County Road Projects

Big Pine Key: Key Deer Boulevard

• FWC Culvert Installation Project — This is an FWC project, not a County project. The Key Deer Blvd lane closure will reopen to traffic this afternoon, Friday, May 12 to regular traffic. Operations for the Watson Blvd culvert installation will begin Monday, May 15, with lane closures and detours on Watson Blvd. The project will be finished before the County Key Deer Blvd roadway project begins. 
• Key Deer Blvd Roadway Repairs — Monroe County will close the road on Key Deer Blvd on Monday, May 22. All inbound and outbound traffic will be diverted to Wilder Road with detours on Church Lane and Watson Blvd to access Key Deer Blvd. The detour is expected to last about three months.

1st Street and Bertha Street, Key West 

Monroe County’s Bertha Street and First Street Roadway and Drainage Improvement Project was recently completed in partnership with the City of Key West. The County’s work scope included drainage installation, roadway reconstruction, and rehabilitation. The City of Key West’s scope included sidewalks, crosswalks, landscaping cutouts, signage, traffic control, harmonization with private properties, and installing new water meters for the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority.

Bertha Street was connected to the City of Key West’s existing Dennis Street pump station, and the First Street gravity drainage system was upgraded to prevent saltwater road flooding during king tide events. The County has begun a drainage study to plan for the future addition of a pump station to the First Street system to counteract the increasing impacts of sea-level rise and king tides. 

“The recent improvements should provide relief from the periodic ‘sunny day’ king tide flooding that residents have experienced in the past, but heavy rain occurring during an extreme king tide event may take a bit longer to drain fully,” said Monroe County Director of Engineering Judy Clarke.