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Price tag for new Utah oil line: $2 billion
Probably because the Uintah RoW ends up next door, in Colorado.
Do it!! Its a drop in the bucket compared to the gains!!!
You have to wonder why that UDOT choose this route from Duchesne, UT over rebuilding the former Uintah Railroad. The oil that is being produced at the present will require a heated car because of it’s wax content. The oil and gas reserves the study talks about are not located in this area, but further east and south. And its shale oil and gas. The old Uintah, with all the steep grades might still be a better route as it’s northern end reaches the edge of the oil and gas reserves, which while being served by pipelines operating at capacity. Easier and quicker to get an EIS to relay rail on an abandoned railroad than starting from scratch.
@Michael J Moss, if you rebuilt the Uintah RR wouldn’t you correct those grades during the REBUILDING.
@Andrew C Seldon, One more advantage is that the Uintah ROW doesn’t cross any Indian Reservations. Doesn’t matter what the route is, the main product is located in UTAH and that is where the majority of jobs will be. Besides, when or if the new RR is approved, it won’t be built by a local General Contractor.
How many miles of new mountain grade or tunnels would be required to “correct” the old NG ROW ? Do you know if the UDOT study didn’t consider the old Uintah grade?
The former Uintah RR with its 7 1/2 % grades and 66 deg curve is not a viable alternative.
If you build it they will come. The Field of Dreams reference really represents the oil boom going on in the U.S. The oil companies could build this new line as part of the deal to develope the oil fields. Two billion is literally a drop in the bucket (when people are building billion dollar sports stadiums and paying billions of dollars for sports teams) for energy independance, have you watched the news lately.
The eastern end of the Uintah Rwy was Mack, Colorado, which is on I-70 west of Grand Junction. It connected with the Denver & Rio Grande.
And the Uintah terminated in the 1920s at Watson, Utah, just across the Colorado/Utah border. Total length of the Uintah was 62.8 wild and wooly miles.
The entire geography between the Uintah basis and the US 6/ Price basin is a collection of steep mountain ridges with very little level geography.
This would demand extremely expensive roadway building and may speak to a wiser decision to run pipeline.
George
This is going to be an expensive build any which way they go. Choices are do nothing and keep paying thru the nose for highway maintenance. Build a pipeline that will only transport a single commodity. Build a massive airport and fly it out !! 
Or if you want something that can haul lots of stuff in and out build a railroad.
One last comment. Without looking at a map with elevations. Price and Duchesne are within 400 feet of elevation of each other. If there is a flat route between those two locations that would make operational sense.
It is five years now since I have driven to Vernal; the traffic was not bad then. However, there is now much truck traffic carrying oil to refineries in North Salt Lake–and the people who drive US 40 would be very glad to have that traffic reduced, even though it will take several years before the track is finished.
Rail West from Craig and build a shorter pipeline.
i have driven a truck, both directions more than once,on 191. between price and duchesne is mostly a long canyon, uphill toward price, if you did not get slowed by unattentive cars, little downshifting was needed until the main climb over a pass, the ten mile tunnel mentioned in the article, would get you past the 9400 ft pass when you are about 10 miles to the old rio grande main. in 2011 the amount of oil traffic was minimal. by 2013 every section has an operating well. it is a real tough hill for trucks. 25 mph truck speed. long downhill with sharp turn near the bottom