Pikeville Cut-Through

The Pikeville Cut-Through is an engineering feat that carved a passage for the Levisa Fork River through a mountainous terrain, creating room for development where a river once blocked the way. The channel now holds a four-lane highway, railroad tracks, and a walking path, all sharing the same excavated space.

Work began in 1973 when city leaders recognized that surrounding mountains trapped the town and prevented growth. After 14 years of blasting and excavation, completion in 1987 marked a turning point that opened Pikeville to regional expansion.

The Cut-Through is named after Mayor William Hambley, whose decades of advocacy made this project a symbol of the town's determination to grow. Today, locals and visitors alike recognize it as a defining moment in Pikeville's identity as a place that reshaped itself.

The best way to experience the site is from the highway or the pedestrian path that runs along the channel, both offering clear views of the engineering work. Plan your visit during warmer months when the area is most accessible and the weather works for photographs and walking.

This project ranks as one of the largest earth-moving operations in the Western Hemisphere, second only to the Panama Canal in total volume. Workers removed more than 18 million cubic yards of soil and rock to reshape the landscape for an entire town's future.

Location: Kentucky

GPS coordinates: 37.47530,-82.53890

Latest update: December 7, 2025 20:23