Officials say the Golden Gate Bridge’s suicide prevention network, while still under construction, has shown significant results in 2023 and is expected to continue reducing deaths this year.
Last year, officials recorded 14 suicides on the bridge, down from the annual average of 30.
The netting is made of “marine-grade stainless steel mesh and is installed 20 feet below the bridge walkway and extends 20 feet toward the water,” the district said in a written statement.
At a commemoration ceremony in mid-July, local leaders spoke about the multi-year project that began in 2018 and will be completed in early 2024.
The network was due to be completed in 2021, but infighting between builders and the government has led to delays and cost overruns.
“The Golden Gate Bridge is San Francisco’s great pride, but it is also a painful place for too many families in our community,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represented San Francisco for 37 years. . “With the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Deterrent System, we are providing an important second chance to individuals in distress.”
The transportation district said the project ultimately cost about $224 million, well above the $76 million estimated when it was approved in 2014 but also well below the $398 million cited in a 2022 lawsuit by the contractor and the transportation district.
Suicide Prevention and Crisis Counseling Resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek professional help and call 9-8-8. The nation’s first national three-digit mental health crisis hotline, 988, connects callers with trained mental health counselors. In the United States and Canada, text “HOME” to 741741 to call the crisis text hotline.
The purpose of the net is to deter would-be jumpers and rescue those who do. However, the transportation district said getting caught in a net “is inherently painful and can result in serious injury.”
A 2017 Swiss study found that guardrails and netting on bridges could reduce suicide rates by up to 77%. In Pasadena, the city council is considering putting suicide prevention barriers on the Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena Now reports.
At the Golden Gate Bridge ceremony, Kymberlyrenee Gamboa spoke about the death of her 18-year-old son who jumped from the bridge in 2013.
The completion of the project “brought a profound sense of hope and healing, knowing that future families may not suffer such a devastating loss,” she said.
