An ongoing road improvement project on South Roosevelt Boulevard in Key West has started nearing completion in Spring 2025. Originally started in January 2023, the project’s main goal was to raise the road itself in several places, install several pedestrian crosswalks throughout the road, and install flood mitigation devices to help preserve the road against tidal flooding. These improvements are also part of a broader campaign across the Keys to improve major roadways and strengthen them against tidal flooding and the effects of climate change, which the Keys are particularly sensitive to. Most of the Florida Keys either sit at or below sea level, leaving the Keys particularly vulnerable to rapid sea level rise, water acidification, and more intense Hurricanes and other weather phenomena.

Barricades which have turned most of South Roosevelt Blvd into a 2-lane road. (Mandy Miles/Keys Weekly)

Other projects related to road improvements in the face of climate change are also nearing completion in several areas throughout the Keys. In Cudjoe Key, a road improvement project that focused on adding guard rails and barriers to help protect the roadway from erosion is close to completion. In several areas throughout the Keys, projects have focused on improving road signage, adding barriers, and changing lane layouts to accommodate Cyclists who bike the Overseas Heritage Trail, which has been under construction since the 1990s. This project has also influenced the construction of other improvements, like the addition of at-grade Pedestrian crossings in several places throughout the Keys. However, due to the fact that Key West makes up a notably outsized proportion of the Keys’ total population, most of these projects have been centered around the city and Stock Island. At-grade crossings have been added in several places throughout the city, with more than three added to North Roosevelt Boulevard.

Image of a HAWK (High-intensity Activated Crosswalk beacon) crossing in active use. (Florida Department of Transportation/FDOT)