Although still under construction, the suicide prevention network on the Golden Gate Bridge showed significant results in 2023 and is expected to continue reducing deaths this year, officials said.
Last year, authorities recorded 14 confirmed suicides from the bridge, lower than the annual average of 30. This year, the number is expected to be even lower, according to the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
The net is made of “marine-grade stainless steel netting installed 20 feet below the bridge sidewalks and extending 20 feet above the water,” the district said in a written statement.
At a commemorative ceremony held in mid-July, local leaders spoke about the multi-year project that began in 2018 and was completed in early 2024.
The network was originally scheduled to be completed in 2021, but infighting between the builders and the government led to delays and cost overruns.
“The Golden Gate Bridge is a source of immense pride for San Francisco, but for too many families in our community, the bridge has also been a place of pain,” said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco for 37 years. “With the completion of a suicide deterrent system for the Golden Gate Bridge, we are providing a critical second chance for troubled people.”
The project ultimately cost about $224 million, the transportation district said, well above the 2014 estimate of $76 million when it was approved but also far less than the $398 million figure cited in a 2022 lawsuit between the contractors and the district.
Suicide Prevention Resources and Crisis Counseling
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please seek professional help and call 9-8-8. The first three-digit mental health crisis hotline in the United States, 988 will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the crisis text line.
The net is intended to deter those who want to jump and save those who do from death. However, getting caught in the net “is designed to be painful and can result in significant injuries,” the transportation district said.
A 2017 study in Switzerland found that barriers and nets on bridges reduce suicides by up to 77 percent. In Pasadena, the city is considering installing barriers to prevent suicide on the Colorado Street Bridge, according to Pasadena Now.
At the Golden Gate Bridge ceremony, Kymberlyrenee Gamboa spoke about the loss of her 18-year-old son, who jumped from the bridge in 2013.
The completion of the project “brings a deep sense of hope and healing in knowing that future families will be spared from having to endure such a devastating loss,” she said.
