We all know that Kentucky is capable of doing great things, but would you ever imagine that a tiny town in our state could literally move a mountain? The eastern Kentucky town of Pikeville dared to dream big back in the 1970s when it began what would end up being one of the largest engineering feats the world has seen. It's incredible to think that a small mountain town in the Bluegrass State could accomplish the Pikeville cut-through overlook, but then again, it makes sense that it would happen in Kentucky.

Today, the town of Pikeville is nestled in the mountains of eastern Kentucky and is surrounded by natural beauty and history. However, prior to 1973, the town had its fair share of issues, and the town's Mayor, William C. Hambley, had a big idea to solve them.

Pikeville often suffered from devastating flooding, congestion, and smoke from the train that ran through the town, and it was running out of flat land on which to build. A crazy idea was then proposed to move an unheard of amount of earth to create a cut-through to alleviate the issues. Although definitely unusual, this massive project officially began in November of 1973.

The Pikeville Cut-Through KY Project would happen in four phases over 14 years and would require an impressive number of people, businesses, and agencies of all levels to worth together to see it through. Miraculously, the approximately $80 million project was completed in 1987.

The project involved blasting space for a 0.75-mile-long channel through Peach Orchard Mountain to make way for the rerouted railroad and river, as well as many highways. The evidence of this unbelievable amount of work can be seen all around Pikeville today.

The best way to witness the cut-through is to visit the designated overlook on Bob Amos Drive. Here you can marvel at the second largest earth-moving project our country has seen, runner up only to the Panama Canal.

With the repositioning of the Levisa Fork, the Big Sandy River no longer runs directly through the town and catastrophic flooding is typically no longer an issue. The railroad, shown below, was also rerouted, which has made for a better environment in the town.

A total of 18 million cubic yards of earth were moved during this project, most of which filled in the moved riverbed and created more buildable land for the town. The Mayor and the town of Pikeville definitely embodied the "little engine that could" with this undertaking, as it moved a mountain to make for a better future for the city and put Kentucky on the map with one of the largest engineering feats the world has seen. It’s a true marvel to think of the Pikeville Cut-Through before and after!

Learn more about the Pikeville Cut-Through Project and see more of this charming town here:

The Pikeville Cut-Through Project is not just an impressive engineering feat, but a true wonder that so many people, companies, and agencies were able to work together to see this to the end. And the proof of this marvelous endeavor can be found in a small mountain town in eastern Kentucky. Did you know about this incredible project and its magnitude? Share your thoughts with us in the comments and tag someone who you believe will enjoy learning about it!

For more information on the project, visit the Pike County website.

And if you'd like to see the Pikeville Cut-Through Overlook for yourself, add it to this Eastern Kentucky Road Trip.