Houtong Cat Bridge Introduction
The Houtong Cat Bridge was originally built in 1970 by Taiwan Railways at Houtong Station as an overpass for residents of the Guangfu Village to enter and exit. Since 2009, after Houtong gained popularity as "Cat Village," tourists have been flocking to Houtong, making use of this overpass to travel between the Cat Village and the coal mining park. With feedback from residents about the old and narrow overpass, the New Taipei City Government decided to undertake renovations. Starting in 2012, a reconstruction project was planned for the "Houtong Station Overpass to Cat Village," integrating the unique features of Cat Village into the design, and combining elements of local coal mining, cats, and tunnels to create the uniquely shaped "Cat Bridge." The bridge features cat paw prints, photos, and illustrations, and includes a special platform for cats to pass and jump. The shape of the bridge resembles a playful cat, spanning between the station and Cat Village. The Houtong Cat Bridge, a landmark shared by both people and cats, received the Golden Award for Public Works in 2013, becoming one of the representative landmarks of Houtong Cat Village. Due to the humid climate in Houtong, some components of the bridge showed signs of rust and deterioration ten years after its opening. In response, the New Taipei City Tourism Bureau undertook renovation work, reinforcing the bridge structure, updating steel beams and powder-coated aluminum panels, removing rust, improving internal lighting, and restoring the cat jump platform and seating, with plans to reopen to the public in March 2025.
