A sorely-needed drainage and road improvement project on Sombrero Boulevard is set to begin in earnest next week, according to plans laid out at the Marathon City Council’s April 8 meeting.
Efforts to fix chronic flooding on the boulevard escalated in late 2023 and early 2024, as a series of storms and rising tides left locals driving through standing water for days after rainfall stopped – even leaving a few cars on the road when some motorists tried to plow through deeper areas of the lagoon.
Addressing the council and a room full of area residents, engineer Yanay Ferral of Weiler Engineering outlined basic elements of the project, which will include a raised and re-sloped road with an upgraded pump-powered drainage system from the Sombrero Beach Road intersection to the entrance of the Florida Keys Country Club. Additional curbs, gutters, landscaping and a sidewalk and bike path will complete the redesigned road.
The newly-installed series of three pumps, Ferral said, can activate sequentially to dispose of up to 13,500 gallons per minute 120 feet underground, drawing down flooding on the road in four to six hours at most. The pumps will be backed by generators in the event of a power loss.
Construction along the road will proceed in phases, with the first phase designated to address the lowest area in front of condo buildings at 9, 11 and 15 Sombrero Blvd. During this phase, scheduled for April 14 through December 2025, both lanes of the road will shift north to allow continued two-way traffic while construction takes place on the road’s southern edge.
Once complete, traffic will shift south to allow work on the road’s northern edge, with parking along the south right-of-way potentially permitted for the condo residents during closures of their parking lots.
Phases two and three, addressing the east and west edges, respectively, of the project from June through November 2025, will require one-way traffic patterns regulated by alternating temporary traffic lights and flagging personnel.
Staging for construction equipment and materials will take place on vacant lots between Manor Lane and Sombrero Beach Road, owned by the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, and final completion of the project is estimated in March 2026.
“Our goal is not to impact the community, so if we see traffic building up, we’ll halt work, let it clear out, and then get back to our work,” said general manager Roman Orofino of Charley Toppino and Sons, the contractor selected for the project.
April 22 workshop to take ‘town hall’ format
The council’s second monthly meeting in April, set for Tuesday the 22nd at 5:30 p.m., will open a dialogue with Marathon residents to address general concerns in a new ‘town hall’ format. Following presentations by nonprofits applying for city grant funding, residents will be given the floor to discuss issues directly with council members.
“We would love to hear issues and concerns, but here’s my suggestion and challenge: Bring the problems to us, but bring a solution with it, so we can have some good dialogue about how to fix things,” said Mayor Lynn Landry. “I want it to be fruitful – I don’t want it to just be a gripe session.”
In other news:
- Oceanfront Park behind City Hall will serve as a temporary home for visiting FWC law enforcement offers in accordance with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Operation Vigilant Sentry to combat illegal immigration, Capt. Dave Dipre told the audience. Using already-purchased temporary housing equipment staged in the park, the camp will host six new officers every 10 days to help combat local FWC staffing shortages. Dipre said while he was unsure how long the camp would remain, the Keys are slated to receive 12 new officers in December 2025.
- In its final hearing, the council unanimously approved Resolution 2025-35, granting a development agreement to Wharf Marina Inc. and private planner Steve Hurley for a restaurant, marina, retail shop and 11 transient rentals at 1622 Overseas Highway.
- Resolution 2025-34, also unanimously approved in its final hearing, granted an alteration to the development order for Wharf Marina’s neighboring properties at 1480 Overseas Highway. Previously approved for redevelopment in 2019, the original conditional use permit allowed for development of six market-rate housing units and one affordable unit. The amended approval will instead permit five transient units, stilted over parking spaces.
- Following a lengthy discussion on staff security, accessibility and insurance requirements in City Hall, the council approved a $193,703 contract with Pedro Falcon Contractors Inc. for modifications to the lobby, offices and storage areas of the hall in a split 3-2 vote. Councilman Kenny Matlock, who voted against the proposal along with councilwoman Lynny Del Gaizo, said he questioned certain line items including mobility costs in the contractor’s bid and felt the hall redesign should do more to present an image of accessibility for residents. City Attorney Steve Williams said the hall’s design and barriers were solely a product of modern-day safety concerns for staff, as advised by the city’s insurance companies.
