FDOT schedules public meetings on $13.9 million Keys bridge repairs

FDOT scheduled three public meetings in Marathon, Big Pine Key and Key West as it prepares $13.9 million in bridge repairs on U.S. 1 that could affect commutes, school runs, service calls and deliveries across the Keys for years.

The meetings were set for April 15, April 23 and April 30, giving Monroe County residents a chance to ask about a construction schedule that FDOT says will run from fall 2026 through fall 2029. The work covers eight bridges, including the Shark Channel Bridge in the Lower Keys, and centers on concrete repairs to bridge beams, corrosion protection, and fixes to damaged concrete and deck expansion joints.

FDOT project listings identify several of the structures already tied to the work: North Harris Channel Bridge #900109, Spanish Harbor Channel Bridge #900106, Bahia Honda Channel Bridges #900016 and #900045, North Pine Channel Bridge #900110, Torch Ramrod Channel Bridge #900114, Kemp Channel Bridge #900116 and the Seven Mile Bridge over Moser Channel #900101. FDOT materials also list the Shark Channel bridge as structure #900081 and place the Monroe County projects within FDOT District 6.

The timing matters in a county where U.S. 1, the Overseas Highway, is the sole evacuation route and stretches more than 116 miles across 61 bridges. Even staged work on a corridor that handles daily island-to-island traffic can quickly ripple through Marathon, the Lower Keys and Key West, where delays can reach emergency responders, tourism operations and workers moving between islands.

Monroe County Roads and Bridges says the county maintains 27 county bridges of its own, underscoring how constant bridge upkeep is throughout the Keys even beyond the state highway system. FDOT says state-owned bridges in poor condition are recommended for repair, rehabilitation or replacement, and the agency aims for at least 90% of its structures to meet a National Bridge Inventory rating of 6 or above.

For Monroe County drivers, the practical question is not whether the repairs will matter, but how they will be staged. FDOT’s schedule points to several years of construction planning before the first crews arrive, a sign that the agency expects the work to be spread out rather than bundled into one disruptive push.