Highway through the Florida Keys to Key West, Florida, USA
This article is about the section of U.S. Route 1 in the Florida Keys. For the route in Florida, see U.S. Route 1 in Florida. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 1.
U.S. Highway 1
Overseas Highway
Overseas Highway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by FDOT
Length
106.5 mi[1][2] (171.4 km)
Existed
January 5, 1928 (1928-01-05)–present
Tourist routes
Florida Keys Scenic Highway
Major junctions
South end
US 1 / SR A1A in Key West, FL
Major intersections
CR 905 in Key Largo, FL
North end
US 1 (Dixie Highway) near Florida City, FL
Location
Country
United States
State
Florida
Counties
Monroe County
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System
List
Special
Divided
Florida State Highway System
Interstate
US
State
Former
Pre‑1945
Toll
Scenic
The Overseas Highway is a 113-mile (181.9 km)[1][2] highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys to Key West. Large parts of it were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. Completed in 1912, the Overseas Railroad was heavily damaged and partially destroyed in the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. The Florida East Coast Railway was financially unable to rebuild the destroyed sections, so the roadbed and remaining bridges were sold to the state of Florida for $640,000.
Since the 1950s, the Overseas Highway has been refurbished into a main coastal highway between the cities of Miami and Key West,[3] offering travelers an exotic roadway through a tropical savanna environment and access to the largest area of coral reefs on the U.S. mainland. Many exotic animals such as the American Alligator, American Crocodile and Key Deer inhabit the tropical islands of the Florida Keys.
^ abLogan, Walter (January 30, 1983). "ACROSS 42 BRIDGES THROUGH FLORIDA'S KEYS". The New York Times. Florida. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
^ ab"Road Trip: Florida Keys - National Geographic". Travel.nationalgeographic.com. January 1, 1970. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
^Marzyck, Marion E. "History and Background: The Overseas Highway". Web World Wonders. Florida State University. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
The OverseasHighway is a 113-mile (181.9 km) highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys to Key West. Large parts of it were built...
Day Hurricane. Some of the remaining infrastructure was used for the OverseasHighway. Henry Flagler (1830–1913) was a principal in Rockefeller, Andrews...
ended the 23-year run of the Overseas Railway; the damaged tracks were never rebuilt, and the OverseasHighway (U.S. Highway 1) replaced the railroad as...
converted for highway use in 1938. Rather than rebuilding the bridge, the top of the structure was redecked for use as the OverseasHighway (the existing...
longest bridges in existence when it was built, it is part of the OverseasHighway in the Keys, which is part of the 2,369-mile (3,813 km) U.S. Route...
County, and the northernmost of the keys connected by U.S. Highway 1 (the OverseasHighway). Three census-designated places (CDPs) are on the island of...
Virginia Beach, Virginia. It opened in 1964. The OverseasHighway is a 113-mile (181.9 km) highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys...
rebuilt into road bridges for vehicle traffic and became known as the OverseasHighway. However, a greater and lasting Flagler legacy was the developments...
many veterans died in work camps created for the construction of the OverseasHighway, in part due to poor working conditions. The hurricane also caused...
unincorporated community of Monroe County of the same name. U.S. 1 (or the OverseasHighway) crosses the island at approximately mile markers 24–25.5, between...
OverseasHighway after the Seven Mile Bridge. The current bridge opened in 1982, replacing the parallel Long Key Viaduct, which carried the Overseas Railroad...
the mainland by bridges. A very long example is the 113 mi (182 km) OverseasHighway connecting many of the Florida Keys with the continental United States...
It can be found growing in great abundance along stretches of the overseashighway to Key West, Florida bordering on Florida Bay. It has been used in...
Dixie Highway from the national southern terminus of Interstate 95 in Miami to the OverseasHighway in Key Largo, Florida. The name "Dixie Highway" persists...
others are loaded onto vehicles to be taken into the U.S. via the OverseasHighway, thus bypassing U.S. Customs. In the ensuing melee, Harry and Helen...
the OverseasHighway of the Florida Keys – use mileposts to mark points of interest or (in the cases of many businesses along the OverseasHighway) as...
per year in employee wages. Like the OverseasHighway, the history of Card Sound Bridge begins with the Overseas Railway—although at no time was the bridge...
state park (3.9 km2) was dedicated October 1, 1969. U.S. 1 (or the OverseasHighway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 65.5--71, between Fiesta...
his term as Acting Governor, Johns promoted highway construction, eliminating tolls on the OverseasHighway between Miami and Key West. He was also an...
U.S. Route 1. The portion of U.S. 1 through the Keys is called the OverseasHighway. Franklin Roosevelt toured the road in 1939. During World War II, more...
Global Information
US 1 / SR A1A in Key West, FL
CR 905 in Key Largo, FL