Overseas Highway

[empirestate]

A few prior threads have mentioned this road, US 1 from Key West to Homestead, FL. But since I did the trip today, I figured I'd start a dedicated topic.

The first thing that struck me was how little of the route was actually "overseas". It's almost entirely on land (or at least fill), and I had always imagined endless causeways across open water.

My southbound trip was made on Sunday morning and so was quite tolerable (I even kept to US 1 all the way from North Miami). The return trip was Sunday evening and was less pleasant, for two reasons: 1) a traffic tie-up through Islamorada, I think because of the drawbridge at the north end, which I was able to circumvent partially by using the old highway; and 2) a sharp decline in driver behavior along the entire route.

Overall, I'm glad to have done it, but wish I hadn't had to do both directions the same day, and I think it would be altogether more pleasant if the Overseas Highway were still a railroad.


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[jwolfer]

It sucks if you get caught behind someone in an RV going super slow.

My ex mother in law's husband retired from a food supplier for fast food restaurants. The truck to Key West got held up for 12 hours because of a horrible wreck with deaths, clean up etc. The downfall of one road in

[jwolfer]

I would think a high speed ferry to Naples or Ft Myers would make sense

[andy3175]

I would think a high speed ferry to Naples or Ft Myers would make sense

A passenger ferry connects Fort Myers Beach to Key West year-round and Marco Island to Key West seasonally: http://www.seakeywestexpress.com/.

[jwolfer]

I would think a high speed ferry to Naples or Ft Myers would make sense

A passenger ferry connects Fort Myers Beach to Key West year-round and Marco Island to Key West seasonally: http://www.seakeywestexpress.com/.

Good for daytrip to sight see. I think it would be good to have a car ferry as well.

How long will it take to have ferry service to Cuba? When my mom was a kid in the 1950s my grandfather had a 6 week work assignment in Cuba. She remembers the ferry trip very well.

[slorydn1]

I've done it 3 times. Once in the late 90's, and it was kinda slow going, really not all the bad since I wasn't in a hurry.

The next time (2001) it took forever, there was a ton of road construction, lane resurfacing, (etc) causing one lane situations on a few spots. A thunderstorm on the way back caused a wreck just south of Key Largo and we didn't budge for 2 hours.

The last time (2004) it went pretty smooth in both directions. I got lucky in that I didn't get stuck behind any morons unwilling to go along with the program so it was a pretty enjoyable drive.

I usually reserve the term "stunning" for mountain road scenery but I can say the word stunning applies here in certain spots, too. I remember coming back towards Miami there is a spot on one of the bridges (I can't remember exactly where) where the road drops suddenly away and to the left so that just before you first reach the crest it looks like you are suddenly going to drive off into the ocean (you can't see the road in front of you for a second or 2).

[empirestate]

I remember coming back towards Miami there is a spot on one of the bridges (I can't remember exactly where) where the road drops suddenly away and to the left so that just before you first reach the crest it looks like you are suddenly going to drive off into the ocean (you can't see the road in front of you for a second or 2).

Yes, I recall that spot. I believe that would be NB into Lower Matecumbe Key.

In general, I think the road really needs to be four-lane divided for its whole length to accommodate the traffic demands. But of course, to do so would adversely affect the character of the area and perhaps make it less worth visiting, which is what makes me feel it would be much better served by rail.


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[ysuindy]

Did the Overseas Highway drive on my son's Spring Break in 2012.  Spent Friday night in Key Largo and  used all day Saturday to make the drive to Key West.

Besides being a road geek, I'm a weather geek.  We made a few stops on the way to see a few sites related to the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane (Key State Geological Park - where workers huddled in the quarry during the hurricane as well as the Hurricane Monument in Islamorada.  We also took the ferry out to Pigeon Key and made a few other stops.

We drove out on a Tuesday morning in very light traffic.  We never had any real traffic issues down or back - maybe because we really weren't in a hurry.  But it is very easy to see how traffic could get snarled and why a hurricane evacuation of the Lower Keys would be a nightmare.

I'm glad we made the trip - and I wouldn't mind doing it again.  The summer before we drove Route 1 through Big Sur - iconic drives on opposite ends of the country.

[realjd]

I miss the "Bridge may ice in cold weather" sign posted on the SB approach to the 7 mile bridge.

[Duke87]

What some people who haven't done it might not appreciate is it is a looong drive. From Key West to the mainland alone is over 100 miles all on 2 lane road, and even at that point you're still over an hour from downtown Miami.

I did it in one day as a round trip from West Palm Beach and it took all day, with only a couple hours spent in Key West Proper.

I made sure I clinched the southernmost segment of FL A1A while I was down there. Frankly, Key West is a horrid place that I have no interest in ever returning to.

[leroys73]

Good info.  i will be taking a Motorcycle trip to Key West from Dallas.  i read all I can from forums to best pick the time of year and time of week to make it.  This is in an effort to avoid as many of the RVs and slow ass tourists I can. 

