Bahia Honda Rail Bridge Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Bahia Honda Rail Bridge
View of the Bahia Honda Bridge from Bahia Honda State Park.
Coordinates	24°39′19″N 81°17′33″W / 24.65520°N 81.29253°W / 24.65520; -81.29253
Carries	Single track of Florida East Coast Railway, North and Southbound lanes of U.S. Route 1
Crosses	Bahia Honda Channel
Locale	Connects Bahia Honda Key and Spanish Harbor Key
Characteristics
Design	Parker (Camelback) Truss Bridge with Pratt Truss and Plate Girder approaches
Total length	5055 feet
Longest span	247 feet
History
Opened	1912 as rail bridge, converted to highway use in 1938
Closed	1972

The Bahia Honda Rail Bridge is an old, unused railroad bridge in the lower Florida Keys. It connects Bahia Honda Key with Spanish Harbor Key. This bridge was once part of the amazing Overseas Railroad. The state of Florida bought it after a big storm in 1935. They changed it into a road for cars in 1938, making it part of the Overseas Highway. In 1972, a new bridge was built. Parts of the old Bahia Honda Bridge were then removed to keep boats safe and stop people from going onto dangerous sections.

History of the Bahia Honda Bridge
How the Bridge Was Built
Gallery
See also

History of the Bahia Honda Bridge

Bahia Honda Bridge during railroad operation (before highway conversion)

Postcard of the bridge during operation for highway use.

The Bahia Honda railroad bridge was first built by Henry Flagler. It was a key part of his Overseas Railroad project. The bridge opened in 1912. Flagler paid for this railway himself, connecting Miami all the way to Key West.

A very strong storm, the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, badly damaged much of the railway. Because of this, the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) wanted to stop using the line. The state of Florida then bought the bridge. They changed it for cars to use in 1938. Instead of rebuilding the top of the bridge, they put a new road deck on top. The old railway deck inside the bridge was too narrow for cars.

In 1972, a new, wider four-lane bridge was built. It opened a short distance north of the old bridge. This new bridge replaced the old route of U.S. 1. Two sections of the old bridge were removed. One section near the east end was taken out to let boats pass safely through the Bahia Honda Channel. This also prevented old parts from falling onto boats. The other section was removed at the far western end. This was done to stop people from walking onto unsafe parts of the bridge.

Some people think the sections were removed to let taller boats pass. But the new bridge has about the same height clearance, around 20 feet. The original bridge is now quite old and worn out. Signs warn boaters to watch for falling pieces. However, most of the bridge sections are still standing, except for the two that were removed. The eastern part of the bridge is still open for people to walk on. It is looked after by Bahia Honda State Park. This part of the bridge offers great views for visitors.

How the Bridge Was Built

Before it became a road bridge, the Bahia Honda Rail Bridge carried a single train track. It crossed the Big Spanish Channel from Bahia Honda Key to Spanish Harbor Key. This bridge is different from other bridges on the Overseas Railway. Most others were made of concrete arches. But the Bahia Honda bridge uses a strong steel truss design. A truss is like a framework of triangles. This design was needed because the channel here is the deepest, about 24 feet deep.

The middle part of the bridge is a Parker truss. This section spans 247 feet. On each side of this central part, there are 13 Pratt truss sections. Each of these spans 186 feet. Outside those, there are 13 smaller Pratt trusses, each spanning 128 feet. For the western approach, nine plate girder sections were used. Plate girders are like very strong, flat beams. The total length of the bridge is 5055 feet.

The smaller Pratt trusses were put together with rivets. Rivets are like strong metal pins that hold pieces together permanently. But the larger Pratt and Parker trusses used pinned connections. This means they were joined with large pins that allowed for some movement. This makes the Bahia Honda Rail Bridge the longest pin-connected truss bridge in the U.S.

William Krome and Joseph Meredith built the original bridge. Later, B.M. Duncan managed the project to change it into a road for cars.