SAN FRANCISCO—A study exploring the possibilities of building suicide barriers for the Golden Gate Bridge unveiled draft estimates that the railing upgrades could cost up to $50 million and may adversely affect the view from the bridge.
The proposals include four physical barriers along the bridge and a horizontal net below the sidewalk of the bridge. The net itself, one of the five barrier concepts analyzed in the study, would extend 20 feet outward to catch people who leap over the existing four-foot high handrail.
If approved, the net would be made from stainless steel cable and would cave slightly to weight, hampering the person’s escape, bridge officials said. A truck with an elongated arm will pluck people out of the net, although exact details on how the rescues would be made have not been fully worked out.
Other design options to deter suicides include adding an eight-foot vertical or horizontal fencing system to the existing four-foot-tall hand rail, for a total height of 12 feet. Another option is replacing the four-foot-tall hand rail with a 12-foot vertical or horizontal fence.
The netting system is the least expensive option at $25 million, while all other options would cost $40 million to $50 million, according to the study.
Bridge officials say they have not budgeted money for any of the alternatives and the preliminary design and environmental studies have been paid for by outside agencies and individuals.
Since the bridge was built in 1937, the idea of suicide barrier was resisted by those who believe that suicide is a societal issue that should not urge major structural changes to a historic landmark.
From the beginning of the year through May 30, ten people have jumped off the bridge. Last year 38 people jumped, and about two dozen people jump from the span every year, according to the bridge authorities.
More than 1,300 people have jumped to their deaths since the bridge opened in 1937.
In a documentary titled “The Bridge”, filmmaker Eric Steel spent all of 2004 filming people traversing the bridge’s rail and leaping from the span, gaining national attention for the issue.
The proposals include four physical barriers along the bridge and a horizontal net below the sidewalk of the bridge. The net itself, one of the five barrier concepts analyzed in the study, would extend 20 feet outward to catch people who leap over the existing four-foot high handrail.
If approved, the net would be made from stainless steel cable and would cave slightly to weight, hampering the person’s escape, bridge officials said. A truck with an elongated arm will pluck people out of the net, although exact details on how the rescues would be made have not been fully worked out.
Other design options to deter suicides include adding an eight-foot vertical or horizontal fencing system to the existing four-foot-tall hand rail, for a total height of 12 feet. Another option is replacing the four-foot-tall hand rail with a 12-foot vertical or horizontal fence.
The netting system is the least expensive option at $25 million, while all other options would cost $40 million to $50 million, according to the study.
Bridge officials say they have not budgeted money for any of the alternatives and the preliminary design and environmental studies have been paid for by outside agencies and individuals.
Since the bridge was built in 1937, the idea of suicide barrier was resisted by those who believe that suicide is a societal issue that should not urge major structural changes to a historic landmark.
From the beginning of the year through May 30, ten people have jumped off the bridge. Last year 38 people jumped, and about two dozen people jump from the span every year, according to the bridge authorities.
More than 1,300 people have jumped to their deaths since the bridge opened in 1937.
In a documentary titled “The Bridge”, filmmaker Eric Steel spent all of 2004 filming people traversing the bridge’s rail and leaping from the span, gaining national attention for the issue.
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