Roosevelt Blvd. In Key West Re-Opened

North Roosevelt Blvd. in Key West is a major thoroughfare that has long been a thorn in the city. The previous infrastructure of the road was seventy years old and all it took was a rainy day to see what was lacking. There is still some additional work to be done, but the major construction of rebuilding the road has been done. Ten years in the planning and execution, North Roosevelt Blvd. is fully re-opened for business and traffic as of Tuesday, August 12^th. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by city officials and residents on the 12th to celebrate the accomplishment of a safer road for traffic and pedestrians alike.

The focus of the construction, which began in April 2012, was safety and the environment. There had long been issues with pooling water on the roadway. This has now been alleviated with a new design that will effectively draw water off by up to three inches of rain per hour, good news for our tropical area. The impact is not just on the road itself, but will also keep water off the properties along North Roosevelt Blvd. as well. More than eleven miles of underground pipes were installed for sewers, drainage and water as part of the Stormwater Management that was included in the project. The culmination of the work done on the new drainage system will help to remove oil and trash from water entering the bay, more good news for the environment. The road has been widened between 4-12 inches in certain sections, and is itself a smoother surface, making for an easier ride.

Pedestrians have reasons to celebrate the newly rebuilt boulevard as well. Sidewalks along North Roosevelt Blvd. have been improved with lighting, widening of pedestrian walkways and new installations of sidewalks where before there were none. While no new cross walks were put in, a new stop light was added at Searstown with a pedestrian signal button to aid in safer, easier crossing. There will be new lights along the Triangle (N. Roosevelt and U.S. 1) for crossing as well. The Promenade along the boulevard now has lights making evening strolls much safer than before.

All told the project to rebuild North Roosevelt Blvd. cost $41,560,971, with $4.3 million from the city for the new sewer, $5.4 million from the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority for the new water line, and the majority, $31.8 million from the Department of Transportation for the new construction and repairs. Additional work done included a new seawall running for 1.7 miles along the road and the replacement of 18 signal mast arms rated for 150 mph. These and the other safety and environment improvements will help make Key West an even better place to be. If you are ready to rebuild in Key West with a home of your own, or have a home to sell in the area, please contact me, Jimmy Lane, for all of your real estate needs.