Groundbreaking at Twin Lakes Marks First Resilient Roads Project in the Florida Keys

Monroe County Mayor Holly Merrill Raschein, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Scholl, and commissioners Michelle Lincoln and Craig Cates welcomed U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez to the resilient road groundbreaking ceremony at the Twin Lakes neighborhood in Key Largo today. Residents of the subdivision joined the ceremony after enduring frequent flooding for prolonged periods due to issues associated with heavy rainfall, storm surge, high tide, and King Tide events. This is Monroe County's first pilot project for road elevation, which will help the Twin Lakes neighborhood maintain access to their homes and become more resilient to sea level rise.

"The flooding affects our neighbor's quality of life for days and weeks at a time," said Merrill Raschein. "This is a huge milestone project. We are excited to start this first of many to combat rising waters in our community."

The project will include a new drainage system that collects and treats stormwater runoff. The affected area encompasses 4,633 linear feet of roadway and will protect 105 residential structures. Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority also partnered with the County to do underground utility work while the roads are being repaired.

Over the last decade, Monroe County has been working toward a more resilient Florida Keys, including a Roadway Vulnerability Analysis and Capital Plan, which uses environmental and human-use factors in assessing the flooding vulnerability of 300 miles of county roads.

The County secured $5.48 million in federal and $3.9 million in state funding, including a Resilient Florida grant.

"Neighborhood-wide flooding mitigation is not as simple as raising the road," said Acting County Administrator Kevin Wilson. "There are a lot of components that need to be considered, like water management to keep runoff out of our nearshore waters and off of residential properties."

The project is expected to take 22 months to complete. For more information, visit www.keysroadsplan.com.