Monroe County presents Big Coppitt road elevation and drainage plan

Monroe County and consultant WSP USA hosted a public information meeting Jan. 13 at the Harvey Government Center in Key West to present the Big Coppitt Road Elevation & Stormwater Resiliency Design Project. County planners laid out the scope for roads between and including Riviera Drive and 1st Street in Big Coppitt and answered residents’ questions about construction impacts and long-term costs.

The design under development combines road elevation work with an engineered stormwater management system. County staff described a planned collection network, water quality treatment components, pump stations, and a disposal system intended to manage surface runoff and reduce chronic flooding on the low-lying island roads. Project materials presented at the meeting emphasized coordination with adjacent property owners and the need for easements to accommodate drainage infrastructure.

Officials framed the work as resilience-oriented, targeting recurring nuisance flooding and aiming to protect access during higher tides and storm events. The plan’s technical focus highlights trade-offs facing Big Coppitt property owners: raising road profiles and installing pumps can reduce interior flooding and protect transport routes, but they also require permanent easements and ongoing mechanical maintenance. County staff acknowledged that the project would carry a future operations and maintenance assessment component and discussed funding sources for construction and long-term upkeep.

The meeting gave residents an opportunity to review preliminary design concepts and to seek details about timelines, construction staging, and how individual properties might be affected by easement requirements. County personnel and the WSP team made themselves available for questions about harmonizing adjacent properties with the new infrastructure and about how pump stations and disposal systems would be sited to minimize neighborhood disruption.

For Big Coppitt voters and homeowners the project touches on civic priorities that surface regularly at community meetings: balancing resilience investments with property rights, transparency around assessment plans, and clear timelines for construction. The design phase gives residents a chance to shape outcomes by raising concerns about easement language, maintenance accountability, and neighborhood access during construction.

The takeaway? Keep tracking the county’s updates, review any easement proposals closely, and attend follow-up briefings so you understand potential assessments and construction schedules. Our two cents? Being involved now—asking about maintenance funding, emergency access, and property impacts—will pay off when the pumps and raised roadways go in.