Sciurus carolinensis
Like a carefully planted peanut in the field, a dream is born.
Squirrels don't actually want to be in the road. But as we build more houses, more streets, and more roads - and cut down more forest - where are squirrels supposed to go?
Naturally arboreal, squirrels feel safest above the ground. Trees are their preferred habitat, and in dense forests, one can see squirrels moving with ease, simply jumping from one tree to another. In more open urban environments, animals adapt by utilizing human-built structures. Within neighborhoods, lines of fences quickly become wildlife highways - not just for squirrels, but for raccoons and opossums as well, which regularly travel along them.
The idea of a squirrel bridge is not new. The city of Longview, Washington, is home to the most famous squirrel bridge, "The Nutty Narrows" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutty_Narrows_Bridge), along with eight other bridges (https://lvsquirrelfest.com). Several other squirrel bridges exist in Europe as well (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squirrel_bridge).
And I think it's a wonderful idea. Imagine a world where every tree on every street is connected by bridges - where millions of crossings span the sky, and habitats are safe and connected. How wonderful would that be?