Published April 3 2015
A city project on Coal Creek Parkway that features a new culvert/bridge to keep the roadway safe, a pedestrian connection to the Coal Creek trail and stream restoration to improve salmon habitat was awarded the 2015 Project of the Year award in the Environment Category by the Washington state chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) on Thursday, April 2.
"This was a complex capital project, and I think our Utilities Department, in collaboration with Parks and Transportation, did a great job," said City Manager Brad Miyake, "The project keeps Coal Creek Parkway safe for the 28,000 motorists who use it each day. It also creates a safe way for hikers to cross under the roadway to connect to the Coal Creek Trail.
"In addition, important stream restoration has improved salmon habitat, and there's a salmon viewing area as part of the project. We should start seeing young Coho salmon in Coal Creek in the next few months."
The Coal Creek Parkway Culvert/Bridge project, located between Forest Drive and Southeast 60th Street, involved replacing an aging nine-foot diameter culvert with a 39-foot culvert/bridge, and took a year and a half to complete. Since Coal Creek Parkway is a major regional route, two of the four lanes were kept open through different phases of the project. All four lanes reopened late last fall.
"What made the project so complex is that vital infrastructure under Coal Creek Parkway had to be relocated," said Nav Otal, Utilities director. "The bridge had to be built in two stages -- one half at a time -- to keep the road open and to safely move the pipelines. Our first priority at all times was safety," said Otal.