Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier completed
A system of nets beneath the Golden Gate Bridge to deter people from jumping to their death is now complete.
The suicide barrier made of stainless steel netting, and in some areas fencing, runs the full length of the 1.7-mile-long bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County. The nets extend 20 feet over the water.
Critics had said the barrier would detract from the beauty of the landmark bridge, which was completed in 1937. But advocates said it was more important to save lives. The bridge has been a destination for distressed people intent on taking their own lives.
A view of a net designed to prevent suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge on November 30, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
"Over the decades, suicides by so many methods have decreased, but the Golden Gate Bridge is the only one that's increased," said Dayna Whitmer of the Bridge Rail Foundation, which was a proponent of the barriers.
Bridge officials said the system is already working. In 2023, there were 14 people who leaped from the span, down from an annual average of 30.
Firefighters are being trained on how to reach the nets and rescue people who jump into the netting.
"It's pretty sad and terrible when people take their lives jumping off the bridge," said Ed Reyes, an ironworker on the Golden Gate Bridge. "So, anyway we can help them by saving a life is great."
The web is not a perfect solution. Some people jumped into the nets, then jumped again into the San Francisco Bay.
"Jumping into the net is designed to be painful and may result in significant injury," the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District warns on its website.
A view of a net designed to prevent suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge on November 30, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
The project cost more than $224 million to complete, up from original estimates of $76 million. The project was approved more than 10 years ago and construction began in 2018.
Approximately 2,000 people have died by suicide at the Golden Gate Bridge, the Associated Press reported.
An earlier idea for reducing suicide attempts had called for raising the height of the railings along the pedestrian sidewalks on the bridge.
Do you or someone you know need help? Call or text the National Mental Health Hotline 988 at any time to talk to someone. The crisis hotline is available 24 hours a day.