After many years of debate, suicide prevention nets are coming to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
California officials approved $76 million in funding Friday to install an elaborate system of nets to prevent people from jumping off the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, taking action after more than 1,400 deaths in 80 years.
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 coffers. A small amount of the funding still has yet to be approved, however.
Denis Mulligan, the bridge’s general manager, said he expects the net to be “completely effective” in preventing suicides.
“They think they can’t jump, so they don’t,” Mulligan said.
The bridge’s suicide-prevention system has been a long time coming. Golden Gate officials have instituted a number of measures to mitigate suicide attempts, including a telephone hotline, throughout the structure’s long history. Bridge employees, including painters, ironworkers and patrol officers, are responsible…
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