New Details On Proposed Rainbow Bridge In Sayreville

SAYREVILLE, NJ — The town of Sayreville says it is still in the idea phase of building a rainbow bridge somewhere in town, to honor deceased pets.

The idea originated from Sayreville Council President John Zebrowski, who was inspired by the rainbow bridge in Lake Lure, North Carolina. The bridge was a beloved local spot until it was washed away in horrific flash flooding in 2024. The flash flooding from Hurricane Helene destroyed the towns of Lake Lure, Chimney Rock and others, and killed nearly 100 people in rural western North Carolina.

The bridge will be built somewhere in Sayreville, and residents could put collars on it from their dog or cat that passed away.

"Right now I am collecting ideas from the residents — their thoughts on where it should go, painting an existing one, etc.," said Sayreville deputy municipal clerk Nicole Waranowicz, who is spearheading the project. "We've had a tremendous amount of interest that has been 99 percent positive."

While most residents support the idea, Waranowicz said she did receive one email from a resident saying "taxpayer dollars could be used elsewhere instead of on dead pets."

The town of Sayreville has not established a budget for the bridge yet.

"No dollar amount has been discussed yet," she said. "We are still in the fact-finding phase to see if this is something the residents would like to see ... We are also exploring having one of our local Scout troops take on this project as an Eagle Scout project or community service project."

"Personally, I love this idea and the Rainbow Bridge poem has helped me with the loss of my childhood dogs, so I am excited to be collecting this information," said Waranowicz.

If you would like to share your thoughts on building a rainbow bridge in Sayreville, please email her at nicole@sayreville.com.

Last week: Sayreville May Build Rainbow Bridge To Honor Deceased Pets