How many people were stuck in Key Biscayne gridlock? County stats may provide answers

Thousands of people who headed to Key Biscayne for a day on the beach ended up stranded on the road — some for more than five hours — on Sunday night.

But how many people were stuck in the gridlock in the exclusive South Florida enclave?

County figures indicate that almost 24,000 cars traveled eastbound on the Rickenbacker Causeway throughout all of Sunday. Data wasn’t available for cars traveling westbound — away from Key Biscayne.

A majority of the vehicles — just under 20,000 — drove through the causeway between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. that day.

READ MORE: After thousands stranded on Key Biscayne, flyover bridge has reopened for now, officials say

Videos and messages posted on social media shed light on the magnitude of the chaos as swarms of cars were idly lined up on the causeway. Families, including those with small children, camped out on the sidewalk.

The bumper-to-bumper congestion was linked to a state construction project that closed the flyover bridge connecting Key Biscayne to the mainland. Sunday was the first evening the Rickenbacker Causeway’s flyover bridge, which connects westbound traffic to South Dixie Highway and I-95 north, was closed.

After public outcry, Florida Department of Transportation walked back on the two-month construction project, reopening the northbound flyover lane that connects to I-95 North on Monday morning. Traffic on the southbound exit ramp onto U.S. 1 also resumed on Tuesday morning.

READ MORE: Hundreds trying to leave Key Biscayne stranded in their cars for hours. What happened?

The flyover bridge construction aimed to restore concrete pavement, according to FDOT. Engineers have returned to the drawing board to develop a new timeline for the project.

FDOT spokesperson Tish Burgher said a new timeline has yet to be decided, though the construction is “imperative to the structural integrity” of the bridges.