# Long Key Bridge > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Long_Key_Bridge > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Long_Key_Bridge.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Key_Bridge > Source revision: 1271646617 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Bridge in Florida, United States of America}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox bridge |bridge_name= Long Key Bridge |image= Long Key Bridge.JPG |image_size=300px |caption= Current structure with the original viaduct running parallel |official_name= Dante B. Fascell Bridge |also_known_as= |carries= {{jct|state=FL|US|1}} ([Overseas Highway](/source/Overseas_Highway)) |crosses= Long Key Channel |locale= [Layton, Florida](/source/Layton%2C_Florida) |maint= [Florida Department of Transportation](/source/Florida_Department_of_Transportation) |id= 900092 |design= [precast](/source/Precast_concrete) segmented [box girder bridge](/source/box_girder_bridge) |mainspan= |length= 2.3 miles |width= |clearance= 25 feet |below= |traffic= |cost= |open= 1982 |closed= |toll= |coordinates= {{coord|24.797|-80.868|type:landmark_region:US-FL_dim:3000|display=inline,title}} |map_caption= |map_width= |lat= |long= }} The '''Long Key Bridge''', officially known as the '''Dante B. Fascell Bridge''', is a bridge in the [Florida Keys](/source/Florida_Keys) connecting [Long Key](/source/Long_Key) and [Conch Key](/source/Conch_Key%2C_Florida), roughly halfway between [Miami](/source/Miami) and [Key West](/source/Key_West). At a length of nearly two and a half miles, it is the second longest bridge on the [Overseas Highway](/source/Overseas_Highway) after the [Seven Mile Bridge](/source/Seven_Mile_Bridge).{{cite book|last1=Farren|first1=Rick|title=Longstreet Highroad Guide to the Florida Keys & Everglades|date=1999|publisher=John F. Blair|isbn=9780895872807|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1eFpaZDEOUC&q=long+key+bridge+second+longest&pg=PA72|accessdate=10 September 2015}}{{cite web|title=SR-5 US-1 over LONG KEY CHANNEL|url=http://uglybridges.com/1088624|website=Ugly Bridges|accessdate=10 September 2015}} The current bridge opened in 1982, replacing the parallel '''Long Key Viaduct''', which carried the [Overseas Railroad](/source/Overseas_Railroad) from 1907 to 1935 and was repurposed for highway use shortly after. ==Current Structure== thumb|left|upright|Long Key Bridge is officially named for former U.S. Representative Dante B. Fascell Opening in 1982, the current bridge was built as part of a modernization effort for the entire Overseas Highway to replace the aging historic bridges originally built for the Overseas Railroad. The current bridge is a box-girder structure built from precast, prestressed concrete sections. The bridge consists of 103 spans total, two of which are 117 feet long with the remaining spans at a length of 118 feet. The spans are supported by a series of V-shaped piers. This method allowed the superstructure to be pieced together in less than 12 months. Bridges built in the keys at this time were some of the first in North America to be built using this method.{{cite web|title=Construction of Long Key Bridge|url=http://www.pci.org/Design_Resources/Guides_and_Manuals/References/Bridge_Design_Manual/JL-80-November-December_Construction_of_Long_Key_Bridge/|website=Precast, Prestressed Concrete Institute|accessdate=10 September 2015}} The current bridge is officially named after [U.S. Representative](/source/U.S._Representative) [Dante Fascell](/source/Dante_Fascell), who served from 1955 to 1993. He is best known for championing legislation to create [Biscayne National Park](/source/Biscayne_National_Park).{{cite web|title=Long Key Channel|url=http://conchscooter.blogspot.com/2009/05/long-key-channel.html|website=Key West Diary|date=9 May 2009 |accessdate=10 September 2015}} ==Long Key Viaduct== thumb|left|Postcard of a train crossing Long Key Viaduct The current structure was built to replace the Long Key Viaduct, which still stands parallel to the bridge. The Long Key Viaduct was completed in 1907 by [Henry Flagler](/source/Henry_Flagler) as part of his [Overseas Railroad](/source/Overseas_Railroad), the Key West Extension of the [Florida East Coast Railway](/source/Florida_East_Coast_Railway) (though the railroad would not fully reach Key West until 1912). The viaduct was built with a series of 186 concrete [arches](/source/arch_bridge), a design used by most of the railroad bridges in the keys. The Florida East Coast Railway often used the Long Key Viaduct in promotional material for the Overseas Railroad. thumb|right|Long Key Viaduct under construction Rail service was discontinued after the [Labor Day Hurricane of 1935](/source/Labor_Day_Hurricane_of_1935) struck the area, which irreparably destroyed the railroad in the upper keys. The viaduct itself though was not heavily damaged. The Florida East Coast Railway then sold the remaining right of way and infrastructure to the state, who then built the Overseas Highway along the route. To accommodate the highway, the tracks on the bridge were replaced by a new two-lane wide reinforced concrete surface for automobile traffic. thumb|left|Long Key Viaduct as of 2015 The Long Key Viaduct was listed on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places) on August 13, 1979, along with the original [Seven Mile Bridge](/source/Seven_Mile_Bridge) and the [Bahia Honda Rail Bridge](/source/Bahia_Honda_Rail_Bridge). The viaduct was replaced by the current highway bridge shortly after in 1982. After discontinuation of automobile traffic, the viaduct was repurposed again as a bike path and fishing pier. For the most part, the deck of the viaduct was reduced to its original width from the railroad era. There are several fishing platform on both sides of the bridge. The viaduct is now part of the [Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail](/source/Florida_Keys_Overseas_Heritage_Trail), a multi-use bicycle and pedestrian path that will eventually run the entire length of the Overseas Highway. ==See also== * {{Portal-inline|Transport}} * {{Portal-inline|Engineering}} * {{Portal-inline|Florida}} ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Bridges of Florida}} Category:Bridges completed in 1982 Category:Bridges in Monroe County, Florida Category:Florida East Coast Railway Category:Landmarks in Florida Category:Railroad bridges in Florida Category:Tourist attractions in the Florida Keys Category:Road bridges in Florida Category:U.S. Route 1 Category:Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Category:1982 establishments in Florida Category:Viaducts in the United States Category:Concrete bridges in the United States Category:Arch bridges in the United States Category:Box girder bridges in the United States --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Long Key Bridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Key_Bridge) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Key_Bridge?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.