This rendering shows a suicide-deterrent barrier planned for the Golden Gate Bridge that would be 20 feet below the sidewalk and extend 20 feet out over the water. It would be installed along both sides of the 1.7-mile bridge. Photo: Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation DistrictA plan to add a suicide barrier and seismic upgrade to the Golden Gate Bridge requires more testing, as tests last month on a bridge model showed the center span being damaged by high winds coming in at an angle, The Marin Independent Journal reports.
The bridge model, with the suicide-prevention netting and added earthquake protection, performed well at horizontal winds of over 100 mph but became unstable when the wind flow was changed by 1 degree, the newspaper reported.
A ceremony was held in April for the start of construction of a suicide-deterrent barrier.
The stainless-steel net is scheduled to be installed in mid-2018, according to the Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District. It will be installed 20 feet below the sidewalk along both sides of the 1.7-mile bridge and extend 20 feet out over the water. It is expected to take four years to build and cost $211 million.
The bridge was the site of 39 suicides in 2016, and bridge patrol officers prevented 184 attempts, the website said.
