The Uintah County Commission made approvals during Monday’s meeting to see projects progress on Leland Bench/Woods Road. The Woods Road project is in progress with crews at work starting at the east end and heading west, shares Uintah County Commissioner Duane Shepherd. The box culvert was installed for that project before April 1st so water irrigation would not be disrupted so that is in place for when construction reaches that location. The project is funded through the CIB and originally was awarded a $6 million dollar loan paired with a $9.8 million dollar grant. With economic downturn and budget constraints to consider, representation from the Uintah County Commission, Uintah Transportation Special Service District, and the public attended a CIB meeting in Salt Lake last April requesting that the grant portion of the award be kept while the loan portion be dropped. Though an uncommon outcome, the CIB was persuaded to drop just the loan portion on the project that is meant to divert the up to 250 trucks per day that are forecast for that area once the new upgrader is up and running. The Commission approved Monday the boundary for the new upgrader project that was submitted by Uintah Partners, previously named Uintah Advantage. This is all preliminary, shares Shepherd. “These things could change but we did define the boundary of that project as it also progresses.” Uintah Partners’ plans for an upgrader could be a game changer for the area’s economy as a boost to the oil and gas industry. 1000 jobs are anticipated during the peak of construction and once complete the upgrader will staff around 150 high paying full time jobs. The anticipated 30 month construction period is expected to begin in the 1st quarter of 2018. Actual startup of the operation is expected in the 4th quarter of 2020. The project’s minor source air permit has already been approved and the zoning is already in place for its location on Leland Bench on private property.
