KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) - Two Florida neighborhoods plan to raise their roads this year due to climate change in the first road project in the Keys focused on rising sea levels.
The Miami Herald reports Monroe County plans to elevate the most flood-prone roads in two neighborhoods in Key Largo and Big Pine. This plan will also be the first to account for stormwater runoff with plans to collect, pump and treat it.
County sustainability program manager Rhonda Haag says half of the 300 miles (480 kilometers) of county roads are susceptible to rising sea levels in the next 20 years. Early estimates show raising one-third of a mile of road above sea level could cost $1 million dollars in Key Largo and more than $2.5 million in Big Pine.
The county will accept design proposals soon.
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Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com
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