Cow Key Bridge reconstruction set to commence on March 16
BY TERRY SCHMIDA
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
It’s on now.
After years of talking and planning, Key West’s “Big Dig” project, the reconstruction of the twin Cow Key Bridges, will officially get underway on March 16.
The spans separating the Southernmost City from Stock island – and the rest of the country–are so short that a “race” poking fun at their elfin stature has become a popular annual event in town. But the two bridges are still the main component of Key West’s most important, and busiest, intersection. Local business owners and their employees have been understandably concerned with the knock-on effects the long-anticipated project could have on their livelihoods.
This Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) has been taken into consideration, according to project managers from the Florida Department of Transportation, who addressed the undertaking at a meeting of the Key West city commission last month. (A public information meeting also took place on March 4 at City Hall.)
“Beginning April 15, 2020, work will be done on one bridge at a time. And traffic will be shifted to the other bridge while work is underway,” project spokeswoman Maria Alzate wrote in an email to the media on Feb. 28. “Traffic shifts will be implemented to provide three lanes of traffic at all times.”
By Wednesday, March 11, work by Comcast to relocate its lines is expected to be completed, paving the way for the rest of the project. This will involve replacing sections of the bridges’ deck spans and beams, and repaving and re-striping the roadway, to get the effort underway.
As the project unfolds, the work and traffic conditions will be monitored by a series of closed circuit cameras, allowing any necessary adjustments to be made. 
The rehabilitation work, which carries a price tag of $6.2 million, will continue on through the end of December of this year, but the magic month of October, when Key West hosts Goombay and Fantasy Fest should be spared the traffic chaos many locals fear: All four lanes on the bridges should be open by Oct. 12.
What’s more, two lanes will be open in the peak direction of travel during weekday morning and evening rush hours. In the a.m. there will be two lanes heading into Key West, and one lane in the other direction. In the afternoon, this formulation will be reversed.
In addition, the outbound US 1 left turn lane onto College Road South will be prohibited. Motorists will instead be detoured to College Road North.
The contractors have been offered nearly $1 million in incentives to meet the deadlines on each phase of the work. In return, the lane closures should only take place during the first 180 days of construction.
For more information on the project, visit http://www.fdotmiamidade.com/cowkey
Cow Key Bridge restoration schedule
Weekdays
  • 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. – Two inbound lanes and one outbound lane
  • 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. – One inbound lane and two outbound lanes
Saturdays
  • Two inbound lanes and one outbound lane
Sundays
  • One inbound lane and two outbound lane
The outbound US 1 left turn lane onto College Road South will be prohibited. Motorist will be detoured to College Road North.
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