§47-11-1302.

§47-11-1302.
   
   (a) The state through the Department of Highways and any county or
   city in this state through their respective governing bodies are
   hereby authorized to close any highway or section thereof, within
   their respective jurisdiction, to traffic while such highway is under
   repair, maintenance or construction and, in exercising such authority,
   shall erect or cause to be erected control devices and barricades to
   warn and notify the public that said highway has been closed to
   traffic.
   
   (b) When any highway has been closed to traffic under the provisions
   of paragraph (a) and traffic-control devices or barricades have been
   erected, it shall be unlawful for any person to drive any vehicle
   through, under, over, or around such traffic-control devices or
   barricades, or otherwise to enter said closed area; except, that the
   provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to persons while engaged
   in the construction, maintenance and repair of said highway or to
   persons entering therein for the protection of lives or property;
   provided that persons having their places of residence or places of
   business within such closed area may travel, when possible to do so,
   through such area at their own risk.
   
   (c) Whenever construction, repair and maintenance of any highway is
   being performed under traffic, the governing body having jurisdiction
   over said highway shall erect, or cause to be erected, traffic-control
   devices to warn and guide the public, and every person using such
   highway shall obey all signs, signals, markings, flagmen or other
   traffic-control devices which are placed to regulate, control, and
   guide traffic through the construction or maintenance area.
   
   (d) No person shall remove, change, modify, deface or alter any
   traffic-control device or barricade which has been erected on any
   highway under the provisions of this article.
   
   (e) Nothing in this article shall relieve the state or any of its
   subdivisions or their contractors, agents, servants or employees from
   liability for failure to perform any of the duties imposed herein.
   
   (f) Any person who violates any provision of this article shall be
   guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be subject
   to a fine not to exceed One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) and imprisonment
   in the county jail not to exceed thirty (30) days, or both such fine
   and imprisonment, and shall be liable for any damage to property, or
   injury to or death to persons caused by such violations.