The Rural Municipality of Dundurn, located just south of Saskatoon, is suing the federal government for $100 million.

The suit claims the government unilaterally closed a 16-kilometre road that cut east-west across the military base in the RM and, in doing so, broke a deal signed six decades ago.

"The Defendant has acted in an arrogant and high-handed manner," the suit alleges.

The suit was filed in Federal Court in Saskatoon on Dec. 14. None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been tested in court and the attorney general has not responded.

According to the filing, the road was closed to the public in October, 2014. Jonathan Abrametz, the RM's lawyer, said the road was used by a wide variety of people and groups.

"A fire truck could use it. A grader could use it. RM maintenance staff could use it. Residents could use it. The public could use it to access the Dakota First Nations Casino and Golf Course," he said.

Abrametz said closing the road created a 40-kilometre detour.

According to the lawsuit, a technical report done by base engineers identified three options for dealing with the road. It enters the base on Highway 11 and exits on Highway 219, near the Whitecap Dakota First Nation.

One option, costing zero dollars, was to terminate civilian traffic.

Building a gravel road would cost $3.48 million, while an asphalt road would cost $5.23 million.

"The options in the study a few years back [gave] several options of road and fence combinations. They all came with a price tag. It appears that the option that was chosen was the cheapest option," Abrametz said.

Abrametz said that, according to the government, the road was closed without notice for security reasons.

"Such closure was illusionary at best," he said.