A new Seven Mile Bridge is in the works for the Florida Keys. What the state has planned

This week, Monroe County leaders said a replacement for the 40-year-old Seven Mile Bridge could be coming by early next decade.

A new bridge is slated to come after projects scheduled in the Florida Department of Transportation’s “5-year tentative work plan” for the Keys. It’s a series of jobs, including repairing and rehabilitating the current bridge, scheduled to begin between 2024 and 2028, paid for by $498 million in Florida Department of Transportation funds, said county spokeswoman Kristen Livengood.