The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners, during its meeting Monday, is scheduled to receive an update on activities of the Highway 17 Association.

The update will include information about an economic impact analysis study, which will be presented by Marc Finlayson, the association’s executive director. Beaufort County is a member of the association, which advocates for improvements to U.S. 17, especially the conversion of its entire length in the state to four lanes.

The update will also include a status report concerning the U.S. 17 corridor. As recently as two years ago, five projects in that corridor were under way at the same time. Improvements to U.S. 17 are important for several reasons, said J. Keith Crisco, a former N.C. Department of Transportation secretary, in 2011.

“As someone who talks with businesses every day, one of their priorities continues to be infrastructure, and critical access to main highway arteries, ports, air, rail, freight and other vital infrastructure,” reads a copy of the remarks that Crisco delivered at the annual meeting of the Highway 17 Association earlier in 2011. “That’s why the Highway 17 Association’s actions are very much aligned with meeting the critical economic development needs in this state.”

“There are other key benefits to improving 17 —greater safety for drivers, better traffic mobility, easier movement of troops and materials by our military, and more efficient hurricane evacuation and this list goes on,” he said. “Right there at the top of that list is improving the economic future of the corridor. The improvement of Highway 17 will give a major boost to local economies.”

“A big step to improving the economic growth of a region is to make important investments in infrastructure. It’s a way of closing any economic development gaps that may exist,” he said. “Earlier I was talking about job creation. The Highway 17 improvement means jobs in the short term and the long term.”

The Board of Commissioners meets at 5 p.m. in the Beaufort County Administrative Building, 121 W. Third St., Washington. To review the entire agenda for the meeting, visit www.co.beaufort.nc.us. At the right side of the page, click on “Agenda” under the heading “Next regular Board of Commissioners meeting.”