PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Pike County has more rural and secondary roads than any county in the Commonwealth. After the May and June floods, many of those roads were damaged and in need of major repair, but none as much as Rock Road near Millard Grade School.

In what has become by far the most expensive Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) project in Pike County’s history, Rocky Road is days away from finally being back to normal.

“Rocky Road suffered terrible damage,” Pike County Judge-Executive Wayne T. Rutherford said. “We had to act quickly. We got to a point where school buses getting up and down the road was going to be an issue and school was about to start. Work began on the road and has not stopped since.”

Jigsaw Enterprises LLC, of Pikeville, took on the massive and delicate project, which has currently cost nearly $870,000.

“All we have left to do is a little bit of dress work,” Rusty Justice, Jigsaw general manager said. “We want to put a headwall where the pipe comes out and we need to put the guardrail up. Other than that, the big things are finished.”

Justice said the process was so lengthy because it has to be completed in phases. During phase 1 Jigsaw just wanted to get the road stabilized. After the road was stabilized, a geo tech firm was hired to determine the best method at which to proceed with repair. It was determined that rock anchors drilled through the mountain would not only fix the road, but sustain it for a long time to come.

“We put in 46 rock anchors ranging from 40 to 80 feet in length,” Justice said. “We then grouted those into place. Then we put wire mesh over the face and put down a six-inch layer of shockrete on the 180-foot by 40-foot section.”

After that, Justice said, Jigsaw installed 6 by 6 foot anchor blocks with rebar then clipped on to the rods and pulled on them to ensure stability.

“Just testing the work we had already done took nearly two weeks,” Justice said. “We pulled each rod with 30 tons of pressure.”

The last part of phase 1 was completed when Jigsaw bolted on anchor plates and then literally bolted the side of the mountain to the rock cliff.

Phase 2 was installing the drain and rock buttress, which was done in 15-foot increments and took a lot of time, said Justice. Jigsaw then filled the area in with rock and rebuilt the road bed.

“I think it is important to know that a school bus never waited,” Justice said. “The road was always open and was never shut down for more than 15 minutes at a time.”

After the new base and blacktop are put down, Frankie Stacy, Pike County director of purchasing, said the project could easily top out at the $1 million mark.

In an early August meeting between Jigsaw and Judge Rutherford, Justice said Jigsaw could have the road ready for school buses by the time school started and it would be completely finished by mid to late November, which should make the completion right on schedule.

“I’d say around 500 people live up past where the road fell in,” said District 4 Magistrate Kenneth Robinson. “I am glad to see it finally get fixed and so are the people of Rocky Road.”