Seven Mile Bridge

History of the Seven Mile Bridge

This is a double landmark with an interesting, albeit unhappy, history and truly American modernity.

Previously, the Maritime Railway was built on the site of the Seven Mile Bridge automobile bridge. The initiator and customer of the construction was tycoon Henry Flagler, a Rockefeller companion for Standard Oil and the owner of his railway company. The water element interfered with human plans for a long time, drowned building material and workers, but for seven years and at the cost of 700 lives, the railway through the sea was built and opened in 1912.

In 1935, this remarkable object of transport infrastructure was partially destroyed by a powerful hurricane. They did not begin to restore the railway connection; instead, by 1938, the Sea Highway was built. Hurricane Donna of 1960 caused severe damage to the Seven-Mile Bridge of Florida, so in 1978-1982 a new bridge was built next to it — much stronger and wider.

Old bridge

The surviving part of the old Seven Miles remains the fishermen’s favorite pier and place for tourists to walk, but due to storms and salt water it is gradually being destroyed. Recently, in Florida, a group of enthusiasts joined together in the Friends of the Old Seven Miles non-governmental organization to preserve the landmark for future generations — both locals and especially tourists.

Florida's new Seven-Mile Bridge at the time it opened in 1982 became the longest continuous concrete segmented bridge on the planet. Today it is not even in first place in length in the USA, but the world record set more than 30 years ago has remained in the world history of transport architecture.

Since 1982, the Seven Mile Bridge in Florida has been closed annually, and about 1,500 people have run the famous Seven Mile Marathon.

Bridge over the Florida Keys Islands

The Florida Keys Islands deserve the title of tourist paradise. Many vacationers on the seas prefer to go to the islands: as a rule, the water there is cleaner, the sand is softer, the nature is more picturesque, the atmosphere is calmer. US island resorts are no exception.

Key West port city is very popular with tourists — they are attracted to:

• amazing underwater world, keeping secrets of pirate treasures that still haunt treasure hunters;
• Attractions associated with the name of Hemingway;
• cozy and comfortable private hotels;
• excellent conditions for sport fishing;
• various holidays, going one after another in a fun sequence.

In this case, the islands of the Florida Keys do not need to sail by boat or boat - you can get there by car: they are connected to the Florida Peninsula by a 205-kilometer highway. The car offers stunning views of the endless sea, palm trees, marinas and landscapes of coastal towns.