The Key West citizen. [volume], July 03, 1953, Image 8

About The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current

Image provided by: University of Florida

                
Gems Nestling Between Ocean And Gulf-- The Lower Keys
BAHIA HONDA is maintained by the Overseas Road and Toll Bridge District as a public park. Photos by Finch.
Overteal Highway
This unique highway, stretching a distance of 122
miles across the Florida Keys to Key West, is an outstand
ing triumph of engineering skill and ingenuity. Completed
at a cost of $5,000,000/it connects the southernmost city
in the United States with the Florida mainland. .
Motor traffic literally "goes to sea" along this modern
highway which crosses great expanses of water on long
causeways and bridge*—flanked on one side by the Atlan
tic Ocean, on the other by the Gulf of Mexico. Panoramas
•of endless miles of open sea change only slightly to sea
scapes dotted with some of the 700-odd dark green man
grove keys. Miles of isolated waterfront invite fishing, sun
ning or just strolling.
Fishing facilities are available along the entire keys,
the waters of which comprise one of the world’s most fa
mous fishing grounds. Among the more than 600 varieties
of fish found in these waters are tarpon, bonefish, sailfish,
mackerel, king, pompano and snapper.
There are 18 roadside parking areas between toll
gates. Week-end or overnight camping is permitted at the
roadside camps, and trailers also are permitted for the
same length of time.
HUDGINS &
ALFONSO
INCORPORATED
ENGINEERS
and
CONTRACTORS
Baikii&g Contracting
Road Budding
Excavating
Pile Driving
Land Clearing
ROCK . . . MARL
TOPSOIL
Complsf
Engineering Service
Summerland Key,
Florida
Call Long Distance
Dial Operator
Summer Jand Key No. 2
Owilonw of Sununarind Key
The history of die Overseas
Highway is closely allkd with that
of the railroad which first operat
ed to Key West in 1912. The open
ing of this tea-going railroad
merited the realization o t Henry
M. Flagler’s ambition to extend
the Florida East Coast railroad to
the tip of the Florida Keys. Actual
construction of the road presented
a tremendous undertaking call
ing for the transportation of men,
materials, food supplies and even
drinking water tram distant bases.
Magb jnmjenbpaaf♦lsiia
a highway parallel In* the rail
read waa stimulated by the real
estate beem ef the IWs. Be
tween 1922 and 1921, Menrea
Ceunfy, which cemprises the
the FlerMa Keys and Key West,
issued bends tar IN# cenatructien
ef e Highway tram Key West te
the mainland. By 1931, a high
way extended frem Florida City
te Key Weal, with the exception
ef twe water gaps at 14 miles
each, ever which ferry service 1
was maintained. This service
proved far frem satisfactory, as
only twe trips daily were sche
cars were inadoquate.
In I*B3, the state legislature
created the Overseas Road and
Toll Bridge District whose pur
pose it was to raise money,
through bond issues, lor the con
struction ct toll bridges across the
unspanned gaps. Tbit body ac
quired the Florida East Coast rail
road's right-of-way and bridges
from Florida City to Key West for
the sum of $940,000. This act<m>
followed the abandonment of Rm
sea-going railroad after the .WT*-
cane of 1/2) nought afSM<
damage to approximately 40 miles
of tracks and fills.
The actual work of converting
41 mites ef right-ef-way into a
meter reed between Lower Mat
ocembe and Big Pine began in
January 14V, and Hie reed was
open far traffic in March 1931.
Railroad bridges and viaducts,
tee narrow for two-way traffic,
had to be widened. One ef the
groat, problems was to find an
economical design for placing a
roadway dock on bridge struc
tures ana that would suffer the
least possible damage from hur
ricanes. In the case of the tow
ering Bahia Honda Bridge, a
two-lane deck was placed ever
the top of the superstructure to
avoid the possible spreading ef
trusses —a resulting probability
BbMdC Bftega hbJßdMb JLgag
u epvwvi e^p^.
two-fane tr-ffk.
In reworking the railroad cm
barkmeota for the highway, exist-
PLAYGROUND OF THE KEYS
BAHIA HONDA PICNIC AREA
Restaurant or Picnic Tables
Barbecue Pits Rest Rooms
BOAT RENTALS MOTORS
By Hour or Day
Foot of Beautiful Bahia Honda Bridge
Compliments of
W. A. PARRISH
Realtor
m
P.O. BOX 313
Marilkn. Florida
Phone Marathon 3841
ing grades were lowered to give
a 34-foot width of roadway. In
some places, the cosf of roadway
on embankments was approxima
tely $12,000 per mile. The cost of
roadway over bridges was $24 to
s3l per foot. The most costly por
tion of the highway lies in the 13
miles between Knight’s Key and
Big Pine Key. including Knight’s
Key Bridge, almost 7 miles in
length.
The fact that eight hurricanes in
the past 30 years have failed to
damage any of the bridges is proof
of their outstanding construction.
The 129 bridges outside the toll
area span a distance of 4.7 miles.
In the 41 miles toll area between
Lower Matecumbe Key and Big
Pine Key, there are 11 bridges
spanning a distance of 13 miles,
and 7 miles of embankment in
shallow water. The deepest water
is found under Bahia Honda Bridge
approximately 42 feet to bedrock.
Outboard Motors • • . Row Boats
Beer - Bait - Tackle
BEST FISHING IN LOWER KEYS GUIDES AVAILABLE
JOHNSTON'S POINT
Suxnmerland Key at Niles Channel
< 25 MILES NORTH OF KEY WEST
Phone P.O.
Summer land Kay No. 9 Summer land Kay. Florida
"THE Tit THAT BINDS"
t . ■’ . -v \ •*' <*
0 i 3s l f'WM“' ''<* * ‘ • _: ft • .ft . •.> V' v
OVERSEAS HIGHWA Y
CONNECTING THE MAINLAND TO THE BEAUTITOL
FLORIDA KEYS WITH "THE ROAD THAT
GOES TO SEA"
OVERSEAS ROAD
and TOLL BRIDGE DISTRICT
Marathon, Florida On Pidgeon Key
IN MARATHON ITS
THE IUCUMEEI LODGE
Luxurious Efficiencie*
AIR CONDITIONED WgW
Natural Swimming Pool 15,^1 f
and FUhing Pier t*.
—TELEPHONE 9841 ——-