Police Upping Patrols To Catch Drivers On Unfinished Road

Road crews in Monroe are taking a new approach to stopping drivers who are using a shortcut that is still weeks away from being finished.

Parts of Martin Luther King Boulevard will not be finished until the end of October, but crews said a number of drivers were already using about a mile of the unfinished road by going around signs and blockades.

“The biggest problem we have is right here at Walter Bickett (Elementary School) down to Highway 200,” said engineer Matt Adams, with Blythe Construction Inc. “You might average one or two vehicles a day, but really it only takes one in the right circumstances to really spell disaster.”

Adams said the problem is getting worse, including a close call recently in which a car sped through the area. The company said it has tried adding more signage -- including a bright orange “No Trespassing” sign -- but that hasn’t stopped some drivers from cutting through.

Crews are now writing down drivers’ license plates and sending the information to police for prosecution.

Violators could not be charged with trespassing, despite the "No Trespassing" signs. Instead, they would face a misdemeanor charge that could result in a fine or even jail time. Under Chapter 136 of the State Code, drivers are not allowed to use roads that are marked as closed for construction or maintenance.

Monroe Police Chief Debra Duncan said convictions won’t come easily, though.

“We'll be able to write a citation to the owner of the car, but the owner of the car may not be the person who's driving the car,” she said, adding that construction workers would have to identify the accused drivers in court.

So, Duncan said she has stepped up patrols in the area so that police officers can catch drivers themselves.

Booker Huntley, who lives in a nearby subdivision, said the cut-throughs are a problem.

“I've seen a few cars going through there,” he said.

Huntley said while he won’t use the road until crews say it’s ready, he’s eager for its opening.

“I travel to South Carolina, and I can just turn right here instead of going up around and through town," he said.