Bahia Honda Bridge ~ Lower Florida Keys U.S.A
(15-shot series of this bridge in the comments)
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The Bahia Honda Rail Bridge is a disused bridge in the lower Florida Keys connecting Bahia Honda Key with Spanish Harbor Key. Originally part of the Overseas Railway, the State of Florida purchased it after the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and converted it to provide automobile use as part of the Overseas Highway in 1938. After a replacement Bahia Honda Bridge was opened in 1972, two spans of the bridge were removed to accommodate boat traffic and make the majority of the bridge inaccessible to pedestrian traffic, but the rest remain standing.
It was originally built by Henry Flagler as part of the Overseas Railroad which was completed in 1912. Flagler funded the construction of the bridge, along with the rest of the railway himself. It was purchased by the state of Florida and converted for highway use in 1938 after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Rather than completely rebuilding the bridge after the hurricane, the existing structure was repaired and the deck for the Overseas Highway was added on top, as the existing deck inside the truss was too narrow for vehicular traffic. The bridge served as the primary mode of transport to the islands of the lower Keys, and as a primary evacuation route.
A new four-lane bridge was built in 1980, a few hundred yards north of the old bridge, replacing the old route of U.S. 1. Today, the former bridge provides a scenic overview of the area for tourists. Two of the truss spans have been removed in order to facilitate boat traffic, as the new bridge has an increased span height. The original bridge has fallen into a state of disrepair and signs have been posted on the bridge warning boat traffic to watch for falling debris, but all of the sections have remained standing (not counting the two that were removed). The easternmost section remains open to pedestrian traffic and is maintained by Bahia Honda State Park ~ Bahia Honda Rail Bridge ~ Spanish Harbor Key ~ Bahia Honda Key ~ Lower Keys
www.google.com/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahia_H...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_East_Coast_Railway#History
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Railroad
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Highway
Car jumps off bridge ~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPFFCk0HeJ4&feature=youtu.be
Tags: bridge rail bridge Spanish Harbor Key Bahia Honda Key Florida Keys Bahia Honda Rail Bridge United States Built 1912 Henry Flagler pioneer historic bridge wide angle clear water seascape channel current Historic Florida Bridge island chain length: 5055 feet depth: 24 feet steel truss 103 years old closed concrete steel rust decay original rail bridge converted roadway blue sky blue ocean This Old Bridge Atlantic Ocean Lower Keys outdoor
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Sunset ~ Key West, Florida U.S.A.
Key West Harbor ~ Atlantic Ocean
Monroe County ~ Quarta Sunset 301
(one more photo from this night in the comments)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West,_Florida
Tags: Key West Florida United States South Florida Monroe County U.S.A. Florida Keys island chain tropical paradise warm ninety miles from Cuba Atlantic Ocean sunset sailship The Appledore charter schooner Sunset Cruise sails sunset sail colorful Key West Harbor horizon outdoor sea boat ship vehicle sky travel Mallory Square seagulls silhouette fun exciting holiday sail cloud dusk rays sun beams Sea Beams 1/wk on Wed for 5+ years! Quarta Sunset 301
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The Appledore ~ Key West, Florida U.S.A.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West,_Florida
Tags: Key West Florida United States South Florida Monroe County U.S.A. Florida Keys island chain tropical paradise warm ninety miles from Cuba Atlantic Ocean sunset sailship The Appledore charter schooner Sunset Cruise sails sunset sail colorful Key West Harbor horizon outdoor sea boat ship vehicle sky travel Mallory Square seagulls silhouette fun exciting holiday sail
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She safely guided mariners to the southernmost point in the continental United States since she was first lit in 1849. Her
light was seen for miles out at sea ~ Key West, Florida U.S.A.
[She was deactivated in 1969 and is no longer in daily use]
(two more overhead photos of this lighthouse in the comments)
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The Key West lighthouse is located in Key West, Florida. The first Key West lighthouse was a 65-foot tower completed in 1825. It had 15 lamps in 15-inch (380 mm) reflectors. The first keeper, Michael Mabrity, died in 1832, and his widow, Barbara, became the lighthouse keeper, serving for 32 years. The Great Havana Hurricane of 1846 destroyed the lighthouse; the USS Morris, which was wrecked during the storm, reported "a white sand beach covers the spot where Key West Lighthouse stood". Barbara Mabrity survived, but fourteen people who had sought refuge in the lighthouse tower died, including seven members of her family. (The same hurricane destroyed the Sand Key Lighthouse, eight miles away, killing six people, including the keeper, Rebecca Flaherty, another widow of a previous keeper.) Barbara Mabrity continued to serve as keeper of the Key West Light until the early 1860s, when she was fired at age 82 for making statements against the Union (Key West remained under Union control throughout the Civil War).
As both lighthouses serving Key West had been destroyed in the 1846 hurricane, a ship, the Honey, was acquired and outfitted as a lightship to serve as the Sand Key Light until new lighthouses could be built. Due to efforts to reorganize the Lighthouse Board, Congress was slow to appropriate funds for the new lighthouses. The new tower for the Key West Light was completed in 1849. It was 66 feet tall with 13 lamps in 21-inch (530 mm) reflectors, and stood on ground about 15 feet above sea level. In 1858 the light received a third order Fresnel lens. In 1873 the lantern was replaced (it had been damaged by a hurricane in 1866), adding three feet to the height of the tower. The growth of trees and taller buildings in Key West began to obscure the light, and in 1894 the tower was raised twenty feet, placing the light about 100 feet above sea level.
After the Coast Guard decommissioned the Key West Light in 1969, it was turned over to Monroe County, which in turn leased it to the Key West Arts and Historical Society. The society operates the lighthouse and its associated buildings as the Key West Light House and Keeper's Quarters Museum. On display at the museum is the first order Fresnel lens from the Sombrero Key lighthouse.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West_Light
factoidz.com/beautiful-lighthouses-in-florida-are-great-t...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West,_Florida
Tags: Key West Florida United States South Florida Monroe County U.S.A. Florida Keys island chain tropical paradise warm fun exciting travel ninety miles from Cuba treetops lighthouse tree canopy pines construction: brick built: 1847 100 FT year first lit: 1849 sunlit Key West Lighthouse deactivated: 1969 landscape canopy outdoor Fall 2015 Whitehead Street
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Sunset ~ Key West Harbor ~ Key West, Florida U.S.A.
(two more photos of this night in the comments)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West,_Florida
Tags: Key West Florida United States South Florida Monroe County U.S.A. Florida Keys island chain tropical paradise warm ninety miles from Cuba Atlantic Ocean sunset sailship The Appledore charter schooner Sunset Cruise sails sunset sail colorful Key West Harbor horizon outdoor sea boat ship vehicle sky travel Mallory Square seagulls silhouette fun exciting holiday sail Full Sails sail-ships coth5
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