Dreamlike. When oil mogul Henry M. Flagler proposed the extension of
the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West at the turn of the 20th century, he was
met with raised eyebrows and skepticism. It meant linking three dozen islands with
bridges that would have to span as many as seven miles each. Yet Flagler persisted
and eventually built his railroad – and the sturdy bridges necessary to support
it – with the help of work teams, cranes, freight steamers and floating cement
mixers. By 1912, trains were transporting freight and passengers on a scenic journey
over the ocean that the writer Jon Dos Passos called “dreamlike.”
A hurricane destroyed the railway in 1935, but the bridges survived. In fact, they
have withstood all hurricanes since then, including the four deadly ones that ripped
across the state in 2004. In the late 1930s, the bridges became the links for the
Overseas Highway, the southernmost leg of U.S. Route 1. They now make up more than
15 percent of the drive between Florida City, just south of Miami, and Key West.
42 Bridges. Today, the journey across 42 bridges is still dreamlike for
the thousands of drivers who make it each year. The islands are no longer as sleepy
as they once were, and many of the bridges commissioned by Flagler have been renovated
or replaced. But the drive provides the same unparalleled ocean-meets-sky views
experienced by Dos Passos and his fellow train riders.
The road trip from Miami to Key West transports you into a brighter, bluer world
shortly after crossing the Jewfish Creek drawbridge into the town of Key Largo.
The drawbridge is the first of the 42 Keys bridges. Bait shacks, shell souvenir
shops and low-rise hotels with quirky names like Conch On Inn and Lord Rumbottom’s
dot the griddle-flat landscape. Modest houses and mobile homes sit behind
manatee mailboxes and violet jacaranda trees, and signs for Lobster Tail Road and
the Royal Hawaiian Motel/Botel serve as reminders that there is no place in the
country quite like the Keys.
Still, the panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean from the
bridges of the Overseas Highway leave the greatest impression. The vistas seem richer
with each successive bridge crossing toward Key West. Travelers can see vibrant
turquoise swirls infiltrating the dark blue water and flocks of egrets and gulls
flying in and out of view.
Some of the bridges, such as Snake Creek, are no bigger than a boat ramp. Others,
such as the Seven Mile Bridge, stretch on endlessly and lend credence to the road’s
nickname, the Highway That Goes to Sea. Most intriguing are the old Flagler bridges
that run parallel to the newer ones and offer glimpses of turn-of-the-century structural
architecture and the vacation routes of early American motorists. Here are a few
worth noting.
Long Key Bridge. This bridge marks the beginning of the Middle Keys region.
It runs parallel with the striking Long Key Viaduct, which is no longer used by
cars, but continues to provide a favorite photo opportunity for travelers. Drivers
looking to stretch their legs can pull off the road just before crossing the new
bridge and check out the stacks of crayfish traps that line the old bridge’s
graceful arches during the spring. The new bridge angles toward Conch Key –
a tiny island inhabited by fishermen, retirees and more crayfish traps – before
it reaches the heavily developed town of Marathon.
Seven Mile Bridge. When the old Seven Mile Bridge was completed in 1912,
some dubbed it the Eighth Wonder of the World. It was replaced by a new $45 million
bridge in 1982 but remains intact save for a couple of mid-sectional cuts that allow
ships to pass. Today, the original structure serves as a favorite spot for joggers,
fishermen and picnickers. Movie buffs also might recognize the old bridge as the
site of the climactic helicopter-limo chase scene in the 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger
film, “True Lies.” At about the halfway point along the Overseas Highway,
this is a great place to stop for a picnic lunch and enjoy spectacular views of
the Gulf of Mexico.
Bahia Honda Bridge. The name Bahia Honda means “deep bay”
in Spanish, referring to the unusually deep channel that made this Flagler railway
bridge the most difficult to build. When Overseas Highway engineers showed up to
remodel it in 1936, they deemed the original bridge impossible to widen. It was
enclosed by railroad trestles on both sides. So the engineers built their road over
the top. From the newer bridge beside it, the old road looks more like a roller-coaster
ride than a thoroughfare for cars.
Nearby, the 300-acre Bahia Honda State Recreation Area is one of the best places
in the Keys to take a dip in the two-toned waters.
From the Bahia Honda Bridge, the Overseas Highway wends its way into the laid-back
ambience of the Lower Keys, home to the tiny and endangered Key deer population,
the ultra-luxurious resort of Little Palm Island and the tourist epicenter of Key
West.
Mile Marker 0. The road ends at mile marker 0 in Key West. Nearby on
South Street, an oversized, multicolored buoy welcomes visitors to the Southernmost
Point in the U.S.A. It’s fitting that the southern tip of the drive unfolds
into yet another panorama of aquamarine waters, reminding travelers of the string
of spectacular views that awaits them on the drive back. A century after it all
started, Henry Flagler’s impossible dream lives on in the Florida Keys.
For more information: Contact the Florida Keys & Key West Visitors Bureau at
(800) 352-5397, or visit www.fla-keys.com.
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