TX-349

[Sykotyk]

General question, has anyone (other than me) ever driven this road from Sheffield to Dryden?

It's a 58-mile stretch with no towns, hardly any discernible traces of life to go to a dot on the map with only a few buildings. Has some amazingly steep grades. It starts in the low lands near I-10, then climbs to the top of the mesas. Drive on them for a while, before descending into "Big Canyon". You drive along a dry river bed that has 'flood stage markers' everywhere, then you climb back up to the top of the mesas on the southwest side and continue the drive to Dryden.

It's a well maintained road, and the state has just laid down more asphalt alongside the road to do more paving. All the bridges appear to be relatively new. Yet, in my entire drive, I only encountered two other vehicles.

Is this road really deserving of being a state highway? Why not an FM road? it'd be more suited, given it has narrow shoulders and very substandard grading that tosses you around as you drive over very small hills and bumps that weren't graded off.

Fun drive, though.

Sykotyk

[un1]

Well because it is a 194 miles long and leads to many other cities.
Here is the route map:

[njroadhorse]

Maybe the part from US 90 to I-10 could become an FM or RM Route

[Sykotyk]

un1, that still doesn't affect the southern terminus. I'm only talking about the southern end (Sheffield to Dryden). It ends at Dryden, an unincorporated 'town'. Terrell County now has a population of less than 1,000, and Dryden's zip code (it does have a post office) is less than 100.

My issue is not whether a road should exist (there's many there). But why does it get both the design and funding of a state highway? Although it has substandard grading, it is a relatively new roadway when I was on it. Why it stays a state route is beyond me.

Sanderson, the county seat, enjoys being at the intersection of US-385 and US-90, which works as a gateway for those headed southeast to continue on US-90 to Del Rio, Carrizzo Springs, Eagle Pass, Laredo, and points southeast. Sanderson, as well, is not incorporated.

This is, as far as I can tell, the only state route through the county to compliment the two U.S. routes.

How can it be justified that a paved state highway exist to traverse a 58-mile stretch of mountainous terrain with new bridges, roadway, etc to act as an 'option' for travel for roughly 90 people. Forcing them to drive east or west to head north would not be that troublesome. Most in Dryden would probably be going to the only 'town' in the county to the west. The next biggest town is Fort Stockton to the northwest or Del Rio to the east. On the off chance that someone would want to drive to Odessa or Midland (where TX-349 heads north) can simply take US-90 west to US-385 north to TX-18 north to I-20 east. That adds only 31 miles to affect only the _90_ people that live in the Dryden zip code.

I'm not saying an FM road shouldn't exist, whether paved or not, but is simply not worth the cost.

Sykotyk

[un1]

Dryden was at one time a boom town, but is now a ghost town, so I guess Texas is just to lazy to decrease its length?