Pikeville Cut-Through
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The Pikeville Cut-Through is a rock cut in Pikeville, Kentucky, United States, created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, through which passes a four-lane divided highway (Corridor B, numbered as U.S. Route 23 (US 23), US 119, US 460, and KY 80), a railroad line (CSX' Big Sandy Subdivision), and the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River.[1] It is one of the largest civil engineering projects in the Western Hemisphere. Nearly Script error: No such module "convert".[1] of soil and rock were moved, making the Pikeville Cut-Through second only to the Panama Canal (Script error: No such module "convert".) when ranking the hemisphere's largest earth-moving projects.[2] Dr. William Hambley, who served as mayor of Pikeville for 29 years, Robert H. Holcomb, Chamber of Commerce president, and Henry Stratton, local attorney, spearheaded the project.
The Pikeville Cut-Through is Script error: No such module "convert". wide, Script error: No such module "convert". long, and Script error: No such module "convert". deep.[1] The project was completed in 1987 following 14 years of work at a cost of $77.6 million ($Template:Formatprice in Template:Inflation-year dollarsTemplate:Inflation-fn).
Purpose
The project was initially envisioned by Pikeville native Dr. William Hambley in 1960.[3] He wanted to relocate the railbed because he wanted to eliminate the dust that came from the coal hauling trains that passed through the city daily. In 1963, Pikeville received a $38,000 federal grant for a railroad relocation feasibility study and was named a Model City by the recently formed Model Cities Agency, generating even more funding. By 1965, his plan had further developed to accommodate Corridor B of the Appalachian Development Highway System, assuring the construction of the Pikeville Cut-Through.[4]
It was also decided to relocate the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River, which then snaked through the downtown area, to eliminate almost-yearly flooding. The river bed then was to be reclaimed, significantly increasing the available space for development within the city.[4]
Construction
The project was constructed in four phases by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between November 26, 1973, and October 2, 1987.[4]
Phase I of construction began on November 26, 1973. By the end of Phase I, nearly Script error: No such module "convert". of rock were blasted from Peach Orchard Mountain to create a channel for the road, railroad, and river. The cost of Phase I at completion was $17,250,000.[4]
Phase II of construction began on March 4, 1980. During this phase the coal tipples and railroad tracks were removed from downtown Pikeville, a bridge was constructed across the cut, the river was rerouted, and the former riverbed filled. Script error: No such module "convert". of soil was moved to create Script error: No such module "convert". of available land in downtown at a cost of $22,200,000.[4]
Phase III and IV of the construction began on March 15, 1983. The final stages consisted of: the construction of the downtown interchanges and flood walls, another new bridge, and the construction of Hambley Boulevard atop the former railbed – a lasting tribute to William Hambley. These two phases created an additional Script error: No such module "convert". of downtown property at a cost of $19,700,000.[4]
The project was dedicated on October 2, 1987.[4]
References
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- ↑ a b c Maddox, Connie. The Pikeville Cut-Through Project (brochure). Pikeville-Pike County Tourism. Retrieved on June 17, 2010
- ↑ Flow Diversion-Pikeville Cut-Through University of Kentucky. Retrieved on November 22, 2010.
- ↑ Pikeville "Cut-Thru Project" Template:Webarchive Kentucky Tourism. Retrieved on June 17, 2010
- ↑ a b c d e f g The Pikeville Cut-Through ProjectTemplate:Category handler[<span title="Script error: No such module "string".">usurped]Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Pike County, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved on June 17, 2010
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External links
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