Elkhorn City, Pike County — State and local officials formally opened a 17‑mile section of U.S. 460 on Tuesday, calling the project a decades‑long infrastructure investment that officials say cost "nearly $800,000,000" and will boost safety, travel time and economic development for Eastern Kentucky.

Mary Westfall Holbrook, chief district engineer at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, opened the ceremony and thanked the planners, contractors and dozens of construction workers who she said made the project possible. "This is a legacy that Paxton and John Michael and myself are passing along," she said, naming John Michael Johnson as the project manager and Paxton Weddington as the construction branch manager.

Rocky Adkins, senior adviser to the governor, called the highway "a masterpiece," saying the dedication covers 17 miles from U.S. 23 to the Virginia line and noting the project moved "a 100,000,000 cubic yards of material" and includes the Pond Creek Bridge, which he described as the tallest bridge in Kentucky. "17 miles and nearly $800,000,000 that was spent to build this highway," Adkins said, adding the new alignment "cuts 10 miles off" some trips and will make it easier for residents to reach doctors, schools and jobs.

Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray said the work is "not just a road project" but an investment in opportunity and safety that will benefit current and future generations. Gray credited multiple governors, the Federal Highway Administration and state and local legislators for funding and oversight during the decades‑long effort.

Karen Kelly, representing U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers' office, said the project relied heavily on federal resources. "Out of the nearly $800,000,000 invested in this project, 614,000,000 is federal funding through ARC's Appalachian Highway Development Fund," she said, referencing the Appalachian Regional Commission program that helped finance portions of the work.

Ray Jones, Pike County judge executive, detailed local plans to use the highway to spur job creation. Jones said Pike County has begun developing multiple industrial sites — Wolf Pit, Jesse Branch and John Moore Branch — and that the road, combined with water, sewer and fiber infrastructure, will make those sites marketable to new employers.

The program also included multiple dedications. Officials and family members unveiled signs naming bridges and a corridor for local veterans and community members, including memorials for Harold Caudle, Philip Eppley, Officer Scotty Hamilton, Staff Sergeant Dante Price, Terry Taylor and a Korean War veteran, Sergeant Thomas Eppley.

The ceremony concluded with elected officials, staff and families moving onto the roadway for a taped ribbon cut and countdown, formally opening the new segment. Officials said construction partners and labor unions supplied much of the work and pledged continued investment in Eastern Kentucky transportation projects.

No legislative votes or regulatory actions occurred at the event; officials said additional connector work and local development projects will proceed through the county and state planning processes.