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Show FujinidlDiragj fctfoirfled for funding for realignment and paving j 10 mile section of Uintah County road injm the bottom of Diamond Mountain to ihe Jones Hole National Fish Hat-.jer)' Hat-.jer)' road has finally been approved, jccording to Uintah County Commis-soners Commis-soners this week. The Department of Interior's Bureau i Reclamation, now Water and Power Resources Service, will fund the estimated $1,390,000 project to provide mill season access to the U.S. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Service operated jjces Hole National Fish Hatchery. The road project will be done by Uin-jh Uin-jh County. According to the county smmissioners three dozers started Hooday on clearing for the new align-aent align-aent up the face of Diamond Mountain. J Itae miles of new road will be built arting at the Northwest Pipeline stain sta-in tumoff at the end of the present pavement in a steady grade south of the resent switchbacks. The new grade ril be in an area w here the wind will slow snow off the roadway instead of Sting onto it and only one switchback ril be required to get to the top of the -dge of Diamond Mountain. Ihe new gravel filled paved road will iea continue on the general course of the old road for seven miles until it connects con-nects with the paved road into Jones Hole hatchery. The work will be bidded out to contractors con-tractors and also done by existing county coun-ty road equipment, explained the commissioners. com-missioners. The new connecting link will give an all weather road into Jones Hole hatchery. hat-chery. It has been agreed that the county coun-ty will keep the road open in the winter to the rim of Diamond Mountain and the U.S. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife will plow the road from the rim to the Jones Hole hatchery. Jones Hole fish hatchery manager Warren White stated that paving of the 10 mile section of dirt road on Diamond Mountain connecting the 14 miles of paved road into the hatchery was good news for him. Ever since the hatchery was put into production in 1970 it has only on-ly been able to operate at about one-half capacity because of the poor road conditions con-ditions during the winter months. "When the new road is finished we can probably double our fish production capacity," explained White. Six persons are employed at the hatchery. hat-chery. Two families live at the hatchery and the others commute back and forth to Vernal. "We supply fish for all of the Water and Power Resources Service projects, and the demand is increasing. With the new road we will be able to run full capacity year-round," White said. To begin with, Jones Hole fish hatchery hat-chery had problems getting a road into the area. Money was appropriated for the hatchery but none for a road. Finally Final-ly the first 14 mile section was built so the hatchery could follow. For nearly 10 years the section of road belonging to Uintah County from the top of the rim of Diamond Mountain to the new Jones Hole road has been the topic of discussion. The federal agencies agen-cies wanted the county to build the road and the county wanted the federal agencies agen-cies to build the road. The agreement signed Monday allows the county to build the long needed need-ed road improvement with the Water and Power Resources Service paying the cost. The new road will give sheepmen, stockmen and sportsmen as well as the general public, a paved access to Diamond Dia-mond Mountain, which has always been closed off in the winter and either muddy mud-dy or dusty in the summer. |