Overseas Highway

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A new bridge (left) and the old bridge (right) on "Channel five" between 'Craig Key' and 'Long Key'
Aerial view

The Overseas Highway is the southernmost section of US Highway 1 in Florida , USA . The 205-kilometer highway connects 40 islands in the Florida Keys and stretches from Homestead to Key West . The highway is the only land connection between the Florida Keys and the mainland, and in the event of a hurricane it is also the only escape route for residents and tourists.

Mile marker

Orientation along the highway is done using the mile markers that are set every mile. The marker begins in Key West and goes to 127.5 in Florida City . Except for the urban area of Marathon , the mile markers with an appendix serve as house numbers . If the number ends in an even number, the address is on the west side of the highway; if it is odd, it is on the east side. The address 100511 Overseas Highway would mean the address is MM 100.5 on the east side of the ocean.

history

The beginning of US Highway 1 in March 1951.

Construction of the line began in 1923. After Labor Day Hurricane 1935 destroyed the Florida East Coast Railway (Overseas Railway) route along the Florida Keys, the highway was built on the railway line. On the former railway bridges such as the Old Bahia Honda Bridge , the roadway was placed on the railroad tracks. The new Overseas Highway opened in 1938. Until April 15, 1954, the use of the highway was chargeable. Toll stations were on Big Pine Key and Lower Matecumbe Key. From the 1970s, the old, narrow former railway bridges were replaced by new concrete bridges next to them, the most famous of which is the seven-mile bridge between Bahia Honda Key and Vaca Key in the city of Marathon.

On August 13, 1979, the bridges of the Overseas Highway were entered on the National Register of Historic Places .

literature

  • John Lots: History of the Pioneers: Florida Keys . Pineapple Press, 1996, ISBN 978-1561641017 .
  • Dan Gallagher: Florida's GreatOcean Railway: Building the Key West Extension . Pineapple Press Inc, 2003, ISBN 978-1561642694 .

Web links

Commons : Overseas Highway  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ keyshistory.org: MileMarkerChart
  2. ^ Florida - Monroe County. National Register of Historic Places , accessed July 28, 2015 .

Coordinates: 24 ° 47 ′ 1 ″  N , 80 ° 54 ′ 12 ″  W.