The Overseas Highway: The US' 'floating' highway

The Overseas Highway, a remarkable engineering feat, stretches 113 miles into the open ocean, linking the scattered Florida Keys to the mainland. This highway has indelibly transformed Florida. Picture yourself cruising across miles of shimmering waters, flanked by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The sky and the sea merge into a tableau of blue, punctuated by the coral and limestone islands. Amidst this scenic drive, you might even catch a glimpse of a pod of bottlenose dolphins gracefully leaping in and out of the waves.

In the early 20th Century, the journey from Miami to Key West, Florida, was far from straightforward. The only means to reach the southernmost point in the continental US was a day-long boat ride, subject to the whims of weather and tides. However, the construction of the Overseas Highway, a stunning engineering marvel that spans 113 miles from the mainland's southern tip across 44 tropical islands on 42 bridges, has revolutionized this journey. As you traverse this highway, it feels as though you're floating across a chain of mangrove forests and cays, driving towards the convergence point of North America and the Caribbean.

The Overseas Highway has its roots in the Over-Sea Railroad, the brainchild of visionary developer Henry Morrison Flagler, often referred to as 'The Father of Modern Florida'. In 1870, Flagler co-founded the Standard Oil Company with business magnate John D Rockefeller, which burgeoned into one of the world's largest and most influential corporations at the dawn of the 20th Century. Recognizing Florida's potential as a tourist destination, Flagler invested a significant portion of his wealth into the region, constructing luxury resorts that transformed one of the US' poorest states into a winter haven for Gilded-Age travelers from the Northeast US. However, the lack of a convenient transportation system posed a challenge for guests to reach Flagler's opulent but remote resorts. To address this, Flagler connected a series of disjointed railroads along Florida's Atlantic Coast from Jacksonville, at Florida's northern end, to Miami, near the state's southern tip. But Flagler's vision extended beyond Miami. When the US initiated the construction of the Panama Canal in 1904, Flagler recognized the immense potential of Key West – the US' closest landmass to the Canal and the deepest port in the Southeast US. Despite facing numerous obstacles, including three hurricanes that claimed the lives of more than 100 workers, Flagler remained undeterred. The railroad, which took seven years and $50m ($1. 56bn today) to build, was finally completed in 1912 and was hailed as 'the eighth wonder of the world'.