The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-03-18
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

2El-HO0E O1O&. II Vas 0SSnSQ ne
ceSsary TO construct eighteen
miles Of bridgework and yiaducts
to allow for free passage of sea
water
Engineers found that the de-
structive force Of the waves was
not due to the impact of water
against the embankment but to
undertow. They also found that
q marine mari deposit along the
line, when spread over the sur
face of the entertainments. hard
ened on exposure to the air into
a smooth layer and was capable
Of withStandIng the heaviest seas
Additional discoveries followed.
and the railroad extension from
the mainland 90 Key West was
successfully completed
Witnessing this project, the
commissioners of Monroe County
conceived the idea Of building a
motor highway following the
same course. The boom days of
1924 had arrived: money was easy
to get They began construction
from the Dade county highway
south of Homestead. crossed to
Key Largo, and paraIleled the
railway south TO the southern
end of Lower Matecumbe. there.
automobiles were driven aboard
a ferry and carried 10 Grassy
Key. then by highway across the
Key Vacas group. whence they
preceded by road 10 Key West.
The original intention YEAS to
build the road across the stretches
of water crossed by the ferries
But the bursting of the boom
prevented that
Meanwhile, the railroad exten-
sion was faring badly. Sponge
fishing at Key West declined;
high tariff ruined the pineapple
canning business: the federal
government reduced the Key
West garrison; the naval station,
which had furnished an annual
nav roll of S64S .000, was placed
on the inactive list; the Coast
Guard base was transferred TO
St Petersburg. Very few passen-
gers, and very little freight, went
over the railroad And 50. when
the tropical hurricane Of 1895
damaged the fills of the railway,
the company didn't bother in re-
condition IL
j When that decision was an
nouneed, the two-year-old Over
seas Road and Toll Bridge Dis
trict opened negotiations for pur-
chase Of the railroad right-of-way
between Lower Matecumbe Key
and Big Pine Key. to be used IN
construction Of i highway con-
Meeting the fern1ini OF Florida
State Road "A and completing
u. s. Highway No. l from Kent,
Maine, 70 Key West. Florida
Beginning in 1886. the railroad
bridges were then converted into
highway bridges through the adj
dition OF a concrete deck resting
on steel beams. The | beams
are welded TO filler plates. which.
in turn. are welded 20 the cover
plate Of the deck girders- The ]
beams are supported at their
ends BY knee braces welded 10
both the / beams 10 the bottom
flanges of the girders-
Knights Key Bridge. stretching
almost seven miles across the
open seas, IS the longest struc-
ture in the highway From one
end Of il. the distant shore is bare
w visible. giving one the impres-
sion OF driving straight out into
the open sea There are 3i6 eigh-
ty-foot spans, nineteen sixtv-foot
suans and 2I0 fifty-three-foot
c. crese fshes Il It's Unit and
- swface TIT & Dove
10 fsde. 80 =
lRfs2 C1qH Assasil ~ y
structure in the highway Is Long
Kk NSsdues lit Ct I'D -
crste histtsea 80 atfsfes CO.
mile on ed - % sef1ia
circular arches Of nfty-foot span
Another unusual sight Is the Ba-
Ma Honda Bridge. which, IS re-
constructed. now towers sixty
five feet above the surrounding
water.
As you drive along this new
highway-nesrly 100 miles OF it,
You'll look down al delicstely
colored crystalline seas Here and
there, little tufts and coral and
foliage uiII mark tiny tropical IS
lssads crossed By ths highway
And at the end 81 this unique
seaeoing road: Key West. the Is
land toxin that's tabernacle for