The Golden Gate Bridge, one of the world’s most famous architectural works, will receive funding for the creation of a suicide barrier.
The Golden Gate Bridge, with its tremendous views of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, has not only been a tourist attraction, but an attraction for people seeking to end their lives. With suicide being the tenth leading cause of death for all ages in 2010, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, bridge officials felt the need to stop the tragedies. Since the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, over 1,400 people have jumped to their deaths. According to the bridge district’s board of directors, 46 people committed suicide by jumping off the bridge last year.
The funding for the suicide barrier was approved on Friday, June 27. It includes an elaborate system of nets worth $76 million. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which oversees the bridge, will provide $20 million in funding for the project, with the rest coming from state and federal governments. The construction is estimated to be complete in 2018.
“The Golden Gate Bridge is a source of immense pride to San Francisco, but for too many families, it has also been a place of pain,” Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives said. “A suicide prevention barrier offers a critical second chance for troubled men and women acting on often impulsive suicidal thoughts.”