FIRST PHASE OF DRAINAGE AND PARKING PROJECT NEAR COMPLETION AT EAST MARTELLO TOWER

FIRST PHASE OF DRAINAGE AND PARKING PROJECT NEAR COMPLETION AT EAST MARTELLO TOWER

KEY WEST, FL – The first phase of the drainage and parking project is near completion. It is part of a $1 million renovation at East Martello Tower in Key West.

The parking area near the west end of the fort was installed to retain stormwater onsite by combining sloped drainage and porous surfaces. A pervious material was used as a safer, more efficient, maintenance-free drainage surface compared to the traditional grid and rock areas. The second phase will include adding stormwater drainage to the east part of the fort area.

“The new pervious parking surface is state of the art. You can drive a bus over it, but water still flows right through it,” said Monroe County Project Management Director Cary Knight. This is the first County parking area to use this type of permeable surface.

The fort was built in the 1862 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it is a Key West Art and Historical Society museum that is home to art, sculptures, and the supposedly haunted “Robert the Doll.”

The project is funded by a Tourist Development Council grant and also included the brick and mortar restoration and roof replacement at the historic fort.

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Photo by Kristen Livengood, Monroe County Public Information Officer

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