The Belevue City Council approved an $87,500 contract with the state Department of Ecology for improvements to trails in the 450-acre Coal Creek Natural Area on Feb. 22.
Over six months, the DOE’s Washington Conservation Corps is expected to perform clearing and grading, drainage enhancement and resurfacing to restore more than a mile of trail. 

In 2004, Bellevue acquired the Coal Creek Natural Area from King County; the four-plus miles of trail in the area were in a state of disrepair. In 2005, city Parks staff completed an inventory of the trail system to prioritize projects needed to provide safe, year-round access to a wide range of users. 

Since then, a combination of volunteer, city and WCC projects have resulted in about a mile of renovated trails, along with six new bridges and improvements to several trailheads. Parks staff hopes to have half of the Coal Creek trails safe and usable by September, when this project will be complete.