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State Highway 349 or SH 349 is a 194.43 mile (312.90 km) state highway in the western part of Texas.
[edit] History
The original formation of the highway in 1943 included only the section from Rankin to Midland. In 1947 FM 177 and FM 306 were redesignated to form the part of SH 349 from Midland to near Lamesa. The section from Iraan to Rankin was added in 1956 by redesignating part of SH 51. The current configuration was completed in 1990 when the route was extended from Dryden to Iraan by redesignating FM 1217.
[edit] Route description
SH 349 runs generally northward from its originating junction with U.S. Highway 90 at the tiny town of Dryden (population 13) near the Rio Grande River, the southern border of the state. The road passes west of the Fort Lancaster State Historical Park to Sheffield and a junction with Interstate 10. SH 349 then runs along the Pecos River to Iraan, where it is co-routed for a few miles with U.S. Highway 190. The road then proceeds nothward to a junction and brief co-routing with U.S. Highway 67 at Rankin. SH 349 continues northward to the relatively heavily populated area of Midland.
SH 349 currently bisects Midland directly through the city center. However, the highway has been redesignated to loop around Midland to the west, by co-routing it with portions of Interstate 20 (and State Highway 158) and Farm to Market Road 1788. A new section of highway, a so-called "reliever route", is planned to complete the loop back to SH 349 at a point about five miles (8 km) north of Midland. Once completed, this new section of SH 349 will be part of the "La Entrada al Pacifico Corridor" trade route from west Texas to Mexico. The portion of SH 349 that currently runs directly through Midland will be redesignated as Business State Highway 349-C (BS 349-C). Construction on this reliever route is scheduled to begin in July 2008 and take about 2 years to complete [2] North of Midland, SH 349 proceeds generally northward to its final junction with State Highway 137, just south of Lamesa. Counties traversed by the highway include Terrell, Pecos, Crockett, Upton, Midland, Martin and Dawson. With the exception of the metropolitan area of Midland, most of the terrain covered by the highway is sparsely populated ranch country.[3]
[edit] Junction List
[edit] References
[edit] External links
US 90 at Dryden
I-10
US 190
US 67
I-20
SH 137 near Lamesa
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RM 3166
RM 2400
SH 290 (Main Street)
SH 329
Spur 576
FM 1555
RM 2401
FM 1379
FM 1787
FM 1213
Bus. 158-B (Florida Avenue)
Bus. 158-B / Spur 269 (Wall Street)
Loop 250
SH 176 – Andrews, Big Spring
FM 828
SH 115
FM 829
FM 2051
FM 2052
