Other Suicide Bridges - Problem Solved
Around the world, barriers have been installed on bridges that once were suicide magnets. Many of these bridges had suicide prevention signs and some had phones that connected to local hotlines, but suicidal people who were too caught up in their own problems to notice them ignored them. Once a barrier went up, suicides either ended altogether or were reduced to almost zero.
UNITED STATES
Akron, Ohio. The All-America Bridge, also known as the Y-Bridge, was the site of at least one suicide per year. In 2009, city officials announced that they planned to use federal funds to erect fencing on the bridge to prevent suicides, which averaged two to three per year. The barrier was completed in 2011.
Augusta, Maine. Between 1960 and 1983, there were 14 suicides from the Memorial Bridge. After a barrier was installed, suicides from the bridge ended.
Pasadena, California. From 1913 to 1936 there were 80 suicides from the Arroyo Seco Bridge—so many that local residents referred to it as the “Suicide Bridge.” The bridge is 150 feet above a water-carved canyon, and was especially popular as a suicide site following the Depression. After a barrier was installed, there was only one suicide in the next 36 years.
Seattle, Washington. The Aurora Bridge, also known as the George Washington Memorial Bridge, was the number two suicide site in the United States after the Golden Gate Bridge. From 1932, when it opened, to 2012, when the railing was raised, there were 250 suicides. There have been no suicides from the bridge since.
Washington, DC. From 1979 to 1985, 24 people died jumped off the Duke Ellington Bridge. In 1986 an eight-foot-high suicide deterrent fence was constructed. Since then there has been only one known suicide.
Santa Barbara California. The Cold Spring Bridge… [Insert details]
ABROAD
Auckland, New Zealand. A safety barrier had been in place on the Grafton Bridge for 60 years. It was removed in 1996, and there were 15 suicides in the next five years. When the barrier was reinstalled in 2003, suicides from the bridge ended.
Brisbane, Australia. An average of four people per year jumped to their deaths from Story Bridge. In 2013, construction began on a suicide barrier on the bridge.
Bristol, England. In 1998, a partial barrier was erected on the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and the number of suicides was reduced 50 percent. Experts said a full barrier would have been even more effective.
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. The Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge opened in 1966 and was the site of dozens of suicides until 1993. That was when a Plexiglas barrier was installed on the bridge and people no longer could jump onto the houses below.
Madrid, Spain. The Segovia Viaduct dates back to the 17th century. It was a popular suicide site until a barrier was erected in 1998.
Melbourne, Australia. In 2004, a coroner’s report recommended that anti-suicide fencing be installed on the Westgate Bridge, which was the site of one to two suicides per month. In 2009, a temporary suicide barrier was constructed and credited with preventing two suicides. A more permanent solution is now in place.
Montreal, Canada. The Jacques Cartier Bridge was the site of more than 100 suicides until a barrier was erected in 2003.
Sydney, Australia. Once a popular suicide site, the Sydney Harbour Bridge retained its beauty after a suicide barrier was installed.
Toronto, Canada. The Prince Edward Viaduct, also known as the Bloor Street Bridge, was the second deadliest suicide bridge in the world after the Golden Gate Bridge, with about 500 jumps. In 2003 a “luminous veil” of stainless-steel rods was constructed above the bridge’s existing railing. Not only did suicides end from the bridge, but also the barrier received a national engineering award for design elegance. Many people thought that aesthetics were enhanced because of it. Today, the barrier is referred to as “lifesaving art.”