A section of a local highway has been closed due to erosion, and drivers are being warned not to cross barricades to try to cut through the area.
Recent heavy rains have caused sand to cover and undermine a section of Mississippi 586 west of Foxworth near Water Valley Road. The road remains closed as officials seek a solution.
“People just don’t realize the damage and keep trying to go over it,” Marion County Sheriff Berkley Hall said. “Drivers need to use common sense. They keep pushing around the barricades. It’s a simple detour. It’s a little inconvenience, but it’s better than falling through the road.”
Hall said that while the top of the road is covered in sand, the bed underneath the road is washed out, leading to dangerous conditions.
“They’re working on a solution, but it will need to be built back up,” he said. “Right now, I wouldn’t drive on it.”
Hall said deputies and state troopers have issued numerous citations for drivers who have disregarded the signs. A simple detour for the road would be if coming from the west (Darbun) to take Water Valley Road to U.S. 98 and come back to 586 in Foxworth at Foxworth-Jamestown Road. Likewise, from Foxworth, drivers can get on U.S. 98 and go to Water Valley Road and continue west on the highway. The Foxworth Cemetery is near the problem area, but is open and on the other end, garbage trucks must go around the barricades to make it to the Marion County Solid Waste Transfer Facility, though the affected area is past the entrance.
“We don’t know how long it will be closed, but it could be a while as alternatives are worked out. Why take that chance? When it says ‘Road closed,’ it means road closed,” Hall said. “Don’t get mad at law enforcement for issuing citations. It is disregarding a traffic control device to go around the barricades.”
The area that is eroding was the topic of a recent discussion at the Marion County School District’s Board of Education meeting on Nov. 12. The erosion is coming from an area located on 16th Section Land that Marion County and the city of Columbia use and have facilities at. At the meeting, former 16th Section Land Manager David Watts told the board, “if you don’t do something, you’re going to be looking at a Red Bluff out there. It’s eroding bad -- really, really bad.”
An estimate to fix the problem is about $30,000, which could be split three ways between the city, county and school district if an agreement can be reached. Discussions are likely to take place at the school district meetings and supervisors meetings.
Board Attorney Fred Cooper was assigned to look at which entity would be required to pay for it. He told the Board that it may be the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s responsibility because it is on a state highway. Discussions will continue to take place as the two groups meet next week.
