Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/449123
Celebrating our 31st year of publication • Be sure to visit us online at www.worldfencenews.com FEBRUARY 2015 Fencing the Big Sky Country Montana fence company measures their jobs in miles Mild Fence Company of Kalispell, Mont. recently completed 329,000 lin- eal feet of 4' high barbed wire and wo- ven wire highway right-of-way fence on Interstate 15 stretching from Har- dy Creek, Mont. to Great Falls, Mont. The installation was performed for the Montana Dept. of Transportation, and was designed to keep cattle and wild- life off of the Interstate. The total distance of the fence is 63 miles, and includes 16 cattleguards installed on exit ramps to eliminate the need for gates. Fourteen installers, lead by fore- men Steve Quimby, Shawn Schildt and Johnny Gibbs, drove the 8' lodge- pole posts 4' into the ground to set the framework. Driving the posts al- lowed the job to progress in a timely manner. The crew fi nished just as the fi rst blasts of winter arrived in central Montana's Big Sky Country. The fi ve month project began on July 7, 2014 and was completed on the fence to the cattleguard wings. "Mild Fence is proud to have com- pleted this project within the contract- ed time frame without compromising quality or integrity," said Wutke. "Big Sky Country has been altered a little on this 63-mile stretch of interstate in central Montana. Now when you look at that beautiful horizon you'll see a stretch of some very fi ne fencing that will last for years to come." Mild Fence Company was found- ed in 1972 and has been family-owned since 1976. It is part of a group of companies including Bakken Fence, Great Falls Fence, Idaho Fence and Washington Fence. Together, they serve northwest, central and eastern Montana, western North Dakota and the Spokane and Tri-City areas of Washington and Idaho. In addition to installing large commercial jobs, Mild Fence Com- pany also installs vinyl fencing, wood November 21, 2014. "Central Montana is authentic 'Big Sky Country' featuring stunning views of the Rocky Mountain Front, the imposing 'Square Butte' made famous by the western art of Charles M. Russell, and spacious plains that seem to go on forever," said Eric Wutke, owner of Mild Fence Com- pany. "Over the fi ve months that the job lasted, Mild Fence crews worked un- der all conditions, weathering every- thing from sub-zero temperatures to highs hovering around 100 degrees to days with so much rain the work had to stop until things dried out. In this area of the country, rattlesnakes are always a concern, along with steep grade changes which make it hard to maneuver equipment. With all of these obstacles, the crews still made or exceeded footage requirements." He also added that another chal- lenge was working in proximity to the fast moving traffi c on the interstate. The fi rst stage of the cattleguard project took place in August 2014, when a four-man crew, equipped with a loader, an excavator and a dump truck arrived onsite and installed 16 cattleguards on the 63 mile stretch of I-15's exit ramps. The cattleguards each measure 24 feet and were installed in two 12 foot sections. There were four phases in each cattleguard install, including saw-cutting the asphalt, trenching a hole, setting the guard and securing Crews from Mild Fence Company of Kalispell, Montana braved cold, heat, torren- tial rain, steep grade changes, rattlesnakes and fast-moving 18 wheelers to com- plete a right-of-way fence stretching for 63 miles along Montana's Interstate 15. The fi ve-month project was brought in right on schedule and in advance of the fi rst winter snows. A small stretch of the overall fence is shown above left. The 4' high woven wire and barbed wire fence is designed to keep cattle and wildlife from the adjoining private ranchlands off the Interstate. In addition to 329,000 lineal feet of fencing, the project included a number of cattleguards in lieu of gates. Pictured in photo above center, crew members Harry Schildt and Johnny Gibbs stretch and staple up barbed wire. One of numerous loads of lodgepole posts and barbed wire arrives on the jobsite. (Photos courtesy Mild Fence Company) "Over the fi ve months that the job lasted, Mild Fence crews worked under all conditions, weathering everything from sub-zero temperatures to highs hovering around 100 degrees to days with so much rain the work had to stop until things dried out." – Eric Wutke continued on page 15