When Uintah County is deciding.

At least that was the case with Chipeta Grove Road.

From 1997 to 2003, Uintah County labeled a 14-mile dirt track in the oil fields south of Vernal as Chipeta Grove Road. It runs east from Glen Bench Road to state Route 45 in eastern Utah.

On those same maps, an 11-mile paved road that runs west from Glen Bench to State Route 88 near the town of Ouray is labeled Chipeta Wells Road.

In 1999, the Uintah Special Service District - in conjunction with Uintah County - received a low-interest loan from the state to pave the Chipeta Grove Road, according to district records. That stretch was among 60 miles earmarked for a $1.6 million paving project.

In fact, according to Utah Department of Transportation records, Uintah County collected Class B road-maintenance grants on Chipeta Grove Road in 2000 and 2001 as if it were paved - a rate five times that for dirt roads.

But for reasons that are not clear, Chipeta Grove never was paved. The 14-mile segment remains dirt.

Oddly, on its 2004 map, Uintah County swapped the names: Chipeta Grove - the 14-mile dirt road - became Chipeta Wells. And Chipeta Wells - the 11-mile paved route - became Chipeta Grove.

In March, Uintah County officials pointed to new road signs on what had been Chipeta Wells Road as evidence that Chipeta Grove Road had been paved.

Recently, Uintah County road crews put up more new signs on the dirt road that was originally Chipeta Grove and then changed to Chipeta Wells. The newest signs now call the 14-mile dirt track Fidlar Road.

The latest change was made to eliminate the confusion between the two Chipeta roads, said Jesse Trentadue, a Salt Lake City-based attorney representing Uintah County.

Now, county commissioners detour criticism about a lack of pavement on the original Chipeta Grove Road by simply pointing to the new Chipeta Grove Road because that 11-mile route - which used to be Chipeta Wells Road - clearly is paved.

csmart@sltrib.com