Bahia Honda
29 March 2017 | Bahia Honda State Park
Doug
When we left Boot Key Harbor we sailed out beyond the reef line to deep water in hopes of catching fish. We came upon the largest and longest weed line I have ever seen. Weed lines are good for catching dolphin (mahi) but we did not have any luck and we turned back in at Bahia Honda.
The entire island of Bahia Honda is a state park and we spent the following day exploring the area. The park has a small marina, a large campground and several nice beaches. We took a walk along a couple of their trails, one of which goes to the old overseas highway bridge which is built on top of the original railroad trestle. The view from the top of the span is spectacular.
The original Bahia Honda bridge is unique among all the bridges in the keys. Most of the original bridges built by Henry Flagler between 1905 and 1912 for his East Coast Railway are low arched bridges. But the 5055 foot wide Bahia Honda channel true to its Spanish name meaning “deep bay” is deeper than the other channels with a stronger tidal flow. So this bridge is a trestle construction (as can be seen in the photo). After the devastating Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 which hit the Keys with 200 mph winds and a 17 foot tidal surge, the railroad bridges were sold to the state of Florida and a road was built on top of the railroad bed. Unfortunately, the steel structure of the Bahia Honda Bridge was too narrow for a two lane highway, so the roadway was built on TOP of the arches in 1938. I can remember driving over this bridge as a child. It was a scary experience, but the view of the water from so high was great. In 1972 a new four lane bridge was constructed and the old bridge is now deteriorating and falling apart. One section of the old bridge was removed which provides access for sailboats to anchor between the two bridges off the state park beach.