Old Bahia Honda Bridge

Old Bahia Honda Bridge is a surviving steel-truss section of Henry Flagler’s railroad route to Key West, now an elevated overlook in the Calusa area at the southwest end of Bahia Honda State Park. It’s a worthwhile quick stop for a broad water view and a close look at the old span. The walk is about 0.4 mile round trip and starts with a staircase. A safety barrier stops visitors well short of the far end, so you cannot walk across the bridge. The short route still requires steps.

Enter Bahia Honda State Park from U.S. 1 and follow the park road to the Calusa day-use lot near the marina. The trail starts across from the Calusa Beach restroom: interpretive signs lead to stairs, then the old roadbed rises gently to the bridge. The nearby day-use area has restrooms, accessible cold outdoor showers, picnic tables and grills. Bicycles are not allowed on the footpath. For a close look at the lower arches and girders, take the separate Bahia Honda Beach Walk below the bridge.

From the bridge top, you look down over the water and across the island toward the marina. In calm conditions, fish and sea turtles may be visible below; rays or jumping fish may also appear. For a photo, include the old trusses with the Calusa shoreline and water beyond, so the frame shows both the bridge and the view from its height.

Henry Flagler’s plan to carry a railroad to the Keys dates to his first Florida visit in 1878. The Bahia Honda crossing opened in 1912, completing the rail route to Key West. Because this channel was deep, engineers used steel trusses here where other sections used concrete arches. Construction was hazardous in heat, hurricanes and disease; a 1910 hurricane knocked one pier out of alignment before workers repaired it.

The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 damaged the Keys rail route. Florida bought the bridge rather than abandon it, adding a concrete deck over the railroad structure for highway use. U.S. 1 opened across it in 1938 and remained there until 1972.