Montana Border Road Is Closing, New $8M Road Planned

Montana Canada "Border Road" Closure

Up near the Canadian-Montana border by Sweet Grass, there’s a 9-mile gravel road that’s been connecting families on both sides for over 80 years.

Starting July 1st, that little road, known as Border Road, will be closed.

A Small Gravel Road With Big Meaning

This isn’t some major highway or commercial route; it’s just a simple crossing that ranchers, neighbors, and families have used for decades to get back and forth.

Roger Horgus, who lives on the Montana side, called the closure “ridiculous.” He told reporters:

"I hate to see it because the Canadians have taken such good care of us and the road, with grading and all of that.”

Even though the road sits in Montana, it’s actually maintained by Warner County, Alberta. And now, with the closure coming, lots of folks are skeptical of the reason behind it. Officials say it’s because of an increase in illegal traffic, but Horgus says he hasn’t seen any evidence of that.

Canadian Neighbors Share Their Frustration

On the Canadian side, Ross Ford is just as frustrated.

“It’s unfortunate. We’ve enjoyed free access to the road for I guess about 80 years, way before I was born. We’ve always been very close to our neighbours. Of course, they live in Montana and that won’t change — but we have this new barrier.”

Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said Canada has already pledged $8 million to build a new road that'll run parallel to the old one, hopefully finished by summer.

Ford joked about the situation, saying that with the new road:

“the border will be in the ditch.”

Source: The Travel