CaseStudy:Suicide Barriers for Golden Gate and Cold Spring Canyon Bridges

Consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) is nearing conclusion on construction of a proposed suicide barrier on the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge. The largest steel arch bridge in California, and one of the first in the country to be built entirely of all-welded steel components, the 1963 bridge is considered of exceptional significance for its engineering and architectural design.

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While not used as frequently for suicides as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge does claim the highest concentration of such fatalities in the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) District 5 (which includes the central coastal counties of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara), and has been a major source of concern for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department. There is considerable public concern for the safety of people who may commit suicide there as well as for the sheriff’s Search and Rescue recovery teams who must traverse difficult terrain to recover human remains.

Based on consultations with the public and a multiagency Cold Spring Arch Bridge Suicide Prevention Committee, Caltrans proposes construction of a fencetype barrier along the length of the bridge with funding from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). However, parties opposing a fence-type barrier argue that call boxes and human intervention are as effective as physical barriers for reducing the suicide rate and would avoid damaging the structural and visual integrity of the historic bridge. To date, the California State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) have agreed to work with Caltrans on the design of a fence-type barrier that minimizes the visual impacts to the historic bridge. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) under development by Caltrans also will require photo documentation of the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge according to Historic American Engineering Record HAER) standards prior to construction, development of an illustrated booklet about the historic bridge for the  local organizations, and a three-panel interpretive exhibir to be designed by Caltrans.

The Golden Gate Bridge at the mouth of San Francisco Bay is one of the most internationally recognized and frequently visited suspension bridges in the world. Unfortunately, it is also the site of many suicides. In 2005 alone, an estimated 23 people took their lives by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge, and another 58 people were contemplating jumping but were stopped through intervention. The total suicide count since 1937 exceeds 1,300, or at least 18 people per year on average.

In a separate project from Caltrans District 4, and working with the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, Caltrans formally initiated consultation with the SHPO and the ACHP on December 15, 2008, on the proposed installation of a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge. On December 19, 2008, the ACHP notified Caltrans that it would participate in consultation to resolve adverse effects. As with the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge, Caltrans has involved the public and local governments in developing alternative strategies and means for reducing suicides at this location. Unlike the situation at Cold Spring Canyon, a number of non-physical deterrents are already in use at the Golden Gate Bridge including emergency counseling telephones, public safety patrols, employee training, and surveillance cameras.

The Golden Gate Bridge project also differs from Cold Spring Canyon in the type of bridge structure (suspension versus steel arch). The locally preferred alternative for the Golden Gate Bridge is a net system that would extend horizontally from the bridge, hanging 20 feet below the sidewalk, covered with stainless steel cable netting. Caltrans proposes to continue consultation regarding the alternatives with the SHPO, the ACHP, and consulting parties in the near future.

Caltrans has assumed responsibility for both National Environmental Policy Act and Section 106 review on FHWA projects in the state of California. Under the authority of Sections 6004 and 6005 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), FHWA delegated this authority to Caltrans. FHWA retains auditing and monitoring responsibilities but does not generally participate in individual project reviews. Caltrans is, therefore, effectively the lead federal agency for both suicide barrier projects.

MOA signatories include the ACHP, the California SHPO, and local governments in the involved areas. Consulting parties in the two MOAs include, but are not limited to, the Los Padres National Forest, Santa Barbara Historic Landmarks Advisory Commission, Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, National Park Service Presidio of San Francisco, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, and various involved individuals and other organizations.