Last month, one of the longest lasting engineering projects in the Commonwealth concluded. The construction of a new corridor of US 460 connecting the Virginia state line to Pikeville was completed consisting of multiple highway bridges and new roads.
Plans for the corridor were initially proposed in 1990 and began construction in 2002. Nearly $800 million was invested over the project’s 35 years of development and construction making it one of the most expensive undertakings in Kentucky’s history.
Perhaps one of the most noteworthy projects on the new corridor was the construction of the Pond Creek twin bridges standing at 324 feet tall. Engineer and manager of the project, Paul Burchett, said there were some unique challenges to completing the bridge.
“It was really challenging on that job because it was so tall and the terrain was so steep, to get the cranes in the right position to be able to do a traditional erection was almost impossible,” said Burchett.
He added the immense height of the bridge led to some creative problem solving on behalf of the engineering team.
“That’s when we came up with the idea of launching the beams,” he said. “I guess the height of the bridge maybe gathers a lot of headlines, but it was the first time structural steel had ever been launched in the state of Kentucky.”
Officials expect the new corridor to bolster the economy of eastern Kentucky. The new route will allow local businesses to expand while providing businesses from out of state a route through the heart of Appalachia. Additionally, nearly 200 acres of flat land were developed over the course of the highway’s construction.