What happened to the old 7 Mile Bridge? The old 7 Mile Bridge was destroyed by a hurricane in 1935.
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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.
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.
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!
Despite many structural failures, the London Bridge never really 'fell down'. The old bridge built in 1209 lasted for 600 years. Eventually, it underwent demolition in 1831, after the new London Bridge was formed.
As if that wasn't enough, parts of the bridge collapsed on several occasions, including 1281, 1309, 1425 and 1437. The 1281 collapse happened when expanding ice from the frozen Thames literally crushed five of the arches.