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US-Canada border road row: Why Alberta residents are losing access to Montana route? Locals outraged
A cross-border route running across southern Alberta and Montana will close to Canadian traffic from July 1 due to US security concerns, sparking outrage.
A long-standing cross-border route used by residents in southern Alberta is set to be closed to Canadian traffic from July 1. The decision by the US government cites security concerns and drug smuggling and has triggered outrage on both sides of the border.
Farmers and locals on both sides have been using the route, also referred to as "Border Road," for generations. It runs parallel to the border close to the Montana–Alberta line, east of the Coutts crossing. The route is maintained by Warner County, Alberta (the Canadian side).
Devin Dreeshen, the transportation minister for Alberta, has already promised to create a replacement road on the Canadian side. He claims that $8 million has been allocated for the project, which is scheduled to start in April and be finished this summer.
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Why is the road being closed?
The gravel stretch, which is about 8–10 long, lies technically within US territory but has historically been used informally by Canadians due to its proximity and convenience.
Residents in Alberta have also relied on the road to access farmland, neighboring communities and properties without needing to pass through official border checkpoints.
The closure aligns with efforts of the US government to tighten border security, particularly in response to concerns over illegal crossings, smuggling and enforcement gaps across less-monitored stretches of the boundary.
Dreeshen told The Canadian Press, “We were informed by Homeland Security that they were making sure that this and other areas of US soil at the border were going to be enforced.”
Read more:Canada addressing rise in gang activity, says Alberta minister
Impact of the Border Road closure on local communities of both sides
The decision has sparked frustration among residents on both sides of the border. These residents of the area have longstanding social and economic ties across the region.
People from both sides of the international border utilize the route, which was constructed in the 1940s, according to Warner County Council Ross Ford, who told Global News that he has lived in the region his entire life.
The Canadians are responsible for maintaining the road, while the Americans provide the gravel.
Another resident from Montana's Toole County, Jackson Nagy, told Global News that the communities on both sides are friends. He said, “Myself, I grew up playing hockey in Warner for eight years, you know, so I have a lot of buddies that are on the north side of line that this is going to impact.”
Ford too reiterated and said, “His [Neighbor] dad used to walk over and see my dad to have a visit, and it was never, never an issue. I mean, they knew about it but, you know, it’s just neighbours being neighbours and after 9/11 we were told that we had to go through (customs) if we wanted to visit our neighbours — we had to go through a port of entry.”
Officials from Homeland Security have also stated that once restrictions take effect, Canadians will be required to use designated border crossings such as Coutts–Sweet Grass, even for short-distance travel.
