The Nutty Narrows Bridge for Squirrels

When human progress conflicts with nature and wildlife habitat, it becomes necessary to provide a safe haven for animals in the form of wildlife crossings such as bridges and underpasses that allow animals to cross human-made barriers safely. The Nutty Narrows Bridge is such a wildlife crossing for squirrels built in the city of Longview, Washington, which provides a safe route for squirrels trying to cross the busy street. While most squirrel bridges are simply a length of rope tied across the roads, the Nutty Narrows Bridge is an elaborate structure designed to appear like a miniature bridge. The Nutty Narrows Bridge is located across Olympia Way near Civic Center circle and allows squirrels to move between the Park Plaza office building and a city park across the street. Before the bridge was built, many squirrels were run over by cars when they tried to cross Olympia Way. After seeing this, Amos J. Peters, the owner of a construction contracting firm, conceived the idea of a squirrel bridge. Peters engaged architects Robert Newhall and LeRoy Dahl, who designed the bridge, and Donald Kramer, who completed the structural engineering. Peters and his associate Bill Hutch then started constructing the 60-foot bridge out of aluminum and lengths of discarded fire hose. In 1963, they built the bridge over the street between two trees, and unveiled it with a grand dedication ceremony. The bridge immediately started receiving world-wide attention and was featured in dozens of newspapers and magazines. Over the years, the bridge has been taken down several times for repairs and has been moved four times due to the failure of the attached structural supports. In 2010, it was reinstalled near its original location. In 2014, the bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Inspired by the Nutty Narrows Bridge’s success, the city installed several more bridges. Now, Longview has four squirrel bridges.