FLC OF A B727-200 INADVERTENTLY TAXIED BEYOND TXWY BARRIERS DURING TAXI OUT RESULTING IN REQUIRING A TOW BACK TO PARKING AND AN INSPECTION BY MAINT TO ASSURE THAT THERE WAS NO ACFT DAMAGE BY HITTING BARRIERS.

Narrative

I WAS THE FO ON ACR X ON MAY/XA/00 MEM TO ATL. AFTER PUSHING BACK FROM THE GATE WE WERE CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 18L VIA TXWY T AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY P. WHILE EBOUND ON TXWY T WE GAVE WAY TO A DC9 TAXIING SBOUND OUT OF THE NW RAMP ON TXWY P1. AFTER THE DC9 HAD PASSED; WE CONTINUED FORWARD ON TXWY T BUT REALIZED WE HAD GONE TOO FAR. WE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY AND ADVISED GND. THEY ASKED IF WE COULD MAKE A 180 DEG TURN. AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN WE SAW THAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY PASSED BY TEMPORARY BARRIERS THAT WERE BLOCKING TXWY T. WE STOPPED IMMEDIATELY AND INFORMED GND. THEY DISPATCHED ARPT PERSONNEL TO OUR POS AND CALLED OPS TO SEND A TUG TO ASSIST US. THE ARPT PERSONNEL MOVED THE TEMPORARY BARRIERS AND WE WERE TOWED BACK TO THE GATE SO MAINT COULD PERFORM AN ACFT INSPECTION. THERE WAS SPECULATION BY THE ARPT PERSONNEL THAT THE NOSEWHEEL MAY HAVE PUSHED ONE OF THE TEMPORARY BARRIERS OUT OF THE WAY. THE INSPECTION; HOWEVER; REVEALED NO DAMAGE OR INDICATION OF CONTACT BTWN THE BARRIER AND THE ACFT; AND WE WERE RE-DISPATCHED FOR AN UNEVENTFUL FLT TO ATL. CONTRIBUTING TO THE SIT WERE THE DARKNESS OF THE NIGHT; THE WETNESS OF THE TXWY (A TSTM HAD PASSED OVER THE ARPT JUST PRIOR TO OUR ARR) AND THE HIGH LEVEL OF REFLECTION. THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY IN THIS AREA AND THE LIGHTS ON THE TEMPORARY BARRIERS; ONCE WE SAW THEM; APPEARED VERY DIM IN COMPARISON TO THE TXWY LIGHTS; WHICH WERE VERY BRIGHT. THIS COMPOUNDED THE EXISTING VISIBILITY PROBS. ALTHOUGH WE WERE MOVING AT A CRAWL WITH ALL 3 FLC MEMBERS EYES FORWARD; WE NEVER SAW THE TEMPORARY BARRIER LIGHTS UNTIL AFTER MAKING THE 180 DEG TURN ON THE TXWY.