Nutty Narrows Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nutty Narrows Bridge |
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| Coordinates | 46°08′29″N 122°56′26″W / 46.141469°N 122.940494°W |
| Carries | Squirrels |
| Crosses | Olympia Way |
| Locale | Longview, WA |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Stressed ribbon bridge in imitation of a Suspension Bridge |
| Material | fire hose and unknown metals |
| Total length | 60 feet |
| History | |
| Designer | Amos Peters, Robert Newhall, and LeRoy Dahl |
| Constructed by | Amos Peters |
| Construction end | 1963 |
| Opened | 1963 |
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Nutty Narrows Bridge
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| Location | Longview, Washington, spanning Olympia Way between 18th Avenue and Maple Street |
| NRHP reference No. | 14000500 |
| Added to NRHP | August 18, 2014 |
The Nutty Narrows Bridge is a squirrel bridge in Longview, Washington. It has the title of the "World's Narrowest Bridge" and also the "World's Narrowest Animal Crossing." The Nutty Narrows was named by a local councilwoman after the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
History
Before the bridge was built, squirrels had to avoid speeding traffic by running across the street to eat a nutty feast at an office building and back again to a park with large trees.
On March 19, 1963, Amos Peters, after seeing many squirrels being flattened, decided to protect squirrels and give them a way to cross a busy thoroughfare without getting killed by passing cars. The original sky-bridge was built over Olympia Way near the Civic Center in downtown Longview.
Designed to look like a mini-suspension bridge, the 60-foot-long (18 m) span and made of an aluminum piping covered with a retired firehose to create the roadway. The total cost for the bridge was $1000.
In 1983, Peters took down the bridge for repairs. Crosspieces were replaced and the faded sign was repainted. Upon its completion, the bridge was re-dedicated with special guests Chip 'n' Dale and Mickey Mouse from Disneyland. Also in attendance were 300 children and local dignitaries.
Upon Peters' death in 1984, a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in his memory.
Today
The anchor trees supporting the bridge were growing old and beginning to rot; so in 2007, the bridge was moved 100 yards east, connecting R.A. Long Park at the Civic Center to the Longview Public Library over Olympia Way. It was moved again in 2010, after it was determined to be a traffic hazard. Its current location is now "three trees from its original spot over Olympia Way". On July 25, 2013 the Longview City Council voted to place the Nutty Narrows Bridge on the Longview Register of Historic Places. It is also listed on the Washington Heritage Register, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. Two more bridges have been added to keep the squirrels safe. One is on Kessler Blvd. and the other is on Nichols Blvd.
Images for kids
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The bridge at its former location in 2008
