Key West Car Service — Overseas Highway, Old Town, and EYW

Key West is a physically constrained operation — the entire island is about 4 miles long and 2 miles wide, and US-1 is the only road in or out. The Overseas Highway (US-1) carries 113 miles of two-lane road from Florida City to Key West across 42 bridges, including the 7 Mile Bridge at Marathon. A crash anywhere on US-1 between Key Largo and Key West can shut down all traffic in one direction for hours because there is no alternate route — chauffeurs monitor Monroe County Sheriff and FHP advisories before departure for any mainland run. EYW (Key West International Airport) is a single-terminal regional field on the east end of the island at the corner of S Roosevelt Boulevard and Faraldo Circle, serving American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Allegiant, and Silver Airways. The short runway (5,076 ft) limits aircraft to regional jets and smaller, and weather diversions to Miami or Fort Lauderdale are a known disruption — when EYW closes or a flight diverts, we run the 3.5-4 hour Overseas Highway leg to MIA or FLL to retrieve passengers. Old Town is the historic district with Duval Street, Mallory Square, the Ernest Hemingway Home, and the Truman Little White House; streets are narrow, pedestrian-heavy, and parking is scarce. We load at hotel valet (Casa Marina, Waldorf Astoria Pier House, Southernmost Beach Resort, the Marker, Havana Cabana) and at the Mallory Square taxi stand for Sunset Celebration pickups. Duval Street between the 0 and 500 blocks is pedestrian-heavy nightly and closes for Fantasy Fest (late October), Hemingway Days (July), and the Conch Republic Independence Celebration (April). Stock Island is the first island north across Cow Key Channel and houses the working waterfront, Perry Hotel, Oceans Edge, and boat yards; transfers from Stock Island to EYW are 5-10 minutes. Higgs Beach, Smathers Beach, and Fort Zachary Taylor are the main beach pickup points. Cruise ships dock at the Outer Mole (Navy Mole), Mallory Square Pier, and Pier B at the Opal Key Resort — Pier B is private resort property and requires authorization. The 7 Mile Bridge is the halfway marker for mainland runs; it closed periodically for maintenance in 2023-2024 and any bridge closure automatically routes traffic onto the Old 7 Mile Bridge, which is narrower and slower. Hurricane evacuation is mandatory for Monroe County ahead of any storm — the island closes and US-1 becomes outbound only. Summer afternoon thunderstorms are brief but intense; winter cold fronts can cause sustained high wind advisories affecting the 7 Mile Bridge.