Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier is being deemed essential under the state and local “shelter in place” orders and will continue during the pandemic, according to the bridge district.
“The net will save about 30 lives a year, so it qualifies as an exempt project under the orders,” said Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, public affairs manager for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
The $211 million project began in August 2018 and involves 3.5 miles of netting placed 20 feet below the bridge railing and extending 20 feet out on both sides of the bridge. The net consists of a mesh of stainless steel and is meant to act as both a life-saving barrier as well as a visual deterrent. The project is slated for completion in 2023.
Advocates of the barrier project have torn views on the district’s decision to continue construction amid the coronavirus pandemic. John Brooks of Fairfax has been advocating for the suicide barrier since his 17-year-old daughter Casey Brooks died after jumping off the bridge in 2008. He said his reaction to the district’s decision to continue the work is complicated.
“You want to be careful and you want to protect people in the pandemic, but you also want to protect people who are suicidal,” he said this week. “If I were to choose one over the other, I would rather choose being safe during the pandemic event even if it means construction needs to be paused for some period of time, because we’re just starting to see the effects of social distancing and it looks like the numbers we’re seeing are starting to move in a good way in our direction.”
Completing the project as soon as possible is essential to save lives, according Paul Muller, president of the Bridge Rail Foundation, a suicide prevention nonprofit.
“It’s still a life-and-death situation,” Muller said. “The number of suicides is still running close to 30 per year. Even though they’ve stepped up the patrol and the patrol folks are working very hard to keep that under control, it’s still running too high. So we need to get this done as quickly as possible.”
An estimated 1,700 people have died after jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge since it opened in 1937, with the first reported incident occurring just a week after its opening, according to the bridge district.
As for worker safety, Muller said the bridge has a history going back to its original construction in the 1930s of “more advanced or thoughtful” worker safety protocols.
Work on the bridge has continued in two day and night shifts, according to Cosulich-Schwartz. The construction contractor is still maintaining the same crew sizes on site for each shift, but has prepared “a new jobsite health and safety plan that follows the provisions set forth in the latest public health orders,” he said.
The pandemic is not expected to cause further delays to the project as of now. One of the contractors, Carl Stahl DécorCable of Illinois, which creates the metal netting for the suicide barrier, has had to cease operations due to the pandemic, according to Cosulich-Schwartz.
“At this juncture, there are no construction delays due to the closure,” Cosulich-Schwartz said. “The contractor is currently working to install the net support arms along the full length of the bridge.”
However, he said if the pandemic requires further manufacturers to close operations for extended periods of time then the project and other public works projects could be delayed.
