Times Tribune, Tuesday, April 14, 2015 by Kristina Smith

Corbin is off to the races.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Keeneland Association Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Vince Gabbert unveiled preliminary drawings for Corbin’s quarter horse racing track, Thunder Gap, on Monday.

 

 

Thunder Gap will span over 50 acres of land located off the Corbin bypass in Knox County. The racing facility will consist of a 1,723 foot straightaway horse track, grand stand seating, an entertainment facility, two 50-stall horse barns, 1,500 parking spaces and seven commercial lots set aside for business and hotel development.

                                                                                                                                  

“We’ve been working on this for several years and it’s finally come to fruition,” Gabbert said. “I’ve never seen a project that has the support of local officials the way this has.”

                                                                                                                                                                            

To prepare the property for construction, Gabbert said around $3 million in roadwork and earthwork must be completed. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has already committed $1 million in discretionary spending to the project, and the final $2 million will need to come from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

                                                                                                                                                                            

Buchanan Boulevard will serve as the main entrance for Thunder Gap, and therefore must undergo major renovations. Allison Boulevard will also have to be reworked and rerouted to fit the purposes of the project. A traffic light will be added at the intersection of Buchanan and the bypass.

                                                                                                                                                                            

Ed Worley, former Kentucky senator and project manager for Thunder Gap, said around 600,000 cubic yards of material must be moved to make the site usable.

                                                                                                                                                                            

“To do a project of this magnitude it takes two things,” Worley said. “A progressive, forward thinking community and a great partner in the private sector, and I think that’s what you’ve got here.”

                                                                                                                                                                            

Worley said he anticipates ground to be broken for the project around July or the beginning of August. Gabbert expects Thunder Gap to be completed in 2016.