On Tuesday, two separate double fatal crashes occurred on State Road 710, just hours apart, in both Martin and Palm Beach County.
With four deaths in one day on the same road, WPTV is taking your safety concerns straight to the Sheriff and the Florida Department of Transportation.
WATCH BELOW: WPTV’s Tyler Hatfield is learning more about Tuesday’s crashes and long-term plans to make the road safer
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office, there was a head-on collision on SR 710 just before noon that killed two people.
Hours later, another double fatal occurred. This time, farther north near the FPL Access Road on Warfield Boulevard.
For 22 years, Forrest Yingling lived near SR-710. He said he’s not surprised.
“It's par for the course,” said Yingling. “Bloody 710, they call it.”
Just next door, Heather Daniel Smith said it’s personal.
“Two of my friends were killed on this road,” said Smith.
Neighbor said the problem is drivers trying to pass cars on the two-lane stretch of Warfield Boulevard from Indiantown to Okeechobee.
“If there's a car going slow, people are killing themselves to get around them, “ said Smith. ‘They're passing on double yellow lines the passing lane.”
A solution, for some neighbors, is to make the SR-710 4 lanes, just as it is south into Palm Beach County.
“Where slower cars could get to the one side and people could pass safely,” said Smith.
Martin County Sheriff Jon Budensiek said it’s one of the most dangerous roads in Martin County, per capita.
Budenseik said they’ve heard neighbors' concerns and dedicated members with their traffic unit to the roadway.
Since 2022, there have been over 1,0063 crashes on Warfield Boulevard, ten of them deadly.
Budensiek said deputies have issued around 3200 tickets in the past year.
“That's a lot of citations for that road, probably more than any other road, per capita” said Budensiek.
Budensiek also supports widening the Warfield Boulevard.
“It's not the county's responsibility,” said Sheriff Budensiek. “It's FDOT’s responsibility to fix that road.”
WPTV took their concerns to FDOT, and they say in a statement:
“The Department reviews all fatal crashes to find ways to improve safety. “
A spokesperson with FDOT also told WPTV they developed multiple plans to enhance safety along SR-710.
Those include intersection improvements at SW Warfield Boulevard and CR-714, which consisted of installing additional signage (including LED-lit signs) and pavement markings.
Work was completed in late spring 2024.
FDOT said earlier this year that they completed adding a westbound left-turn lane at the intersection of SR-710 and SW Tommy Clements Street. The department started working on an eastbound right turn lane at the intersection, which is expected to be completed in Spring 2026.
As for widening SR-710 to four lanes, FDOT said they’re in the design phase for widening the road from SE 126 Boulevard to SW Van Buren Avenue. FDOT said the right-of-way phase is funded starting in Fiscal Year 2027.
FDOT said Construction for SE 126th Boulevard (Okeechobee County) to Allapatah Road is not funded in the Department’s five-year work program for Fiscal Year 2026-2030, estimated at $248 million.
However, Construction from Allapattah Road to SW Van Buren Ave. is funded in Fiscal Year 2030, estimated at is $16.9 million, according to FDOT.
But neighbors fear more crashes could happen before then.
“We're just falling through the cracks,” said Smith.
