"Over the past ten years, there have been a number of accidents on SH 349. With a 40% traffic increase over the last few years, and a high percentage of the traffic counts comprised of large trucks (over 30%), we anticipate there will be even more accidents.
During an initial calculation of the proposed improvements, we found that there would a 67% safety index rating for the segment of SH 349 in Martin County alone. That means, that 67% of the project's cost would be paid back over the next 2 decades in reduced accidents costs.
SH 349 is routinely traveled by business people, oil field workers, farmers, college students, and weekend travelers, and improvements are vital to ensuring the safety of all who travel this road."