Road blocks
By firecracker
@sacmom (14192)
United States
October 16, 2007 1:24pm CST
As I was going out to bring my garbage can in yesterday (it was trash day after all) I noticed some emergency vehicles (with their lights on) on both ends of the strip of street I am on as well as road blocks so that commuters couldn't get through (cars use this road everyday to and from work as it goes to the freeway). I also noticed a man (police officer possibly?) walking on the other side of the street in the field, like he was looking for something. I later found out from my landlord's son (a grown man) why all this was going on. Apparently a bunch of dynamite (cases of it) had been found and they (the police) didn't want commuters near the area. This lasted for a few hours and I was worried they wouldn't let my husband in (our house was blocked in, after all). Sure enough my husband came in from one end of the road and they wouldn't let him get in. But my landlord's son spoke to him on my cell phone and told him to go around to the other end (none of the emergency crew was on that end anymore) and he should be able to get in. It worked! Though one of the emergency crew saw my husband driving on the blocked off road he tried to stop my husband...until he saw my husband drive into our driveway. :P LOL
We didn't get our mail yesterday because of this road block, but hey at least the garbage men were able to pick up the garbage (they came before the blocks were put up). Good thing too because the garbage can was filled! LOL
So, have you ever experienced a road block before?
3 people like this
13 responses
@raychill (6525)
• United States
16 Oct 07
Boy have I ever.
A few years ago I was living next door to where I live now. During severe snow storms we'd had that years our water main not only froze, but broke...NUMEROUS times.
The main was, of course, right outside of my driveway so not only was the road blocked off but we weren't even able to get out of our driveway. Oh yeah...and we had no water! This occured at least 3 times over 2 months. One time, it lasted 4 days. FOUR DAYS without being able to leave your house OR use water.
Where I worked at the time, Barnes and Noble, never closed even with all the snow and I remember they called and asked me to cover for people who had called out (I was an assistant manager in the cafe and I lived only about 5 minutes away so I always came in) but I had to say no because not only could I not leave, but I hadn't been able to wash my hair in 3 days and there was no way I was going to work like that.
I would have enjoyed a working bathroom though!
Fortunately that winter made them realize that that area had the oldest water main pipes known to man and they replaced them.
2 people like this
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
22 Oct 07
Not having water or being able to leave the house? Now that just sucks! I know what it's like to not have any running water, that is bad enough. But to be confined to the house for days without being able to go anywhere... that's just awful.
I hope you had enough food in the house to last you all those days.
@raychill (6525)
• United States
22 Oct 07
Yeah well I think the time it lasted 4 days was when they actually decided to replace the water main. So we'd known that it was going to blizzard and had stocked up on food and water in jugs. So we could flush our toilet and we had food. but that was about it.
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Not even a road block due to a car accident?
I live in a safe area and things happen.
HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
1 person likes this
@sweetgirl_k1 (3972)
• United States
16 Oct 07
I have had to go out of my way to get to my house before because of a road block. It was caused by a bad accident though. I just had to take the long way home. I can't believe they didn't evacuate everyone around that area. I wonder why all that dynamite was out there.
2 people like this
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
16 Oct 07
interesting. did it delay your day much (hopefully you were not planning to go out much?)
as for roadblocks, we see them all the time, but not for the same reason...it is said that here in Ontario (Canada) there are 2 seasons...winter and construction and the latter one is the cause of our roadblocks most of the time...
recently there was a roadblock of another kind here in my fair city though...they were filming the Hulk (2 i belive) downtown and there was a roadblock as it was a night seen and they had several vehicles on fire...
2 people like this
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
22 Oct 07
Fortunately it didn't delay my day, however I felt a little cooped up with the road blocks being up. :P LOL
@carolscash (9492)
• United States
16 Oct 07
First of all, I can't believe that the police didn't evacuate the neighborhood as it could have been a very dangerous situation. I think that I would have been upset with them for not telling us themselves what was going on.
I have never experienced a roadblock like that and I am thankful that I haven't. I have had to deal with them at construction along the interstates but I expect that in the summer time.
2 people like this
@raychill (6525)
• United States
16 Oct 07
Oh oh AND.. I was so into that story I forgot about the house I grew up in. Lived there for almost 17 years (My parents had lived there for about 22 years)... and had a number of road blocks. The road was a main road (a route even!) and while it was only a two lane road, it was used very often and people seemed to get in car accidents VERY often. Normally right around my house. So we'd be blocked in and blocked out while they cleaned up the accident.
I even saw one once. A big rig and a motorcyle. It wasn't pretty.
2 people like this
@sweetcakes (3504)
• United States
17 Oct 07
we get this everyday where I'm from something always going on.
1 person likes this
@SViswan (12051)
• India
18 Oct 07
lol...here in India...road blocks are the norm. We'd be surprised if a day went by with no road blocks. We stay very close to multi national companies and the road in front of our place leads to 7 schools. so, you can imaginge the rush at peak hours. Fortunately, the schools have staggered their timings this year and most schools open and close at different times (which helps the traffic). But the garment factory workers and people travelling to and from work create quite a block in the morning and evening. To make matters worse, there's always some sort of road work going on ....right now..they are trying to widen the road. I hope this should help inrelieving the road of some traffic.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
17 Oct 07
yEAH IF THAT DYNAMITE HAD WENT OFF BEFORE THE GARBAGE WAS PICKED UP THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A HUGE MESS. hahahaha!!! I've had the roadblock in front of my house due to something happening in my very yard. read my discussions ands find it. It was a downed wire burning my front yard.
HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB!!~
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
1 Nov 07
We never had a road block, unless it was for road repairs. Where I live, it snows in the winter, blizzard conditions, and sometimes the sewers get blocked, so they have to prevent any cars from coming in until they fix the water main.
But we never had any police trouble or criminals in our area -- although there is the notorious lawn mower thief of a few years back. Most of the trouble is mainly something wrong with the road, power lines, breaks, and stuff like that. We do have a police man living in our neighborhood, so I guess no one dares do anything stupid.
1 person likes this
@sheenmadness (1286)
• Philippines
17 Oct 07
Goodthing we haven't experienced it in our life. How can we, our place is remote to civilization. LOL! Joke but apparently true. hehehe. It will be a real hassle.
1 person likes this
@quiethorse (337)
• United States
17 Oct 07
Holy cow! I wonder what he planned to do with all those explosives?
1 person likes this
@mandyb7714 (69)
• United States
17 Oct 07
I have never been through anything like that at all. I would have been terrified that someone had placed dynamite that close to my home. The only kind of road block that I have every been through is your typical police road block where they are making sure you have insurance or where they are checking id when they are looking for someone and that is just common procedure. You would think the police would have told the people in that neighbor hood what was going on.
1 person likes this
