Tavernier water main project nears finish, easing Upper Keys traffic woes

The worst of Tavernier’s traffic squeeze is nearing an end as crews push the Plantation Key Transmission Main Replacement Project toward Julep Road, the final stretch of pipe left to install. Project manager Aaron Cutler told the Islamorada Village Council that the work is close enough to the finish line that the heaviest congestion should begin easing soon.

For months, drivers on U.S. 1 have been dealing with lane limits, side-street restrictions and the kind of slow-moving backups that can ripple through the Upper Keys in minutes. The project has been advancing north in 1,000-foot increments, with business access kept open, but the visible result has been a work zone that has narrowed travel through Tavernier and Plantation Key.

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority says the project is replacing six miles of existing 30-inch transmission main with a new 36-inch cathodically protected steel water main along U.S. 1 from Snake Creek to Julep Road. As of April 2, 31,887 feet had been installed, out of 32,165 feet expected by April 2026. FKAA says the old pipe has gone past its useful lifespan and is vulnerable to corrosion, leaks, storm surge and aggressive soils and subterranean tidal flows.

The utility says the transmission main is the pipe that carries drinking water from the water treatment plant to customers’ faucets, which makes the project more than a traffic headache. It is part of the larger effort to harden the Keys’ water system against failures that would affect homes, businesses and public safety across Monroe County.

That larger effort has been underway for years. FKAA began the Islamorada transmission main replacement in April 2023, and that phase cost about $42 million, with $20 million paid by grants and the rest financed through low-interest loans. The American Water Works Association has said the Keys work is part of a multidecade, multibillion-dollar campaign to replace the full 130-mile transmission line serving the islands. FKAA executive director Greg Veliz has said there is no comparable project, and the original line was installed by the U.S. Navy almost a century ago.

Drivers still need to watch for temporary restricted access at side streets and left-turn restrictions in the work zone. But the road map is finally pointing toward relief, especially as crews shift back to underwater work at Tavernier Creek Bridge and the northbound lane on U.S. 1 is expected to reopen. For Upper Keys commuters, that marks the first real sign that the months of concrete, pipe and detours are giving way to a more normal run through Tavernier.