Hi there! TootsieRoo here with the complete history of the Overseas Highway!
~The Railroad Project~
In 1905-1912, Henry M. Flagler constructed the Overseas Railroad, built to provide affordable transportation of both goods and people from the mainland to the Keys. Flagler was a wealthy businessman who made his fortune as the owner of an oil company. At the time, there was no simple or inexpensive transportation to the Keys, and getting there was nearly impossible. Flagler dreamed of a railroad that could connect the islands to the rest of the United States; an “impossible” feat at the time.
Luckily for Flagler, his pockets were deep. He hired over three thousand men to carry out the construction of the very first Overseas Railroad. Unfortunately, three deadly hurricanes threatened to put an end to the project, one hurricane in 1906, one in 1909, and one in 1910.
Despite the obstacles, the final rail of the Overseas Railroad was nailed into place in Key West in 1912. That year, the first train to ever cross the waves along the brand new Overseas Highway chugged into Key West, marking the completion of the connection of the entire east coast of Florida. The project cost more than 50 million dollars. A popular name for the railroad was “The Eighth Wonder of the World”.
~A New Project: The Original Overseas Highway~
The idea of an Overseas Highway began with the Miami Motor Club in 1921. The Overseas Highway was already in construction when a hurricane struck the Keys in 1935.
The Category 5 Labor Day Hurricane struck Islamorada on September 2, 1935. The hurricane caused massive damage in the area and destroyed almost all of the original Overseas Railroad. Of the 400 deaths from the hurricane, more than half were veterans and their families who had been building the railroad.
After the hurricane, the original highway plans were abandoned and new plans were made to build the highway on an old rail bed. If you’re ever on the Overseas Highway, you may see an old rusty rail bed with a paved road stacked on top!
The few original railroad bridges that were still in good condition after the hurricane, were built on top of. They were given new, two-lane concrete surfaces specifically for automobile use. The transformation of the railroad bridges to automobile roads was accomplished, and finally the entire route to Key West was opened to the public in 1938!
~Improvements for the Highway~
At this point in time, the Overseas Highway only ran along the old railroad route in the middle keys.
The original highway roads were still in use in the upper and lower keys. When United States entered into World War II, the U.S. Military wanted changes made to the highway to improve the access from the Naval Air Station on Boca Chica Key to the mainland. The 1920s-era lower keys road was now unsatisfactory with its twisting road and unstable wooden bridges. It was time for some improvements.
These renovations resulted with smoother, more efficient roads that allowed higher speeds. Another addition to the highway was the construction of the bridge that connected Key Largo to Florida City through Jewelfish Creek. These improvements shortened the route of the highway by seventeen miles, making the route of the current road. The original Card Sound Bridge was discontinued after the Jewfish Creek route opened, and it was soon after destroyed by a fire.
The new, updated roads were officially completed on May 16, 1944.
The most modern bridges and improvements were completed from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. These improvements included:
- Expanding the two-lane roads into four-lane roads.
- The restoration of the Card Sound Bridge.
- Other minor updates.
~Discontinued Bridges~
The following original bridges are no longer open for vehicular traffic:
- The original Seven Mile Bridge.
- The original Bahia Honda Bridge.
- The original Long Key Bridge.
Although these bridges are not open for vehicular use, other activities such as biking, fishing, and other types of pedestrian traffic is welcome.
~In Conclusion~
Thank you for reading this article about the history of the Overseas Highway! I truly hope that this was an informative and accurate account of the highway’s history. If there is any errors that you notice, grammatical, informational or technical, or anything that I have missed, or you just have a question, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via the comments. I will dutifully try my best to respond within 24 hours.
Thank you again and don’t forget to keep checking in every couple weeks for more fun and informative posts coming soon! 👋 🙂