I had to chuckle when you mentioned that "little one lane bridge". I am a native Floridian. When I was a kid in South Florida, my family took vacation in Key West. That "little one lane bridge" was actually two lanes, one in each direction. It was extremely narrow. It was also quite harrowing to be driving at 55 and 60 mph and seeing the approaching driver's mirror coming at your windshield at an incredibly fast closing speed. I cannot tell you how many times we were stuck in traffic because of an accident. Naturally, this was in the days before medivac so ambulances and police had to slowly drive up to the accident scene past the stopped traffic. It really did take hours to clear. But, the beauty of the keys made up for it. No where compares to the majestic changes of water color from deep blue to turqoise to green as abruptly as here. Because the railings were see through, you could really enjoy being in the middle of the water whilst waiting for the accident scene to clear up. The new bridges do not have see through railings. They have barriers (sort of like Jersey barriers I think they are called) that obstruct the view. So, my advice to anyone taking this ride rent an SUV, the higher the better, to get the views that are now blocked by the barriers. Also, one of the old bridges was actually over a train trestle (from the original overseas highway...the rail line that got blown away in the 1935 hurricane). It was a fascinating drive. Part of the reason was that the Keys were not so densely settled as they are now. But, that is the case for most of Florida. It really was much prettier in its wild state. Now, the entire state is compose of franchise restaurants and crowded roads.
By the way, I rate the Overseas Highway drive one of the two best in the Eastern US, the other being Skyline Drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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