The small, 5-acre island of Pigeon Key lies beneath the Old Seven Mile Bridge. Originally housing over 400 workmen from 1908 to 1912, the island was eventually abandoned and remained deserted until the restoration began years later.
People Also Ask
How deep is the water under the Florida Keys bridge? The water under the 7 Mile Bridge is deep but not overly so. It ranges from 18 to 22 feet.
The vast majority of the original bridge still exists, although the swing span — which allowed passage of boats in the Moser Channel near where the bridge crosses Pigeon Key — was removed in the aftermath of yet another destructive hurricane (Hurricane Donna) in 1960.
For 44 years, until the adjoining new bridge opened in 1982, the Old Seven Mile Bridge was the only road cars could take to Key West. It was 22 feet wide, a single lane in each direction with no shoulder at all.
You can walk, bike or rollerblade the approximately 2.2 miles to Pigeon Key on the bridge and enjoy the amazing views. In the Florida Keys, there is no name better known than Henry Flagler who built the world-famous Oversea Railway in the early 1900's.
Fun Bridge FactsDoes the large hole in the bridge next to Pigeon Key have you wondering? It used to be a swing bridge to pass boats through and now that the bridge no longer operates, there is a gigantic hole! The actual length of the bridge is technically only 6.765-miles long - not seven!
The Old Seven was originally constructed in early 1900 as part of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway's Key West Extension, also known as the Overseas Railroad. In the early 1980's this old bridge was no longer used for vehicular traffic when the new bridge was constructed.
A trip across the iconic Seven Mile Bridge may only take a matter of minutes, but there's plenty to see along the way. While there is no stopping on the bridge, there are areas where visitors can visit and access whether by ferry, on foot, or by bicycle.
It's quite a famous bridge having appeared in a lot of movies, with a starring role in action thrillers like Licence to Kill, True Lies, The Haunted Mansion, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Mission Impossible III, I Am Number Four and Leverage. The Florida Keys' Seven Mile Bridge looks as impressive on film as it does in real life.
Near the center, the bridge rises in an arc to provide 65-foot (20 m)-high clearance for boat passage. The remainder of the bridge is considerably closer to the water surface.