$41.5 million Key West reconstruction project completed

North Roosevelt Boulevard retrofitted; Street lights, promenade among additions

KEY WEST, Fla. – Visitors driving into Key West have a smooth new roadway to travel after the completion of a $41.5 million reconstruction and enhancement project.

Florida Department of Transportation officials staged a ceremony Tuesday to mark the completion of the North Roosevelt Boulevard project, which began in April 2012.

The project incorporated almost a three-mile stretch from U.S. Highway 1 to Eisenhower Drive at the start of Truman Avenue and the city's historic district. It required almost 59,000 tons of asphalt.

There are now two north and southbound lanes, as well as a center turn lane. The project also included the installation of crosswalks, landscaping, adding 69 new street lights, replacing sewer and storm water drains, and building a promenade along the waterfront for pedestrians and bicyclists.

North Roosevelt Boulevard is a major throughway for motorists entering and leaving the southernmost city in the Florida Keys.