[1][2] The current bridge opened in 1982, replacing the parallel Long Key Viaduct, which carried the Overseas Railroad from 1907 to 1935 and was repurposed for highway use shortly after.

The Florida East Coast Railway often used the Long Key Viaduct in promotional material for the Overseas Railroad.

[1] Rail service was discontinued after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 struck the area, which irreparably destroyed the railroad in the upper keys.

The Florida East Coast Railway then sold the remaining right of way and infrastructure to the state, who then built the Overseas Highway along the route.

To accommodate the highway, the tracks on the bridge were replaced by a new two-lane wide reinforced concrete surface for automobile traffic.