Project Carryall

Project Carryall was a 1963 United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) proposal to use nuclear explosives to excavate a path for Interstate 40 (I-40) and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) through the Bristol Mountains of southern California. The project was proposed as a component of Project Plowshare, which sought ways to use nuclear devices in public works and industrial development projects.

The nuclear excavation project advanced to planning in 1965, but the California Division of Highways withdrew from the project in 1966. The railroad proposal continued until 1970, after which it was quietly abandoned. The highway was constructed using conventional methods.