The famous Seven Mile Bridge of the Florida Keys near Marathon has been used in a number of different movies such as “True Lies”. The Overseas Highway that links the peninsula of Florida to the barrier islands of the Keys to end at Key West as the Southernmost point of the Continental United States was built in the 1940s and substantially rebuilt in the 1980s. Significantly abbreviating the actual history of what occurred, many portions of the highway were built over the previous right of way of the Overseas Railroad of the  Florida East Coast Railroad that Henry Flagler envisioned and brought to reality over a grueling period from 1904-1912. When Flagler announced that he would build the Key West Extension of approximately 127 miles over what was considered impossible terrain (mostly water), it was soon declared as Flagler’s Folly among other names. Did Flagler underestimate the project? Yes. Was it far more expensive and time-consuming and did it cost the lives of thousands of men? Sadly, yes. It did, however, then earn the term “Engineering Marvel” upon completion. There are 2-3 excellent books if you want to read the details of this extraordinary feat and of the men who made it happen.

With all of that said, the point of this post is that a recent Florida Department of Transportation Study is sounding the alarm about the conditions of bridges along the Overseas Highway with a whopping estimate of around $140 million for all the repairs. Of note is that “the 100 year old arches and structure are not the problem”; it is the more modern concrete and steel that require replacement and repair. Think about that for a few minutes. That task that was thought to be impossible was not only achieved, but portions of it are enduring 100 years later.