History of the Cut Through Project

The Pikeville Cut-through Project

From Vision to Landmark

Standing in a chain link steel cage overlooking the largest earth moving project in the United States, taking in the scenery, it is natural to wonder why this was done and who would ever have thought it possible to move a mountain. Even more, as one takes in the beauty of the cool crystal clear highlands river flowing over boulders as big as cars, through a limestone and granite canyon and the mountains as they abruptly stop to create a massive gorge, one is struck with the absolute grandness of the project that has been called the eighth wonder of the modern world.

Growing up in Pikeville today is very much different than it would have been for Dr. William Hambley growing up in depression era Pikeville. Although a small town, Pikeville had its share of problems as young William Hambley saw it. Geographically speaking Pikeville was and is shaped like a horseshoe. That is, the Levisa Fork River, as it flowed northward on its way to the Ohio, made a large half circle around Peach Orchard Mountain. The city of Pikeville was built on the rich bottom land that lay between the river and the mountain. As one can imagine this was not a lot of room to spread and grow as a city. The answer was to develop Peach Orchard Mountain. Along the hillside many homes were built, also, Pikeville College was constructed on a bluff of Peach Orchard overlooking downtown. Sounds like quite a charming setting doesn’t it? One would think so. However, running through downtown, along and parallel with the foot of the mountain was a railroad. During Dr. Hambley’s childhood that railroad carried passengers in and out of Pikeville, and it also carried the region’s most precious cargo, coal.

Pikeville is situated in the heart of the coal rich central Appalachian Mountains and the coal that was mined in the area was shipped by rail north to the steel mills and power plants that power America....