Photo: CBS 12
A local sheriff calls a busy roadway a "death trap."
"Florida touts that they have the safest roads in the country, but this road is one that clearly is not in that category."
Martin County Sheriff John Budenseik says there have been five fatal car crashes in less than two weeks, resulting in the deaths of six people. Three happened along State Road 710/Warfield Boulevard and those crashes are blamed for three deaths within the past week.
"This highlights an issue that we've been having for many many years. Highway 710, Warfield Boulevard has been a death trap for motorists that have been commuting that road over the years. The community out there has been up in arms, and rightfully so."
In fact, Budensiek says the dangers go back decades.
"In the '80s they did a study on that road and it was deemed too narrow. Some of the worst crashes that have ever happened in Martin County happened on that road."
Turns out, the Florida Department of Transportation has a widening project slated for 2029, but the Sheriff says that's not fast enough.
"My question would be 'How many more people have to die before we get that project going?'"
He wants the state to speed that up and here's where you can help.
"We would ask the citizens of Martin County, the citizens of Indiantown to reach out to your state representative. They want that because they can take that to the governor and FDOT and then say ex amount of people reached out via email or phone calls."
Budensiek says State Representative John Snyder, the son of the former sheriff William Snyder, has taken his concerns to the director of the Florida Department of Transportation this week.
Meanwhile, the agency says it reviews all fatal crashes to find ways to improve safety, noting that the accidents on SR710 are still under investigation.