A Bridge for Squirrels San
Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And, Longview has
its squirrel bridge. The bridge, which has attracted international attention, is
now a local landmark. The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in
1963 by a local builder, Amos Peters, to give squirrels a way to cross the busy
road without getting flattened by passing cars. The original
bridge was built over Olympia Way on the west edge of the library grounds.
Before the bridge was built, squirrels had to avoid traffic to and from the Park
Plaza office building where office staff put out a nutty feast for the
squirrels. Many times, Peters and others who worked in and near Park Plaza
witnessed squirrels being run over. One day Peters found a dead
squirrel with a nut still in its mouth, and that day’s coffee break discussion
turned into squirrel safety. The group of businessmen cooked up the squirrel
bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the blessing of the City Council(市政会).
The Council approved, and Councilwoman Bess LaRiviere jokingly named the bridge
"Nutty Narrows". After architects designed the bridge, Amos
Peters and Bill Hutch started construction. They built the 60-foot bridge from
aluminum and lengths of fire hose(消防水带). It cost $1000. It
didn’t take long before reports of squirrels using the bridge started. Squirrels
were even seen guiding their young and teaching them the ropes. The story was
picked up by the media, and Nutty Narrows became known in newspapers all over
the world. In 1983, after 20 years of use, Peters took down the
worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and crosspieces were replaced. The faded sign
was repainted and in July 1983, hundreds of animal lovers attended the
completion ceremony of the new bridge. Peters died in 1984 ,
and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of
its builder and his devotion to the project. The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in order to______
A. offer squirrels a place to eat nuts
B. set up a local landmark
C. help improve traffic
D. protect squirrels