overseas highway

Known to be by far the worlds longest island hopping highway, the Overseas Highway is a 127.5-mile highway carrying U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys; and over often lengthy open-water spans lying between the major cities of Key Largo and Key West. Large parts of it were built on the former right-of- way of an overseas railroad completed in 1912. The Overseas Railroad was heavily damaged and partially destroyed in the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and never rebuilt. The original construction of the Overseas Highway used many of the bridges of the former railroad and had its official opening on March 29, 1939. Following many upgrades through the years the entire roadway was substantially rebuilt in the 1980s. Due to their tropical climate, the Florida Keys attract several hundred thousand tourists annually with the Overseas Highway receiving a substantial share.