As the new bypass is being built around Albany, road construction has been heavy and with the road cutting across several high traffic side roads in the county, police are starting to patrol the areas more often where the roads are closed.

Over the weekend, Clinton County Sheriff Rick Riddle said he had observed several vehicles disregarding the “road closed” signs placed on Fairgrounds Road as well as other closed roads in the county.

Riddle said many of the problems are not only with regular vehicles, but with off-road All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV) as well.

“It’s been a problem,” Riddle said. “It started out when they started moving the dirt and people just don’t know what ‘road closed’ means. Especially on four-wheelers.”

Riddle said the state highway department called him several weeks ago saying four-wheelers had been traveling up and down the new road.

“They were riding up and down the road while they were working,” Riddle said. “One of the workers almost ran over a four-wheeler one time and if he hadn’t been looking he would have got him. I found out the other day who it was and I talked to him, so it’s been good that way.”

With people going in and out of the closed road, Riddle said some of the signs have been pushed aside and even knocked over by vehicles.

“I came through the other day and was checking it out, because we’ve had some batteries from the road equipment to come up stolen, so I was there and every time I turned around, here came a car,” Riddle said. “I don’t think people understand that if something happens while they are inside that construction zone, their insurance will not cover anything that happens. If they have a wreck or anything like that, the state department is not going to be responsible.”

Riddle said he and his deputies are going to start enforceing the “closed road” areas more.

“I guess we are going to have to start writing tickets,” Riddle said. “People can be charged with trespassing. That belongs to the state. It’s a misdemeanor and can be punishable with a fine and court costs if it goes to court. The state owns the property and they have road closed signs up, so they are giving warnings to stay out.”

Riddle said it is most importantly a safety thing.

“With all the four-wheelers and even four-wheel drive trucks, getting in there and cutting donuts and stuff like that, it could be considered as criminal mischief,” Riddle said. “I think their main concern is they don’t want to see anybody get hurt in that section.”

Riddle said some roads have allowed travel on the weekends, but most have been closed to through traffic during the entire week.

“One person I stopped, I told him, ‘The road is closed. You can’t come through here.’ He said ‘Well I was told I could,’” Riddle said. “The signs are up, the roads are closed, you can’t come through.”

Other than the vehicles and off-road vehicles moving past the road closed signs, Riddle said theft is becoming a problem with the dozers and other equipment.

“We’ve had several batteries stolen and I actually got a report this morning of a subcontractor having a 16 foot wagon and welding rig missing,” Riddle said. “That was on the Bates-Delk Road. If anybody has any information on that, it would be appreciated.”

As of right now, Fairgrounds Road, Old Burkesville Road and Hwy. 553 (Wisdom Dock Road) have sections that are closed to through traffic.

“I think they have people flagging out now on Wisdom Dock Road,” Riddle said. “It is dangerous, especially if they are working. If something happened inside those zones, their insurance wouldn’t cover it and the state wouldn’t be responsible. I understand that people like to take shortcuts. I think that’s where a lot of it is.”