(WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com) — The Pymatuning State Park Trail Extension Project has received special recognition from the Franklin chapter of the American Society of Highway Engineers.

The trail extension project, which includes the preservation of the Messerall Truss Bridge, was named as a project of the year by the organization.

Pymatuning State Park is in Crawford County. The Messerall Truss Bridge is a 146-year-old bridge that was relocated from Oil Creek Township to near Linesville Borough where it now is part of the Pymatuning State Park Trail System.

The bridge had been closed in 1987 due to extensive deterioration. It was disassembled in August 2021 and then reassembled at the park in September 2022. Trail work extended the pathway from one mile in length to more than three miles and added a connection to the Route 6 and Bicycle PA Route Y, a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) news release said.

Work was through a partnership between PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.