Thanks again.

[realjd]

Frankly, Key West is a horrid place that I have no interest in ever returning to.

? ?

What makes it so horrid in your mind? Key West is one of my favorite places in the US. My wife and I drive down there for long weekends several times a year. There's tons of good food, the people are awesome, and the lifestyle is super laid back.

[empirestate]

Frankly, Key West is a horrid place that I have no interest in ever returning to.

? ?

What makes it so horrid in your mind? Key West is one of my favorite places in the US. My wife and I drive down there for long weekends several times a year. There's tons of good food, the people are awesome, and the lifestyle is super laid back.

Yeah, good question. Especially when you compare it to, well, most anywhere else in Florida!

[Duke87]

? ?

What makes it so horrid in your mind? Key West is one of my favorite places in the US. My wife and I drive down there for long weekends several times a year. There's tons of good food, the people are awesome, and the lifestyle is super laid back.

I dislike any locale that thrives primarily on tourism. Such places have no soul, feel extremely artificial... and, well, tend to be crowded with tourists, which I generally hate dealing with. As for the lifestyle being super laid back, I am the opposite, and super laid back people are annoying because they move slowly with no sense of urgency and generally get in my way.

I also find it exceptionally disappointing that the Overseas Highway - a 100+ mile long dead end road with fun history, tons of abandoned bridges, and a generally unique aesthetic - features something as mundane as Key West at the end. The end of a road like that should feature some awe-inspiring isolated end-of-the-earth type place that few people ever see because few people ever make the trek all the way out there. Instead, the end of the road is a goddamned tourist trap. It's like going on a tour of a candy factory and then being given a free sample of broccoli at the end.

[empirestate]

? ?

What makes it so horrid in your mind? Key West is one of my favorite places in the US. My wife and I drive down there for long weekends several times a year. There's tons of good food, the people are awesome, and the lifestyle is super laid back.

I dislike any locale that thrives primarily on tourism. Such places have no soul, feel extremely artificial... and, well, tend to be crowded with tourists, which I generally hate dealing with.

I feel the same way, though Key West is far from the most offensive example of this I've seen. So I wouldn't rank it as "horrid" as that would imply that few places could be any worse; certainly, there are many places I've been that I'd less want to revisit than Key West.

And again, I suppose I'm comparing it to the rest of the state, so much of which seems geared toward a lifestyle that strikes me as oppressively boring–and thus soulless and artificial–and that's outside the tourist areas.

[leroys73]

I haven't been there yet but will soon, like next year.  I have wanted to go there since I was a kid in the 60s.  I have to agree to some extend as I don't like the crowded tourist places but try to pick the less touristy season.

Horrid?  And you are from Queens?  Now, talk about Horrid, the NYC area IS Horrid!  But that is my opinion. 

Many people think west Texas or SE Utah are ugly but I like visiting there.  That is why they have menus.  Each to their own.

[Duke87]

Horrid?  And you are from Queens?  Now, talk about Horrid, the NYC area IS Horrid!  But that is my opinion. 

Many people think west Texas or SE Utah are ugly but I like visiting there.  That is why they have menus.  Each to their own.

Fair point. Different areas cater to different lifestyles and if you're in a different mindset from the local population it can be difficult to enjoy. I imagine your inability to do things like a Texan in New York City feels similar my inability to do thinks like a New Yorker in Key West.

I feel the same way, though Key West is far from the most offensive example of this I've seen. So I wouldn't rank it as "horrid" as that would imply that few places could be any worse; certainly, there are many places I've been that I'd less want to revisit than Key West.

And again, I suppose I'm comparing it to the rest of the state, so much of which seems geared toward a lifestyle that strikes me as oppressively boring–and thus soulless and artificial–and that's outside the tourist areas.

True, I'm not terribly fond of Florida as a whole either. I'd say my exceptional dislike of Key West is less on account of what it is and more on account of where it is located - i.e., it's no better or worse than any other touristy spot in Florida when analyzed in a vacuum, but because it takes longer than any of those other locations to get to, it has the worst length of run to length of slide ratio.

[empirestate]

I feel the same way, though Key West is far from the most offensive example of this I've seen. So I wouldn't rank it as "horrid" as that would imply that few places could be any worse; certainly, there are many places I've been that I'd less want to revisit than Key West.

And again, I suppose I'm comparing it to the rest of the state, so much of which seems geared toward a lifestyle that strikes me as oppressively boring–and thus soulless and artificial–and that's outside the tourist areas.

True, I'm not terribly fond of Florida as a whole either. I'd say my exceptional dislike of Key West is less on account of what it is and more on account of where it is located - i.e., it's no better or worse than any other touristy spot in Florida when analyzed in a vacuum, but because it takes longer than any of those other locations to get to, it has the worst length of run to length of slide ratio.

