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PAGE 8 THE ZEPHYR AUGUST 1991 dreams die hard deja vu and the book cliffs road by Jim Stiles "The only thing wo loom from history Is thot wo do not learn" -- Earl Warren Vory IhUo hss boon mentioned In thoso psgos Istoly of tho controversial proposed Book Cliffs Rood- - s pavod highway that would bo constructed between Vernal and Cisco, Utah. Proponents of the plan say It would stimulate oil and gas development In the Book Cliffs and provide a more direct link for tourists traveling south from areas like Yellowstone and other northern tourist areas. Opponents say the read Is unneeded mid would benefit a very few. They argue that OK and gas companies can build their own roads, and that the money could be better utilized for other Grand County needs such as health care and education. What Is tho status of the project now? According to Board member Suzanne Mayberry, it's moving along, but at a slower pace than anticipated. Currently an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Is being prepared and Is about "a half to two thirds complete". The BUM has recently expressed concern about the stability of the geology through which the road must pass - an Instability that could generate the kind of land alkies that plague Douglas Pass on Colorado Highway 139, twenty miles east Road District Administrator Jimmie Walker believes that the problem can be overcome, but others article published in last week's Vernal Express, engineers from the grazing service will make an unfavorable report on Hie proposed highway from Thompsons to Vernal across the Book Cliffs mountalnsAt die much talked of pass above Thompsons at the southern end of the Book Cliffs the survey shows an altitude of 9000 foot, but the drop of several thousand feet be quite costly, estimated at over in the deep canyons for the next few mlles-wo- uld $225,000, making it prohibitive as for as the grazing service Is concerned." But Grand County officials were as determined or stubborn) then as they are now. On August 7, the road was back on the front page: BOOK CUFF ROAD ENTIRELY FEASIBLE 50 to Vernal on Highway 40, Cllffs-not only feasible but can Book of summit the to the Js routed up Thompsons canyon be constructed at a very moderate cost, Is the report of a party of four who made an Inspection of the southern slope of the route on Friday." And on August 21, 1941 the headline read: That the proposed road from Thompson on highway WORK TO START SOON ON BOOK CLIFFS ROAD on-goi-ng "Construction of a truck highway up Renegade canyon to the summit of the Book are not so sure. So for, the Road District has spent In excess of $300,000, and while some of those funds have been used to Initiate an Inventory of all county roads, a lion's share of the g dream. The funding has gone toward the pursuit of what Walker has called a ultimate price tag for the highway la subject to debate. A $3 12 milHon loan from the Community Impact Board available upon completion of the EIS wM barely make a dent In the final cost While the Road District and the engineering firm of Creamer A Noble suggest that the entire road with a great deal of state funding can be constructed for under $40 million, some UDOT engineers believe $100 million la a much more accurate guess. Critics of the road complain that It is a waste of money when compared to the more critical needs our community faces. Imagine what $300,000 could have done greater to aid our hospital, the school system, recreational facilities for chtidren. And yet, the road, or the dream of one, stays alive. The dream of a Vernal to Moab road has ebbed and flowed for over half a century. At least once before, Grand & Uintah County residents prepared themselves for the Imminent construction of the Book Ctiffo highway. fllea of the one day, a front page FHppInfl through the mlcro-fllIt November dated 1940 read: 28, story, caught my eye. life-lon- Tlmee-lndepende- CIHf mountains will start within the next week or twa.Two tractors will be used on the Job, and It Is believed the road can be completed before winter sets bi.lt la stated that with the construction of the road up the canyon to the summit, It will be possible to drive a car or truck from Moab to Vernal In a direct line over the Book Cliffs. And that was the end of It The Book Cliffs Road was never mentioned again. I scanned each paper from cover to cover, looking for some clue as to what happened. But It was as HU never happened. What I djd notice was a new series of headlines that proclaimed even bigger and better projects than the Book Cliffs Road. In short order, I read: NEW MAGNESIUM MILL TO BE BUILT AT CRESCENT JUNCTION DEWEY DAM SOON TO BE A REAUTY nt VERNAL BOOSTING BOOK CUFF ROAD the Highway Over Mountains From Uintah Basin Urged by Lions Club "A direct road over the Book Mountains from the Uintah basin to Thompsons was completion of the Book Cliff urged at Moab by a delegation from the Vernal Uons Chib-T- he Road would provide an Ideal winter route to the railroad and connect U . highways 40 and 50. The road has bean recommended by the National Park Service as a connective link for the Southern Utah and Colorado parks, the Dinosaur national monument and yeUoarstone national park. Over the winter the prefect gained momentum and by the following spring h appeared that construction of the new road was aH but certain. In the May 22, 1941 the headline read: SURVEY SPEEDS PROSPECTS Tlmee-lndepende- nt. DARK CANYON DAM PROPOSED But my favorite was a boxed front page story from the October 13, 1941 Issue of Tlmes-lndepende- nt It read: NOTED CARTOONIST BOOSTS FOR HIGHWAY MOAB-KAYENT- "Southern Utah as a Mecca for tourists received additional Impetus tills weak with the publication of a cartoon and editorial In the Phoenix Republic-Gazet- te by Reg Manning, noted editorial cartoonlsLJA cooperative development of this region by the states of Arizona ' and Utah would tap one of America's richest tourist areas,1 he aaUL That was 50 years ago, and not very much has changed. Promoters and entrepreneurs are still trying to find ways to exploit the beauty and splendor of the Utah Canyon Country. But tills time around, they Just might succeed in ways those early promoters never dreamed possible. FOR BOOK CLIFFS ROAD "Construction of a highway which win traverse eastern Utah connecting US. 40 and 50, and providing a new scenic route connecting national parks In eastern Utah Is In prospect for the near future." that construction A week later, on May 29, another even bigger headline Indicated with the road "should that front The would begin soon. map, page story, complete be completed within a year" according to a spokesman for the U.S. Grazing service the ed principal financial backer of the prefect But by July, prospects dimmed some, The - t- -i T--l reported that"Judglng from an) if" i A A. |
