Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Pay attention. Plan ahead. Be patient. (Three directives that challenge many longtime Keys locals on our best day.) And yet, here goes…
The Seven Mile Bridge will close for three hours the morning of Saturday, April 11 for the annual 7 Mile Bridge Run. The bridge will be closed from 6 to 9 a.m., but even after it reopens, traffic typically takes an hour or so to spread out and return to normal, said Adam Linhardt, spokesman for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
“All motorists should plan to be across the bridge by 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 11 to avoid being stuck on one side or the other,” Linhardt said.
Also, Key West officials are reminding those who ride the Lower Keys Shuttle, which travels between Key West and Marathon, that shuttle service will be delayed on April 11.
“Shuttle service from Marathon heading south will start at 9:21 a.m. at the Fairfield Inn (MM 53.5), and service from Key West heading north will begin at 9:26 a.m. at Whitehead and Eaton streets,” says Key West spokeswoman Alyson Crean.
So if you end up parked on U.S. 1 somewhere with traffic at a complete standstill, you’ll have only yourself to blame.
And while you’re deciding whether to wait it out, turn around or find a spot that serves mimosas, just know that 1,500 “lucky” runners will be moving faster than you as they cross the iconic bridge on foot from west to east. That means south to north, or bottom to top, for those of us who fail to acknowledge the actual geography of the island chain, and instead operate on the incorrect premise that the Florida Keys are arranged in a straight, north-south line. They are not. And if we actually looked at a map, we’d acknowledge the famous bridge truly is situated in a more east-west position.
As for those runners, I’ll never understand how anyone would consider themselves “lucky” when running seven miles before 7 a.m. on a Saturday. But you do you — and godspeed, you lucky weirdos.
