The city of Bellevue received the American Public Works Association — Washington State Chapter’s 2015 Project of the Year award in the environmental category on Thursday for the new bridge it constructed on Coal Creek Parkway that allowed for the removal of a small culvert that had been preventing migrating salmon from passing under the roadway.

“What made the project so complex is that vital infrastructure under Coal Creek Parkway had to be relocated,” said Nav Otal, city utilities director, in a news release. “There were fiber optic cables, a 12-inch PSE gas line, and two large Olympic petroleum pipelines.

“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.”

Stairs and a pedestrian walkway were also constructed to run under the bridge, creating a connection to the Coal Creek trail; pedestrians and bicyclists had to cross over at Forest Drive and be rerouted back to the west side of the trail, though some risked running across the parkway.

Connecting the trail had been considered several years ago, but was put on hold when problems were found with the culvert. The city park’s portion of the project was for with 2008 parks levy funds, and included a new parking lot.