Without sufficient infrastructure, navigating mountainous regions can present significant transportation challenges. To improve and accelerate connectivity in the Appalachian Mountains, a project is underway on U.S. 460 or Corridor Q, a 30.7-mile highway running through Virginia and Kentucky. Construction on the Virginia portion of the highway began in August 2009 near the Virginia-Kentucky state line.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and general contractor Bizzack Construction LLC are currently working on the Poplar Creek Phase B section of the project.
Poplar Creek Phase B will provide a four-lane, limited-access highway approximately 2 miles in length, completing Corridor Q in Virginia. Kentucky completed its Corridor Q construction in 2025, making Poplar Creek Phase B the final 2 miles of the project between Pikeville, Kentucky, and Grundy, Virginia.
Grundy is in southwest Virginia and is about 25 to 30 miles from Pikeville. Grundy serves as the county seat and has a population in the 800 range, while Pikeville’s is around 7,000.
Prior to opening the majority of Corridor Q in Virginia and Kentucky, the drive between the two cities would normally take approximately one and a half hours. Typically, drivers use Route 460 — a curvy, mountainous two-lane road.
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“If drivers get stuck behind a truck, the drive between Grundy and Pikeville could be excessive,” Bizzack Project Manager Stewart Gaither said.
Pikeville is home to several health care facilities, so every second is crucial for emergency vehicles. VDOT estimates the project has greatly reduced travel time and provides a safer and straighter route.
“Motorists have seen a significant reduction in travel times as Virginia and Kentucky have opened new sections of Corridor Q in the past few years,” VDOT Mega Projects Program Engineer Marty Halloway said.
VDOT projects that the average daily traffic on the highway will be between 10,000 and 16,000. However, the number may rise.
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“As more travelers learn of the new connection to Grundy, there is the potential for more traffic,” VDOT District Communications Manager Michelle Earl said. “Additionally, with the panoramic views, there is the potential to see higher traffic volumes when fall leaves reach their peak color.”
Phase B connects to Phase A and Route 604 on its western end and to the town of Grundy and Route 460 on its eastern end.
Poplar Creek Phase B includes the construction of approximately 2 miles of four-lane, undivided, limited-access highway on a new alignment. The project will tie the Corridor Q: Route 121/460 alignment to the current Route 460 in Grundy, offering key logical termini for the corridor.
The new alignment, combined with the mountainous terrain, requires extensive earthwork. The team estimated it will move approximately 16 million cubic yards of material.
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Other work includes installing new drainage.
The team is also constructing an approximately 1,100-foot steel girder bridge spanning the Levisa Fork River and Norfolk Southern Railway. The 175-foot-tall bridge will be the third tallest in the state.
“Due to elevation differences on either side of the Levisa Fork River, the bridge height accommodates an 8 percent profile grade for the connection,” Gaither said. “Our goal was to balance an increase in excavation and flattening the bridge.”
“As it is, this is the deepest cut in Virginia at nearly 500 feet,” VDOT Project Manager Zachary Bailey said. “The bridge’s height is due to the region's steep topography and ties with the current Route 460 (Riverside Drive).”
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Other cut sections range in height from 300 feet to 400 feet.
The team is striving to repurpose the earthwork to build the roadway.
“We crushed lots of sandstone on site and use it on some of the roadway subbase, which has made it practical and helped us keep within budget,” Gaither said.
The area is home to the northern long-eared bat, which is a federally endangered species. As part of the project, the team had to cut approximately 200 acres of trees in an area where some of the bats roost during the warmer months. The team was left with a brief window to cut down the trees.
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Another species that is protected under the Endangered Species Act calls the area home. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website, the “Big Sandy crayfish is a freshwater crustacean found in streams and rivers in the Appalachian Region of Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia.” The crayfish are prevalent in the Levisa Fork River, which caused the team to make adjustments to their work in the river.
“We changed our erection procedures and brought in a big crane, so we could stay out of the river,” Gaither said.
Bailey added that by bringing in the large crane and remaining out of the river, the original plan of using cofferdams could be eliminated, avoiding instream impacts.
The area presented other challenges. The team worked near the train, which required significant coordination. Because Norfolk Southern Railway required additional reviews and project requirements, the team secured a railroad coordinator.
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“The railroad coordinator facilitated reviews and communications between the project team and the railroad,” Gaither said. “He acted as the middle piece of the hourglass between Bizzack and Norfolk Southern Railroad.”
The team has had to preplan with Norfolk Southern Railway throughout the project.
Coordination with the team was also a challenge, as many design team members were located across the country.
“In order to resolve issues without being physically together, project managers leveraged every tool in their toolbox to track, monitor, communicate, and hold the team members accountable in the delivery of the project,” Bailey said. “As each risk was identified, the team partnered on how to mitigate so the project did not encounter delays on known risks.”
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Moving the large amounts of earthwork, in addition to 30,000 tons of asphalt and 7,700 cubic yards of concrete, was another challenge.
“We used large-scale, earthmoving equipment to create efficiencies unique to traditional road building and save excavation time and money,” Gaither said.
They are also using 4-foot lifts instead of the VDOT specifications (6-inch lifts) to speed up compaction.
The team has had an average of 13 to 25 pieces of equipment on the construction site at any given time, including everything from pickup trucks to large off-road equipment.
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Bizzack Construction is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. The contractor has already completed five sections of Corridor Q and has been on the project since 2009, when construction began. The local company includes many employees who live and work in the county.
“We have an established workforce, management team, design team, and construction infrastructure in place,” Gaither said. “We take great pride in our work and want to be a part of completing U.S. 460 to Grundy.”
Halloway noted that VDOT entered into a public-private partnership with Bizzack in 2017 for Phase B.
“The comprehensive agreement provided Bizzack the first right to any roadway segment from the Route 121/460 intersection to the West Virginia state line,” he said.
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The budget for Phase B is $207 million. That covers construction costs, preliminary engineering, right of way, and VDOT oversight and program management fees. Currently, the project is on budget.
Halloway attributes that to the team doing a very good job of working closely to discuss issues in advance and adjusting budget and scheduling as needed.
“Monthly spend plans are prepared and evaluated monthly by both parties to ensure the cash flow is maintained,” Halloway said.
The project is being funded via the traditional 80/20 split between the federal and state governments. The project has also received federal earmarks, with the 20 percent match provided by Buchanan County.
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Construction began in February 2023 and is on track to meet the anticipated late 2027 completion.
When Corridor Q is completed, drivers in the area will have access to a safe, modern highway. The roadway will provide a path to better health care and increased economic opportunities.
- Owner: Virginia Department of Transportation
- General Contractor: Bizzack Construction, Lexington, Kentucky
- Design Manager/Engineer of Record: CES Consulting, Warrenton, Virginia
- Roadway Engineer: Kelly Consulting LLC, Abingdon, Virginia
- Other Contractors: Bush & Burchett Inc., Prestonsburg, Virginia
