MONTANA — The U.S. government will close a nearly nine-mile stretch of road between Montana and Alberta on July 1. The closure of the stretch commonly referred to as Border Road will end more than eight decades of informal crossings between farming communities on both sides of the border.
The Trump administration cited a rise in irregular migration and drug smuggling as reasons for the decision to close the road. The road has been accessed freely by Canadians and Americans since the 1940s.
The road lies on the Montana side of the U.S.-Canada border but is maintained by Warner County, Alberta. Canadian officials were first informed last summer of the U.S. plan to close the road, according to a county official.
The Alberta government is spending C$8 million to build a road alongside the closed stretch for Canadian traffic. Construction on the replacement road is expected to begin in April and be completed by summer, a minister said.
Warner County has set aside funds to build a replacement road. Two Canadians access their houses using the road, according to a county official.
Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen addressed the impact on cross-border communities. "Regardless of the line on the map, you'll have farmers on both sides of the border, you'll have family friends on both sides of the border. I think obviously that will continue," Dreeshen said.
Ross Ford, who lives on a farm on the Canadian side of the border, acknowledged the change in access. "Of course, they live in Montana and that won't change – but we have this new barrier," Ford said.
Roger Horgus, who lives on a farm on the Montana side of the border, criticized the closure decision. "The road closure is ridiculous. I hate to see it because the Canadians have taken such good care of us and the road, with grading and all of that," Horgus said.
"The roads will basically parallel each other for the full length of the road. So we'll have our road, and they'll have their road," Horgus said.
Between 800 and 1,200 trucks traverse the Coutts-Sweet Grass crossing daily, according to Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters. C$15.9 billion worth of two-way trade crosses the Coutts-Sweet Grass route annually, according to the organization.