UDOT

Public-private partnership with Simplot saves $40 million and improves safety for drivers

The Utah Department of Transportation this week announces the completion of the US-191 Realignment Project north of Vernal — an effort delivered through an innovative public-private partnership with Simplot Phosphates that saved taxpayers about $40 million.

The project replaced a 2.6-mile section of steep switchbacks with a straighter, safer alignment designed to improve travel for trucks, residents and visitors heading to Flaming Gorge.

Key improvements included:

• Replacing of steep switchbacks with a new alignment and standard horizontal curves
• Adding of a northbound climbing lane and a southbound passing lane
• Constructing of a new runaway truck ramp
• Building standard-width shoulders to improve safety and recovery zones

The project was completed as a public-private partnership with Simplot Phosphates, which provided significant support in moving millions of cubic yards of earth for the new road embankments worth $40 million. This innovative funding method helped UDOT deliver the project more efficiently and at a lower cost to taxpayers.

“I don’t think you could ask for a better public private partnership,” Sen. Ron Winterton, R-Roosevelt, said. “It’s a win win. They can come back and mine where the current road exists, and we get a new, safer road.”

“This truly is a win-win-win,” UDOT Region Three Director Rob Clayton added. “It’s a win for the traveling public, who now have a safer and more efficient road; a win for Simplot, which can continue its operations in the area for decades to come; and a win for UDOT, as our partnership allowed us to deliver the project faster and at a lower cost.”

Simplot leadership described the project as an example of effective coordination between industry and government. 

“The realignment of US-191 north of Vernal represents a milestone in infrastructure collaboration between the public sector and a private entity that benefits both community and industry,” Simplot AgriBusiness President G. Rey Reinhardt said. “We’re proud to be part of a solution that strengthens Utah’s rural connectivity and long-term growth.”

To celebrate the project’s completion, the Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce has invited UDOT and Simplot to speak at its monthly luncheon Tuesday, Oct. 21 at noon at the Uintah Conference Center (313 East 200 South, Vernal). Following the luncheon, attendees will be shuttled to the overlook point near the project site for a ribbon cutting ceremony at 1:30 p.m.

For more information about the project, visit udotinput.utah.gov/us191realigned.