TWO LOWER KEYS ENGINEERING PROJECTS ARE COMPLETED

Engineering Project Manager Debra London explains the partnerships between different agencies that were used to finish the connection project to the residents of Cudjoe Gardens.

The first cyclist uses the new path during the opening ceremony.

Monroe County Commissioners Michelle Lincoln and Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay join the residents of Cudjoe Gardens at the opening of the trail connection.

Engineering Project Manager London shows Monroe County Commissioner Michelle Lincoln the new culvert and drainage system installed in the Koehn neighborhood on Big Pine Key.

​LOWER KEYS, FL – The Monroe County Engineering Department recently completed two projects in the Lower Keys. The first project was the completion of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail Connection at Cudjoe Gardens, an asphalt shared-use path connecting Drost Drive to the U.S. 1 crosswalk of the trail. The project was funded by grants from the Florida Department of Transportation, TDC, and District 1 Transportation Impact Fees.
 
“The contracting team did an excellent job finishing early and within budget,” said Debra London, Monroe County Project Manager. “The project is a good example of government working with the community to improve neighborhoods.”
 
Cudjoe Gardens resident the late David Img championed the connection of the trail. He requested pedestrian and bicycle access safety improvements, and Monroe County worked with the FDOT and others to move it to fruition. His wife attended the opening ceremony of the pathway in his honor. Commissioner Michelle Lincoln and Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay also attended.
 
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Commissioner Michelle Lincoln, whose district falls in the Lower Keys, also visited a project completed in late 2022 in the Koehn subdivision of Big Pine Key. The neighborhood had a roadway and drainage project done, and a nearby street, Loma Lane, was also resurfaced.
 
“The Koehn project included drainage culverts and swales and rehabilitation of over 2.5 miles of neighborhood streets,” said Debra London, Monroe County project manager.
 
The Koehn project was also completed on time and under budget and was partially funded with a FDOT Small County Outreach Program grant.
 
“I am so happy because I can now take my granddaughter roller skating and bike riding on a great street, and the kids down the street put up a basketball hoop. These are all things we couldn’t have done before,” said Andrea Thrasher, who has lived in the neighborhood for the past 24 years.