Texas State Highway 349

History

The original formation of the highway in 1943 included only the section from Rankin to Midland, replacing a former route of FM 9. In 1947, FM 177 and FM 306 were redesignated to form the segment of SH 349 from Midland to near Lamesa. The section from Sheffield to Rankin was added in 1956 by redesignating part of SH 51.

The part of SH 349 south of Sheffield was Farm to Market Road 1217, which was designated in 1948 from Dryden northward 5 miles (8 km). FM 1217 was extended to the northeast 10.7 miles (17.2 km) in 1951; this was followed by an extension in the same direction of 14 miles (23 km) the following year. The designation was extended 12.3 miles (19.8 km) in 1954 to the end of FM 1749, which was cancelled and combined with FM 1217, adding 17.8 miles (28.6 km) and bringing its southern terminus to Sheffield. In 1990, the mileage of FM 1217 was transferred to SH 349.

In December 2014, the Texas Transportation Commission approved an extension of the SH 349 designation south of Lamesa, from the current northern terminus at SH 137 eastward to US 87. As of January 2015, this segment has not been constructed.

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, 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 northward 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 formerly bisected 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", was opened on December 10, 2009, and was named the Nadine and Tom Craddick Highway after State Rep. Tom Craddick and his wife, who played a large role in creating the highway. (This new section of SH 349 is part of the "La Entrada al Pacifico Corridor" trade route from west Texas to Mexico). The portion of SH 349 that ran directly through Midland will be redesignated as Business State Highway 349-C (BS 349-C). 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.