Bahia Honda Rail Bridge, Truss railroad bridge in Florida Keys, United States.
Bahia Honda Rail Bridge is a 5,055-foot (1,541 m) steel truss bridge linking Bahia Honda Key and Spanish Harbor Key. Its central 247-foot Parker truss is flanked by 13 Pratt trusses of 186 feet and 13 of 128 feet, all carried on pale gray concrete piers above the water. The deck runs flat along the top, with the diagonal lattice rising above it.
Henry Flagler built this railroad crossing in 1912 as part of a line linking Miami to Key West through the island chain. A major hurricane destroyed sections of the rail route in 1935, and workers later adapted the structure to carry road traffic.
The bridge structure reflects early 20th-century American engineering methods, featuring both Parker and Pratt truss designs in its railroad architecture.
A section of the old railroad span is reachable on foot from within Bahia Honda State Park and offers views over the water. Other portions remain closed for safety, but the framework can be seen clearly from the beach and nearby trails.
The bridge's larger Pratt and Parker trusses use pinned connections, making it the longest pin-connected truss bridge in the U.S. Its 247-foot (75 m) central Parker span is flanked by 13 Pratt trusses of 186 feet (57 m) and 13 smaller Pratt trusses of 128 feet (39 m). The channel it crosses is the deepest on the Overseas Railway, at 24 feet (7.3 m).
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