A stretch of road on Lower Matecumbe will be raised to mitigate flooding from storms and address rising waters that have eroded a nearby beach.
Heavy equipment began arriving in Islamorada on April 25. An $18.1-million project by the Florida Department of Transportation will elevate and strengthen the road and shoulders from MM 73.8 to MM 76. With construction beginning this month, FDOT says the project will take roughly 18 months.
“The Department has a duty to prolong the lifespan of the existing road and keep it safe for the public. For this reason, the Department is performing a resurfacing, restoration and rehabilitation (RRR) project along the corridor,” FDOT said.
The road and shoulders south of Tollgate Boulevard and near Palm Drive will be elevated some 14 inches. Adjacent to Sea Oats Beach, FDOT said, the road and shoulder will be raised 12 to 24 inches.
For the 1.9 miles north of Sea Oats Beach, the highway and shoulders will be raised about 9 inches. The half-mile south of Lignumvitae Bridge will remain the same, FDOT says.
In addition to raising the road and shoulders, the project will improve drainage, tie into a shoreline protection system along Sea Oats Beach and a guardrail. Last year, crews conducted a project to harden the shoreline at the beach that’s seen waters creeping near shore over the years. In January 2021, crews began repairing the embankment and shoulder near the beach on Lower Matecumbe Key — an area that was washed out by Hurricane Irma. Work was part of a larger Hurricane Irma repair project by FDOT, estimated at $6 million, to repair embankments from MM 33 to MM 79 in Monroe County.
Crews will upgrade road signs and pavement markings from MM 70 to MM 80, enhance bicycle features at the shared-use path crossing locations and evaluate existing landscape.
Temporary lane closures will be limited to Sunday through Thursday between 9:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. FDOT said construction activities will be permitted during the nighttime except for milling, resurfacing and striping. All milled surfaces will be paved prior to opening to traffic.
FDOT’s project coincides with Florida Keys Electric Cooperative’s installation of new poles on the opposite side of U.S. 1 between the Overseas Highway and a small side road on the bayside. The utility company said the project is necessary with severe beach erosion threatening the stability of the transmission system, which could affect power delivery from the mainland to the 80,000-plus accounts south of MM 80.
