labeled corridors F and S. Cumberland Gap Tunnel project In the mid-to-late-20th century, US 25E between Middlesboro and Cumberland Gap had seen an uptick in fatal collisions, with the stretch of highway through the Cumberland Gap nicknamed "Massacre Mountain." In 1973, officials with the National Park Service received initiatives to construct tunnels underneath the Cumberland Gap in order to resolve the accidents and restore the Cumberland Gap to its pioneer-era state of the 1770s, a motion set forth by the establishment of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park by the United States Congress in 1940. The plan, consisting of the construction of twin 4,600 foot long tunnels, five miles of new a four-lane controlled-access US 25E, two interchanges, seven bridges, and the restoration of the Cumberland Gap, was presented with a cost of $265 million dollars and was led by joint effort between the National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration. Design work for the project started in 1979, and construction on the tunnels and the new four-lane 25E began in 1985. The Cumberland Gap Tunnel would open in 1996, completely bypassing Cumberland Gap and Virginia. U.S. Route 58 was moved to a new alignment along a short stretch of old US 25E to meet the new four-lane 25E in Tennessee, decommissioning 25E entirely in Virginia. As the remainder of old US 25E through Virginia and Kentucky lay within the boundaries of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, its pavement was torn up and the path was restored into a hiking trail along the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap. Major intersections See also References External links US 25 at KentuckyRoads.com Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Tennessee Department of Transportation 25E 25E 25E 25E E Transportation in Bell County, Kentucky Transportation in Knox County, Kentucky Transportation in Laurel County, Kentucky Transportation in Cocke County, Tennessee Transportation in Jefferson County, Tennessee Transportation in Hamblen County, Tennessee Transportation in Grainger County, Tennessee Transportation in Claiborne County, Tennessee Expressways in the United States