The iconic Golden Gate Bridge to get upgraded with stainless steel nets as a solution to its high suicide rates.
The installation of the stainless steel net covering the perimeter of the bridge will begin in 2018 and is expected to be complete by 2021.
What sounds like a simple solution to a complex problem comes after years of debate over how to save lives while still protecting the beauty of an iconic structure. Since its opening back in 1937, it is estimated that nearly 1,700 people have leapt from the bridge to their deaths.
As reported by the CNN, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 13th, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said almost 39 people died last year alone. “What you’re doing here today, what the Bridge is doing, what the taxpayers are doing, will hopefully turn that number to zero.”
House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi also addressed the ceremony, “We are honouring a deep moral responsibility to save lives whenever and wherever we can.”
The entire project is set to cost $211 million to design, plan and construct. The funds will be provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Caltrans and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, and also through private donations.
To read the original story, click here.
