How can I read files outside src?

I understand that in react you cannot import files outside src folder. But what is the reason for it exactly and can I disable it?

In my project react web app is only part of the whole thing, and different parts share some files (configs, build output), so folder structure looks like this

ProjectRoot/
    config
    build-output/
    Part1/
    Part2/
    WebApp/
        src/
...

Sure, you can copy files or create symlinks, but that's duplication and inconvenient.