Suicide barrier on Golden Gate would cost $50 million

Asides the documentary, The Bridge what do you think about this proposal?

The estimate financial quantity changes constantly (increases) every time this is brought up.
For us, SF-Marin residents this is frequently a diminutive (or often not even mentioned) of the news as it is terribly sad to envision the tragic events.
(About 20 people jump from the span every year, according to the district. But last year 38 people jumped; 10 people had jumped through May 30 this year, according to the district. More than 1,300 people have jumped to their deaths since the bridge opened in 1937.)
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I think that if they go ahead and do this one, then in the near future they will have to do something about the new Bay Bridge (connecting San Francisco-Eastbay/Oakland) which is to open in a few years with a pedestrian area.



-------- via Marin Independent Journal (more images of the proposal) --------
ERECTING a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge could cost as much as $50 million, according to an environmental assessment released Monday by the Golden Gate Bridge District.
"The cost is astronomical," said Marin Supervisor Hal Brown, a member of the bridge district's Board of Directors. "I'm all for some type of barrier, but where we get that kind of money I have no idea. Maybe through grants."
Initial estimates had pegged construction of a barrier at $15 million to $25 million.
The report also details several design options under consideration, including:

- Adding an 8-foot vertical fencing system to the existing 4-foot-tall hand rail, for a total height of 12 feet.
- Adding an 8-foot-tall horizontal fencing system to the 4-foot-tall hand rail with a "winglet" or panel on top, totaling 12 feet in height. Ê
- Replacing the 4-foot-tall hand rail with a 12-foot-tall vertical fence.
- Replacing the 4-foot-tall handrail with a 10-foot-tall horizontal fence with a winglet on top, for a total height of 10 feet. Ê
- Adding a horizontal net system 20 feet below the sidewalk that extends 20 feet from the bridge.
The netting system is the least expensive option at $25 million, while all other options would cost $40 million to $50 million.
The document said the visual impact of the netting would be minimal, except when viewed from Vista Point on the northeast side of the span - where it would be considered an "adverse" impact.
The other fencing options would be considered of "minimal" visual impact away from the span except at Vista Point, but the view from on the bridge would be considered "adverse" or "strongly adverse."
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About 20 people jump from the span every year, according to the district. But last year 38 people jumped; 10 people had jumped through May 30 this year, according to the district. More than 1,300 people have jumped to their deaths since the bridge opened in 1937.
Discussion of a barrier began in the 1950s. Before the most recent initiative to erect a barrier, the issue was considered in 1999, when a 100-foot prototype fence was unveiled. But officials determined the design was not foolproof and was a bad fit, and it was abandoned.
The issue got national attention when filmmaker Eric Steel revealed he spent all of 2004 filming people leaping from the span for a documentary titled "The Bridge."