OverseasHighway US1

A Brief History of the Florida Keys

g y

the Florida Keys Corridor

Descriptionp US1 to Key West

Corridor analysisS ’ Structures’ recommendation

A Brief History of the Florida Keys Corridor Description US1 to Key West Corridor analysis

OverseasHighway US1

1 Arrivals of the Spanish2 Arrival of the United States 3 Arrival of the Settlers4 Arrival of Flagler & His Railroad5 1935 Hurricane

1 Arrivals of the Spanish

Structures’ recommendationg y

A Brief History of the Florida Keys 2 Arrival of the United States

6 The new era

When the expedition first arrived here in the early sixteenth century, these explorers were looking for the Fountain of Youth

but instead found money to be made i l i h ld h

2 Arrival of the United States The Keys back then was deserted and remote, and seemingly

uninhabitable. In 1820 U.S. bought ($ 5,000,000 us dollars) Florida from Spain As time passed and the United States came into existence, and the

in logging the great old Mahogany trees that grew here.

The Spanish didn't see any use for the Florida Keys except logging the mahogany and taking some Caloosas

l

new US Government worked on its plan of Western (and Southern) expansion, settlers began to arrive.

The first settlement appeared in the 1820s in Key West

3 A i l f th S ttlas slaves. The Spanish left these stony islands

and moved on, but they did make note of the Florida Keys for their maps

Soon after their arrival, the strait of Fl id h d d f S i h

3 Arrival of the Settlers Nine years after the end of the US Civil War (1865) , the

US government looked toward the rest of the Florida Keys with an eye towards developing its homesteading program.Th i i hb h W k b hFlorida saw hundreds of Spanish

Galleons traversing the area with gold from Central America bound for Spain.

Unfortunately the Spanish map makers didn't make better maps of the

Their neighbors to the West were wreckers but they were farmers.

They managed to pull pineapple, melons, coconuts, and oranges from the rocky land.

They used small boats to carry their produce out to larger b h k h i l kmakers didn t make better maps of the

reef outside the Florida Keys, and many of them wrecked there in the following years.

boats that took their wares to larger markets.

A Brief History of the Florida Keys Corridor Description US1 to Key West Corridor analysis

OverseasHighway US1

1 Arrivals of the Spanish2 Arrival of the United States 3 Arrival of the Settlers4 Arrival of Flagler & His Railroad5 1935 Hurricane

Structures’ recommendationg y

A Brief History of the Florida Keys 4 Arrival of Flagler & His Railroad

6 The new era

5 1935 Hurricane The small boats were their mode of

transportation until the arrival of Mr. Henry Flagler in 1905.

His railroad down the East Coast of Florida was then extended through

d d h l d d i

The hurricane of 1935 has no name because by then no hurricane were naming the great storms yet at that point.

The farmer-settlers had really depleted the fragile, thin topsoil of the Upper Keys by this point anyway,

Homestead and the Everglades and into Key Largo.

It took seven years of construction, disease, hurricanes suffering, and worker death to get the railroad all the

t K W t b t it fi ll i d

opso o e Uppe eys by s po yw y,so the end was near.

The Great Hurricane of 1935 finally did them all in and most of the towns along the way to Key West just disappeared.

It' k th H i d it h l d it lfway to Key West, but it finally arrived. The railroad essentially cut off the

farming communities of the Upper Keys and was open to receive produce from all over the Caribbean for shipment via the railroad to the

It's known as the Hurricane, and it hurled itself through the Upper Keys at the Matecumbe Keys on September 2. Winds topped 200 miles an hour and more than 800 people died.

There's a Hurricane Monument in Islamorada, h f h d d b i d M f hshipment via the railroad to the

mainland

6 The new era

In 1942, a pipeline finally bringing fresh water from the Everglades was put in through the Keys, d h b i h Fl id K i d i i

where many of the dead are buried. Many of them were World War I vets working to construct a road as part of the Federal work project system of the 1930s.

and the government began promoting the Florida Keys as a vacation destination.

From here, can be seen the link to modern day tourism and development, and the outline of Florida Keys history is complete.

OverseasHighway US1

A Brief History of the Florida Keys Corridor Description US1 to Key West Corridor analysis Structures’ recommendation

The route to Florida Keys is a 127.5-mile O Hi h i U S R 1

g y

Corridor DescriptionOverseas Highway carrying U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys

Most of these older bridges built for railroads have been replaced by more modern bridges that are able to accommodate more than two l f ffilanes of traffic

The actual list of the 44 Bridges

is shown The seven mile bridge (See

picture 1) is a significant feat of 20th century engineering

They used the old tracks to They used the old tracks to make a railing along the sides of the bridge

Now there is a new fixed bridge

Sections of the old bridge still stands today and can walked or bike to historic Pigeon Key. Pigeon key was a camp for workers on the seven mile bridgebridge

The entire roadway of the Overseas Highway was substantially rebuilt in the 1980s

OverseasHighway US1

A Brief History of the Florida Keys Corridor Description US1 to Key West Corridor analysis Structures’ recommendationg y

Corridor Description, cont.The United StatesThe United States

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OverseasHighway US1

A Brief History of the Florida Keys Corridor Description US1 to Key West Corridor analysis Structures’ recommendation

1 Purpose and need2 Corridor planning 3 Public and community involvement4 Study areas issues and opportunitiesg y

US1 to Key West Corridor analysis 1 Purpose and need 2 Corridor planning

The result is a plan that foregoes somecapacity improvement to maintain community character and in the hypothetical situation that is complete, US1 will look and operate somehow diff l i h i l h

This suggested study suggests prioritizes all road improvement and other changes likely to be needed over the estimation of the next 20 years.

