History
It was originally built by Henry Flagler as part of the Overseas Railroad which was completed in 1912. Flagler funded the construction of the bridge, along with the rest of the railway himself. It was purchased by the state of Florida and converted for highway use in 1938 after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Rather than completely rebuilding the bridge after the hurricane, the existing structure was repaired and the deck for the Overseas Highway was added on top, as the existing deck inside the truss was too narrow for vehicular traffic. The bridge served as the primary mode of transport to the islands of the lower Keys, and as a primary evacuation route.
A new four-lane bridge was built in 1972, a few hundred yards north of the old bridge, replacing the old route of U.S. 1. Today, the former bridge provides a scenic overview of the area for tourists. Two of the truss spans have been removed in order to facilitate boat traffic, as the new bridge has an increased span height. The original bridge has fallen into a state of disrepair and signs have been posted on the bridge warning boat traffic to watch for falling debris, but all of the sections have remained standing (not counting the two that were removed). The easternmost section remains open to pedestrian traffic and is maintained by Bahia Honda State Park.
Read more about this topic: Bahia Honda Rail Bridge
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