with the traffic over the causeway. So it’s nice to know they can get here in an easier way,” Ray said.

The new $655,000 grant from FDOT will expand service from Thursday to Sunday.

According to the grant application made by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority to FDOT, 50,000 cars drive through the Clearwater Beach roundabout on a typical day in spring break. The ferry can help visitors get around that gridlock.

The Clearwater Ferry is privately owned but also receives state and local funding.

In fact, it received a $1 million appropriation in this year’s state budget. That money is for two new boats to increase its service.