Dangers of driving around barricades

Several roads and bridges in Harrison County were closed to traffic during the heavy rainfall. The warning signs don’t always stop drivers from pushing their luck and putting their lives in danger.
What officials want you to know may have you think twice before driving around a barricade.
Lots of rain and flooded streets made for a busy morning Wednesday as public safety workers spilled out in full force on South Mississippi roadways to put up barricades in dangerous areas. Harrison County Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said, “The county workers, our road department, are out trying to make sure that people are safe, that the roads are protected.”
Pools of water covered some areas, like the parking lot at Long Beach High School, and steady streams stretched across other heavily traveled spots as seen at Daughtery Road in West Harrison County and 28th Street from Klondyke to Beatline Road in Long Beach where workers also put up barricades.
While most drivers heed the warning, not all do and put their own lives at risk. “The bottom line is that it’s against the law to go around a barricade. It’s dangerous. What you have is an area that may be under water just a little bit, but that road underneath is compromised and it could collapse and then you have a real problem,” said Chief Sullivan.
A problem that can lead others in harm’s way. “When an area is flooded and people are driving through, it pushes water into people’s homes, it pushes water into people’s business,” said Chief Sullivan.
And leads to more problems in the aftermath. “What you’re doing is you’re tearing up the shoulders of the roads. They’re going to have to come back and repair the shoulders of the roads where people have driven around also. The sheriff’s department and the law enforcement are looking for that and they will write tickets for people that go around barricades,” said Chief Sullivan.