One of many premier passages alongside the Abroad Freeway is crossing the Seven Mile Bridge. The views are spectacular and must be skilled within the daylight.
Sundown reveals beautiful sights, too, whether or not you might be driving throughout the brand new bridge or strolling alongside the outdated one. For essentially the most half, it’s a probability to take a seat again and luxuriate in a few of the greatest views the freeway has to supply.
There are two Seven Mile Bridges — the outdated railroad bridge and the trendy freeway bridge. The unique Seven Mile Bridge, constructed to accommodate the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway, consisted of 4 bridges. It was not known as the Seven Mile Bridge however by the names of the 4 distinct bridge sections. The primary three spans, Knights Key (6,803 toes), Pigeon Key (5,935 toes), and Moser Channel (13,947 toes), have been constructed utilizing concrete piers bolstered with three-quarter-inch metal rods.
Metal girders, weighing greater than 40 tons every and measuring 80 toes lengthy, have been lowered throughout the piers to create the muse on which the railroad tracks have been later hooked up. The fourth part, the Pacet Channel Viaduct (9,035 toes), employed a distinct design, using a sequence of concrete arches to help the tracks — therefore its distinction as a viaduct.
The bridges and the remainder of Henry Flagler’s railroad turned briefly out of date following the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane. The Class 5 hurricane took greater than 500 lives.
It additionally destroyed 40 miles of railroad observe and ended the run of Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Railroad.
Because of the storm, the right-of-way adopted by Flagler’s practice was bought to the state. In 1937, most of the former railroad bridges have been widened to accommodate vehicle visitors, together with the 4 spans of what turned often called the Seven Mile Bridge. The railroad rails have been repurposed to function guardrails for the freeway bridges. The bridge and the brand new and improved freeway opened to visitors on March 29, 1938 — July 4 marked the freeway’s official reopening.
Development on the trendy bridge started in 1979, and it formally opened to visitors on Might 24, 1982. Technically, the brand new Seven Mile Bridge is 35,862 toes lengthy and 1,098 toes in need of its seven-mile declare.
Throughout the drive throughout it, the five-acre Pigeon Key will seem beneath the outdated railroad bridge. On early Spanish charts, it was recognized as Cayo Paloma. Paloma is the Spanish phrase for pigeon, and the story suggests the island was as soon as dwelling to massive flocks of pigeons. The namesake chook was the distinctive white-crowned pigeon — indigenous to South Florida and the Keys, the Bahamas, the Higher and Lesser Antilles islands, southeastern Mexico and Central America.
In 1907, railroad engineers surveyed Pigeon Key; they decided it to be the perfect location for a building campsite. Railroad staff constructed three dormitories, a big mess corridor, a warehouse, places of work, a bakery, a commissary and an infirmary tent.
The day earlier than the passenger practice carrying Henry Flagler traveled throughout Key West and steamed into the southernmost terminal for the primary time, the Jan. 21, 1912, version of the Indianapolis Sunday Star printed a narrative mentioning Pigeon Key: “The camps are accountable for a resident or division engineer with the one at Pigeon Key presently essentially the most lively. At excessive tide, Pigeon Secret is about two acres in extent and maybe three acres at low tide. There are 4 bunkhouses, every designed to carry 64 males; certainly one of them for the foremen, who’re housed aside from the laborers. Every has a studying room with good lights. Good mattresses are offered on normal double-decked bunks, with loads of clear bedclothes; all laundry work being completed by the corporate. As soon as per week all beds are washed and completely disinfected to maintain any parasites from getting a begin.”
Pigeon Key and the remainder of the F.E.C. right-of-way have been bought to the state after the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane ended the railroad’s run. Finally, Monroe County was given possession of the island, the place, right this moment, the outdated wood railroad buildings stand like a type of ghost city — however a dwelling one. The island was listed as a Nationwide Historic Landmark in 1990. The Pigeon Key Basis was shaped to “shield the island’s long-standing historical past from the Henry Flagler period” two years later.
Visiting the island is like stepping again in time. The buildings are a few of the oldest constructions discovered outdoors of Key West. Not less than one dates again to 1908. One among them incorporates a small museum stuffed with images, artifacts and tales concerning the constructing of Flagler’s railroad and the individuals who as soon as known as the island dwelling. Guided excursions can be found. For extra details about the Pigeon Key Basis and touring the island, go to www.pigeonkey.internet.
After passing Pigeon Key, there’s a hole within the Moser Channel part of the outdated Flagler bridge. When it was nonetheless operational, the hole was related by a piece that would swing open to permit boats to move between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. In 1994, the lacking part was destroyed by missiles fired from a fighter jet throughout the filming of the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis thriller “True Lies.”
The film employed a little bit of Hollywood magic. In actual life, the span had been eliminated after the outdated bridge closed to vehicle visitors. What exploded was a reproduction, a bridge designed to be a stunt double — kaboom!
Whereas the Seven Mile Bridge, each outdated and new, and the sensible blue water views are the actual attraction, somewhat bit of affection have to be saved for the Australian pine tree famously rising on the Pacet Channel Viaduct part within the space of MM 41. It’s Fred the Tree. The Florida Keys superstar managed to dig its roots into the crumbling stays of the railroad bridge three or 4 many years in the past and by no means gave up. It additionally performed a job within the 2024 remake of the film “Street Home,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
The bridge’s west finish is at Little Duck Key, the place the freeway enters the Decrease Keys.