Pikeville Cut-Through

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.

[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.

[5] 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.

By the end of Phase I, nearly 13,000,000 cubic yards (9,900,000 m3) of rock were blasted from Peach Orchard Mountain to create a channel for the road, railroad, and river.

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.