It expands and improves upon the existing work by including an access management component and

id i bi l d i d blidifferently in each community along the US1

The top down approach it takes into account community concern, and engineering study on how to implement

h i i ti f th

considering bicycle, pedestrian and mass public transportation needs in addition to the roadway improvements

Is recommended the study- development be divided into three phases of work:

comprehensive examination of the corridor and community needs rather than a FDOT policy.

There are several steps to be taken in meeting the goals of this suggested study:

1) Data collection and existing conditions – This will include data collection, development of land use & performing capacity/ level of service of existing roadway.

2) Development of project alternatives – The i f ti f th i ti diti l i istudy:

- Identify and quantify the extent of existing deficiencies

- Identify conceptual roadway improvements

Id if l i h

information from the existing conditions analysis is utilized to forecast future traffic volumes and patterns, and to identify improvements necessary due to expected growth.

3) Corridor plan – basically this should be the development of the recommended infrastructure - Identify locations where access

management techniques can be implemented.

- integrate planning for all modes of travel

development of the recommended infrastructure improvements and approval of the corridor plan itself..

OverseasHighway US1

A Brief History of the Florida Keys Corridor Description US1 to Key West Corridor analysis Structures’ recommendation

1 Purpose and need2 Corridor planning 3 Public and community involvement4 Study areas issues and opportunities

3 Public and community involvement

g yUS1 to Key West Corridor analysis, cont.

The approach to this project has been from the perspective that there is a need for significant safety and capacity improvements along the corridor, but that these must be developed in conjunction with the communities and in a manner thatwith the communities, and in a manner that is sensitive to the role that US1 plays in each town.

This design process serves to enhance the different functions of the roadway, as a state roadway as well as “main street” tostate roadway, as well as main street to the communities.

To adequately plan for these diverse needs, it is necessary to involve the communities and citizens early and often.

OverseasHighway US1

A Brief History of the Florida Keys Corridor Description US1 to Key West Corridor analysis Structures’ recommendation

1 Purpose and need2 Corridor planning 3 Public and community involvement4 Study areas issues and opportunities

4 Study areas issues and opportunities There are number of issues that define the need for improvements in the US1 corridor These generally

g yUS1 to Key West Corridor analysis, cont.

There are number of issues that define the need for improvements in the US1 corridor. These generally result from the multi faceted role that the roadway plays as “Main Street”, as gateway to Miami region, as major arterial in the South Florida’s highway system, and as tourist destination: 1.- The role that US1 plays as the gateway to Miami, “Main Street” for many of the communities. 2.- Significant development of tourist attraction and land use is stressing capacity and creating

congestion pointscongestion points. 3.- Poor access management has reduced the capacity of the roadway, impedes traffic flow, and creates

safety concerns. Evident is there are several driveways and access points within the study area, many of them poorly defined and/ or too close to others.

4.- Maturity and historic development along the corridor limits opportunities for physical roadway i t d k i diffi lt d iimprovement, and makes any expansion more difficult and expensive.

5.- The corridor lacks facilities to support transit, bicycle and pedestrian travel making it difficult to get around using anything other than a personal motor vehicle.

6.- Suggested a rail corridor that parallels US1 will operate between Miami and Key West can be set; with unlimited operating capacity for freight and passenger capability.

7.- Limited or none at all route bus service along the corridor. In addition to the issues on the corridor, there are number of opportunities to make improvements. The

communities along the US1 corridor must work together for many years with the purpose of addressing issues related to the roadway, tourism, and economic development. 1.- Continuing growth of tourism in the region provides a solid economic base. 2.- Strong development potential in the corridor provides a funding mechanism for addressing

improvement needs. 3.- The well maintenance of the suggested rail line will provide an opportunity to utilize that space for

additional roadway capacity and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

OverseasHighway US1

A Brief History of the Florida Keys Corridor Description US1 to Key West Corridor analysis Structures’ recommendationg y

Structures’ recommendation To increase the traffic capacity widening of the existing highway and

bridges connecting the 127 5 mile Overseas Highway i U Sbridges connecting the 127.5-mile Overseas Highway carrying U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West is recommended.

The Alpha Team recommends a design which will widen the north and south sides of the existing Overseas Highway to accommodate the extra new lanesides of the existing Overseas Highway to accommodate the extra new lane.

The widening can be done by modifying the structural system of the existing bridge.

The main purpose of the widening is to accommodate an additional lane of traffic.

Due to the higher loads over the existing Pier Caps, the pier caps shall be strengthened. The higher loads at Piers shall require strengthening of the pier cap and the foundations; the pier cap could be strengthened using post-tensioning to increase the capacity.

All k h ll b f d i t i t d ith th l t t l ti All work shall be performed in strict accordance with the latest regulations including, but not limited to, those regulations regarding erection, confined spaces and fall protection.

Due to no right of way constraint and the existing foundations special design, considerations will be taken in order not to encroach into the existing

i l h i l d id fli i h h i i f d iproperties along the islands or avoid conflict with the existing foundations.