Long Key Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Long Key Bridge |
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Current structure with the original viaduct running parallel
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| Coordinates | 24°47′49″N 80°52′05″W / 24.797°N 80.868°W |
| Carries |  US 1 (Overseas Highway) |
| Crosses | Long Key Channel |
| Locale | Layton, Florida |
| Official name | Dante B. Fascell Bridge |
| Maintained by | Florida Department of Transportation |
| ID number | 900092 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | precast segmented box girder bridge |
| Total length | 2.3 miles |
| Clearance above | 25 feet |
| History | |
| Opened | 1982 |
The Long Key Bridge is a famous bridge in the Florida Keys. It connects Long Key and Conch Key, which are islands. You can find it about halfway between Miami and Key West.
This bridge is almost 2.5 miles long! It's the second longest bridge on the Overseas Highway. Only the Seven Mile Bridge is longer. The bridge you see today opened in 1982. It replaced an older bridge called the Long Key Viaduct. The viaduct was first used for trains from 1907 to 1935. Later, cars drove on it.
The Modern Long Key Bridge
The current Long Key Bridge opened in 1982. It was built as part of a big project. This project aimed to update the entire Overseas Highway. Many old bridges, originally for trains, needed to be replaced.
This bridge is made from strong concrete sections. These sections were made somewhere else and then put together. The bridge has 103 sections in total. Most sections are 118 feet long. Two sections are a bit shorter, at 117 feet.
The bridge sections rest on "V"-shaped supports called piers. This building method was very fast. The main part of the bridge was put together in less than a year! Bridges built this way in the Florida Keys were some of the first in North America to use this method.
Who Was Dante B. Fascell?
The current bridge is officially named the Dante B. Fascell Bridge. Dante Fascell was a U.S. Representative. This means he was a politician who helped make laws for the country. He served from 1955 to 1993.
Dante Fascell is well-known for helping to create Biscayne National Park. This park protects a beautiful area of water and islands in Florida.
The Historic Long Key Viaduct
The modern bridge replaced the Long Key Viaduct. This old bridge still stands next to the new one. The viaduct was finished in 1907. It was built by Henry Flagler. He created the Overseas Railroad. This railroad was an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. It was meant to reach Key West.
The viaduct was built with 186 concrete arches. Many railroad bridges in the Keys used this arch design. The Florida East Coast Railway often used pictures of the Long Key Viaduct to promote their Overseas Railroad.
Train service on the viaduct stopped after a very strong storm. This was the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. It hit the area and badly damaged parts of the railroad. Luckily, the viaduct itself was not heavily damaged.
After the hurricane, the railway company sold the old tracks and bridges to the state of Florida. The state then built the Overseas Highway along the same route. To make room for cars, the train tracks on the viaduct were removed. A new concrete surface was added for cars to drive on.
The Long Key Viaduct is an important historical site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Other famous bridges, like the original Seven Mile Bridge, were also added. The viaduct was replaced by the current highway bridge in 1982.
Today, the viaduct is no longer used for cars. It has been turned into a path for bikes and a place for fishing. The deck of the viaduct was made narrower, back to its original size from the train days. There are several spots for fishing on both sides. The viaduct is now part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. This trail is for walking and biking. It will eventually run along the entire Overseas Highway.