Yeah, I mean I definitely wouldn't be in a hurry to repeat the drive out to Key West, unless I had a fairly long vacation lined up there. But in the course of my work I do end up fairly often at tourist traps here and there, and Key West is about as likely a destination as any other despite its remoteness. So taking that aspect out of the occasion, I think I'd be just as happy to end up there as I would at many other spots, if not considerably more so. (Also, because of its isolation, Key West has to function to some extent as a proper city in support of its tourism sector. In other words, there is some amount of a local scene there, unlike many tourist traps that have no real-life occupancy.)

[jwolfer]

Frankly, Key West is a horrid place that I have no interest in ever returning to.

? ?

What makes it so horrid in your mind? Key West is one of my favorite places in the US. My wife and I drive down there for long weekends several times a year. There's tons of good food, the people are awesome, and the lifestyle is super laid back.

Yeah, good question. Especially when you compare it to, well, most anywhere else in Florida!

I think we t used to be funky little place different from anywhere else is the the USA. I know someone who was stationed there in the 1970s and stayed for 8 years. He used to drink with Jimmy Buffett. He has some neat stories from back then.

He and his wife went back while on a cruise and they disappointed at how it had changed. It's a cruise port. The only people who can afford to own houses are wealthy vacation home owners.
It was an out of the way place that just got too popular, whatever charm it had is gone and a phoney shell of what it was remains.

And "laid back" people a lot of times work too hard at it..

[leroys73]

Duke 87,

I have to say Honolulu probably strikes me close to the way Key West hits you.  I have never been to Key West but will next year.  It is on my list.  Probably one trip will do me in considering the long slow trip down there.   

I have been to Honolulu once in the 70s as a single guy in my mid 20s visiting my sister and brother in law.  Babes on the beach was great but on the less popular beaches.

Then I was there in the late 90s, a lot of changes, with my wife and I was 20+ years older.  Both times I had full use of a car so I got to really see Oahu.  Neither time did I care to spend much time near Honolulu.  Oh yes, I went to the beaches both times but only once to Waikiki each time. 

Fortunately both times I was able to go to a couple of the other islands.  I had a car on each.  The island of Hawaii is my favorite as it is so diverse and you can get away from the tourists.

If I could return to the islands again I would like to go to the Arizona memorial for the third time.  I wish all Americans could go to it.  Then move on to "The Big Island".  The Arizona memorial is all I care to see on Oahu.   \\

I guess the word horrid is what set some people off.  But as I said that is why they have menus.  I like to ride a motorcycle long distances such as 1000 miles in 24 hours.  My buddy is good for 3 or 4 hundred.  He views my LD riding as a mental defect but agrees we are given menus. We are still buds and we ride places together.  I adjust to his style.

Sorry, I did not intend to hijack the thread. Let's hear more about Key West.

[realjd]

? ?

What makes it so horrid in your mind? Key West is one of my favorite places in the US. My wife and I drive down there for long weekends several times a year. There's tons of good food, the people are awesome, and the lifestyle is super laid back.

I dislike any locale that thrives primarily on tourism. Such places have no soul, feel extremely artificial... and, well, tend to be crowded with tourists, which I generally hate dealing with. As for the lifestyle being super laid back, I am the opposite, and super laid back people are annoying because they move slowly with no sense of urgency and generally get in my way.

I also find it exceptionally disappointing that the Overseas Highway - a 100+ mile long dead end road with fun history, tons of abandoned bridges, and a generally unique aesthetic - features something as mundane as Key West at the end. The end of a road like that should feature some awe-inspiring isolated end-of-the-earth type place that few people ever see because few people ever make the trek all the way out there. Instead, the end of the road is a goddamned tourist trap. It's like going on a tour of a candy factory and then being given a free sample of broccoli at the end.

You did the wrong things in KW then. That's like writing New York off because Times Square sucks. The local culture is one of the things we find so fascinating about Key West. Go a block off of Duval (but I'm not talking the tacky "north" end of the island where US1 and A1A meet) and you'll find a vibrant small town full of interesting, colorful people. It's a neat mix of fishermen, military, artists, people who came on vacation and never left, authors, terrific chefs, and vagrants. It's the kind of place where your bartender at the touristy bar also wrote the bestselling Key West guide book, or the guy playing guitar on the street for cash is an accomplished architect and interior designer who did half of the restaurants on Duval.

Are you familiar with the Conch Republic? That spirit is an example of what makes Key West so unique.

KW is definitely not the end of the earth. What you're looking for you may find at the end of the north Dalton Highway, but not a place with an easy drive to a major city and with such a big military presence. KW is unique but hardly remote.

[mefailenglish]

The end of a road like that should feature some awe-inspiring isolated end-of-the-earth type place that few people ever see because few people ever make the trek all the way out there. Instead, the end of the road is a goddamned tourist trap.

There is an awe-inspiring isolated end-of-the-earth type place that few people ever see at the end of the Keys.  Problem is, you have to get out of your car and hop on a ferry or seaplane to get there.  It's Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas.