Seven Mile Bridge

A relief from the monotony of driving along route 1 through the Keys.
If you drive out Route 1 through the Florida Keys to Key West, you’ll note you are surrounded by rows of trees. There’s little of the ocean to view, and in a sense, that’s makes sense, because vegetation is necessary to limit erosion at the shorelines. Contrarily, it also means you won’t see much during this drive.
A trip over the 7-​mile bridge provides some visual relief. The turquoise waters and seascape are lovely. But as another reviewer wrote here, there’s little special about this visual. There are many more stunning visual reliefs elsewhere in the U.S. This one just happens to be in the Keys.

This is an iconic drive and one I was excited to do! We drove it a few times in our Mini Convertible and once in our RV on the way to Key West. The view as you crest the incline is pretty amazing. Just don’t stop as some silly people try to do — it’s not safe and there is no pull off lane (just a bike lane) so just keep driving — have your passenger film while you drive or use a dash mount GoPro for goodness sake! It’s a highway!

We came by here on our way to Key West and it was definitely one of the more impressive bridges I’ve seen. With water on both sides and a singular bridge ahead, it made for quite a minimalist view. There’s even a small rest area for people to stop and take photos.

A ll I can think of is Jamie Lee Curtis in a limo in the movie True Lies
I’m not real crazy about bridges — Golden Gate and Oakland Bay are not my favs. So cruising down a stretch of seven miles that is nothing but bridge. Ugh. It did pass faster than I thought considering traffic can run past 55 and is single lane each way. The view is really cool, watching scattered island go by and checking out parts of the old train tracks. Even finding that spot where the limo went into the water just after Schwarzenegger leans out a helicopter and grabs Curtis.
On the return trip it didn’t seem as long. :)

This is rated as one of the top 10 drives in the world. The drive itself is beautiful indeed. For a change we decided not to stop and click pics and only experience the beauty and enjoy it. Loved the drive and the view on either sides. Must do if you are travelling to the lovely Florida Keys

The 7 mile Bridge near Marathon Florida on the way down to the keys to me should be one of the greatest architectural achievements in the US. The views from this bridge are fantastic. On the north end of the bridge one of the other areas that should be viewed is the Sunset Grill which lies at the bottom of the bridge. This bar and Grill has an outdoor swimming pool and has a beautiful view of the bridge from the bottom of the structure. If possible, The best way to travel on the 7 mile Bridge is in a convertible which gives you a beautiful view of both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

I finally had the opportunity to get some pics to accompany my review with my husband driving me back to the Keys. Photo ops and driving don’t mix, nor do check-​ins, so I always pass on this check point when traveling alone.
This is a beautiful two lane highway that is very well maintained. Once I hit the southbound entry I know it’s smooth sailing the rest of the way to Key West. What I love most is the changes of the beautiful blue and green ocean colors, and the incredible architecture of the old Flagler Railway, particularly how it changes styles as you move along the highway. There is a wonderful paperback book «Last Train to Paradise*» on the rise and fall of the Flagler Railroad that is a very interesting read which talks about the reasoning for the changes in the bridge engineering & design, and how many of the Keys got their names. It is chock full of historical facts as it takes you on a historic journey through Florida.
My only negative comment would be for the design & engineering of the new vehicle bridge, which allows minimal to no ample shoulder room for bike lanes. I think this was poor planning due to the amount of marathon runners, bicyclists and other functions where people are on the side of the small shoulder. Very dangerous and not much room for passing, so be careful when you see cyclists ahead of you.
Some Trivia —
— The Seven Mile Bridge connects Knight’s Key (part of the city of Marathon, Florida) in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys
— Commonly referred to as US 1, in the Keys it is better referred to as the Overseas Highway
— The road running parallel to the right is the old Flagler Raiload
— The Total length is 6.79 miles (10.93 km) — not a full seven miles
— The older Flagler Railroad bridge is only open to pedestrians and cyclists as of 2008
*Ref.: «Last Train to Paradise — Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean» — Paperback, by Les Standiford
Safe travels!

One of the longest bridges over the most pristine waters in the USA! Connects Knight’s Key (part of the city of Marathon, Florida) in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. Among the longest bridges in existence when it was built, it is one of the bridges on US 1 in the Keys, AKA the Overseas Highway.

I’ve always wanted to drive the 7 mile bridge. Managed it a few weeks ago in a convertible Mustang I’d hired in Miami. Wonderful experience, drove all the way down to Key West, really glad I did it!

Drove from Miami to Key West. It was amazing to drive across this long bridge over the ocean and see the remains of the old bridge. It is truly a modern marvel of engineering to construct that. It was a great drive at night with lightening all around us and great during a sunny day. Truly amazing.

We stop and fish here every year with great results! Great place to walk around, sit and relax, or take pictures. It is ridiculously busy at sunset time. Wasnt bad when we came but trying to leave was a disaster since NO ONE parks where they should and the idiot behind us wouldnt move. Other than parking being an issue its a great place.

My favorite part of the ride… mother nature’s finest work can be seen from every direction

One of the best views while driving over this bridge. Be sure to watch your speed, but enjoy the view while you can! You can also see the original bridge alongside while you drive along, but it looks pretty deteriorated. A great drive while heading to the Keys!

