After thousands of people have plummeted to their deaths by jumping off California's Golden Gate Bridge, it appears the bridge may finally get a barrier to prevent future suicides.
A board of directors for the Golden Gate Bridge district approved a $76 million budget on Friday that would pay for a steel net to prevent suicide by jumping off the bridge, the Associated Press reported. A proposal for a suicide barrier was introduced decades ago, but up until now there was no money set aside to fund the safety net.
The approval is a victory for board member John Moylan, whose grandson committed suicide when he jumped off the bridge in early June, the AP reported.
Dan Barks, whose son also met his fate off the bridge, could hardly express his gratitude after the funding was approved.
"A lot of people have done so much incredible work to get his accomplished," Barks said according to the AP.
Most of the $76 million will come from federal funds. Another $20 million will come from toll revenue, while California has agreed to contribute $7 million.
Over 1,400 people have committed suicide off the iconic red bridge since it opened in 1937. Last year saw a record 46 deaths alone.
A 20-foot wide steel net was approved for the bridge in 2008. Officials thought it was a better alternative to raising the bridge's railings, but funding for the net was never approved. The situation changed in 2012 when President Barack Obama signed a law that made safety nets eligible for federal funding, the AP reported.
Planning for the net's construction is expected to begin in 2014. The barricade is expected to be completed by 2018, according to the AP.
Kevin Hines, who was 19 when he survived a suicide attempt off the bridge in 2009, wept when the funding was approved.
"I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders, all of our shoulders. I feel free," Hines told the AP. "I feel a sense of hope that I haven't had in a long time. It's not over yet. We will be here until that net is raised and no more people die."
