Residents ask to install temporary gates on Bridal Base Road; commissioners will seek legal opinion on right-of-way

Ranchers seeking to keep cattle off neighboring property urged Glacier County commissioners on Tuesday to allow temporary gates or portable panels on a stretch of Bridal Base Road to prevent livestock from crossing cattle guards.

Bob Lyle, who brought the request, described repeated incidents in which yearlings crossed cattle guards and mixed with neighbor herds during calving. "We throw them across there because that was the simplest thing to do," Lyle said, asking for a short-term fix during calving season.

Commissioners and county staff discussed whether the stretch is a county-maintained road and noted that if the road is county-controlled, placing gates raises liability and maintenance concerns. Staff reported partial right-of-way documentation for segments of the road but said some sections lack clear deed or easement transfers and that researching historic title and transfer documents can be time-consuming.

Several speakers urged a pragmatic interim solution for imminent calving, while county staff and commissioners said they could not approve permanent gates without determining whether the road is abandoned, in the county’s right-of-way, or subject to an easement. The board asked staff to assemble existing documents and to seek an opinion from the county attorney (Carol) on abandonment, liability, and whether temporary panels could be used safely in the interim.

The meeting produced no final action; commissioners asked staff to provide maps, title/easement research and a legal recommendation before making a decision.