I love bridges. Longest was the Lake Pontchertrain bridge in Louisiana, 26 miles. Love the bridges in Pittsburgh. This was really nice to get to see all of the colors that the sea has to offer. And got to see part of the railroad bridge. That was neat. Of course you HAVE to go over it if your driving to Key West. So yes! I would drive over it again.

This by far the longest bridge in the Keys, it offer a beautiful view any time of the year. Beware it is one of the most heavily patrolled sections of the Overseas Highway in the Keys, if you get pulled over you will be issued a ticket.
The original bridge is in a state of deterioration and there is a fund set up for renovations, there is a chance this bridge will go the way like a lot of bridges go in this part of the world and that would be sad.
The original bridge no longer provides access to pigeon island this island now is only assessable by ferry. The bridge still provides a place to stroll and relax and provides some of the best view of the ocean. The pull offs located on both end of the bridge provide some placards with some significant historic value. So stop in and experience some of Florida best,
The Bridge was created by Henry Flagler
The new bridge is a box-​girder structure built from precast, prestressed concrete sections, comprising 440 spans. Near the center, the bridge rises in an arc to provide 65-​foot (20 m)-high clearance for boat passage. The remainder of the bridge is considerably closer to the water surface. The new bridge does not cross Pigeon Key.
The total length of the new bridge is actually 35,862 ft (10,931 m) or 6.79 miles (10.93 km), and is shorter than the original. Each April the bridge is closed for approximately 2.5 hours on a Saturday and a «fun run,» known as the Seven Mile Bridge Run, of 1,500 runners is held commemorating the Florida Keys bridge rebuilding project. The event began in 1982 to commemorate the completion of a federally funded bridge building program that replaced spans that oil tycoon Henry Flagler constructed in the early 1900s to serve as a foundation for his Overseas Railroad.

In the mid-​way between Key West and Miami so very convenient to stop and visit for a while.

I have never reviewed a bridge before but the 7 miles bridge is pretty amazing. Not only is it 7 miles long but the view cannot be beat. If the weather is good you can see out for miles. You will always see people walking or fishing and tons of boats and maybe even a plane on the water (the kind that float fyi lol).
There are areas at both ends of the bridge where you can park your car and walk along to enjoy the view or the sunset which I highly recommend. Just make sure to keep anything of value on you and not in the car to avoid break-​ins and they do happen so watch out!

Have been over my fair share of bridges in my day. I guess I expected it to be more spectacular and picturesque based on what I saw on the media and admittedly, I was underwhelmed.
Living in the Tampa area, I would liken it to a bridge that’s twice as long as the Howard Franklin. It’s a typical Florida bridge. If I hadn’t seen the road sign announcing it, I may not have realized I was driving over it.
More excited that I was almost to Key West. I guess there could have been a few Kodak moments from there but there were much nicer views before and after. I took seriously the warnings about car vandalizing in that area. Your car would be parked in an isolated area. Not worth the risk.
It certainly isn’t the Golden Gate, Brooklyn, or Sunshine Skyway for that matter but worth the trip to get to Key West! And it was free to drive over.

Not sure how to review a bridge…
This is by far the longest bridge that I’ve ever driven on and takes a while to get over. On the way down to Key West it was a pleasure to drive with the amazing views and sun. The pavement was nice and smooth and got to see the old 7 mile bridge next to it at certain points.
On the way back from Key West there was some marathon/​super marathon going on that took up the majority of the bridge so the traffic was extremely slow just down to 1 lane on the way back.
Overall, it’s a nice bridge…

Einen Stopp an der Seven Mile Bridge sollte man auf dem Weg nach Key West unbedingt einlegen. Leider kann man zwischendurch nicht anhalten, so dass man sich vor der Überfahrt oder danach entscheiden muss. Auf der Brücke ist absolutes Halteverbot. Ich hatte mich dann notgedrungen für einen Halt danach nicht ganz freiwillig entschieden.
Die Seven Mile Bridge ist die längste Brücke des Overseas Highways, der Marathon Key mit Little Duck Key miteinander verbindet. Sie ist 10.931 Meter lang und es ist einfach ein Erlebnis direkt über das türkisfarbene Wasser der Karibik zu cruisen. In der Mitte erreicht die Brücke eine Höhe von ca. 20 m über dem Meer, damit Schiffe passieren können.

Man kann aufgrund der gigantischen Ausmaße der Seven Mile Bridge, dies nur unzureichend in Bildern vermitteln. Aber es ist Vorort einfach nur beeindruckend.
Auch hier sind auf einem parallel endlos verlaufenden Fishing Pier viele Angler aktiv. Hier gelten strenge Vorschriften bezüglich der Fischbestände.

Tipp: Wer etwas mehr Zeit mitbringt, kann auf der parallel verlaufenden alten Brücke am Anfang der Seven Mile Bridge, die bis zum Pigeon Key noch vollständig erhalten ist, mit dem Fahrrad oder zu Fuß dieses Bauwerk auf sich wirken lassen.

This is a long bridge. Please take your bathroom break before it starts Lol. The views are wonderful. Crystal clear water on either side of you with alternating bands of light and dark blue. So magical. We drove over this during midday when the water is at its brightest. So wonderful! I thought I was going to cry. It was just that beautiful!