State Road 4A
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 24° 39.850 W 081° 30.521
17R E 448529 N 2727857
Located on the Northwest entrance of the trail on Cudjoe Key.
Waymark Code: WMZ6JA
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 09/18/2018
Views: 4
The first Overseas Highway, also known as State Road 4A (SR 4A), consisted of two roadway segments both completed by 1928. One spanned from Key West to No Name Key, and the other from Key Largo to Upper Matecumbe Key. Ferries transported cars between the segments. The roads were constructed of local rock and marl. In the 1930s, World War I veterans were sent as part of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration to work on bridges to close the gap, but construction was cut short when the 1935 Labor Day hurricane claimed the lives of more than 400 workers and their families. The catastrophe sparked debate over whether to rebuild the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway or the highway. Monroe County opted for the highway, and the railway’s Bahia Honda Bridge was converted for automotive use. In 1938, a toll road linked Lower Matecumbe to Big Pine Keys and created the first continuous road from Miami to Key West. During World War II, the Overseas Highway moved from SR 4A to a new alignment using the FEC’s straighter route. The new highway connected with US 1 and most of SR 4A was abandoned or became local streets. The section of SR 4A located north of this point, is part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail.
Marker Number: F-901
Date: 2016
County: Monroe
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of State
Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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