The Bahia Honda Bridge is one of the vestiges of change that has taken place in the Keys over the past century. Before Flaggler built his railroad, all supplies came to the keys by boat or possibly aircraft. Flaggler's railroad built a series of bridges connection mainland Florida with the Keys. After the hurricane of 1936 that bankrupted the railroad, the railroad bridges became the overseas highway. The train and the highway gave the keys a connection that was reliable and practical to transport people and supplies the entire length of the keys.
Today there is a modern highway to the north of the original Bahia Honda Bridge that exhibits both the rail bed and the highway on the same historic bridge. The bridge is in very bad shape at this time and pieces are rusting and falling off of it regularly. It is a doomed relic that you should see on your next trip up the keys. It is not very likely that it will be around for too many more years. They are not allowing people on the end of the bridge any more because of the deteriorating structure's instability. ;o)
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