Discussion of a suicide-prevention barrier for Cold Spring Canyon Bridge has been controversial, but many bridges throughout the world, including two in California, already have such barriers. Here’s a list of major bridges using barriers as a suicide-prevention strategy:
» Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena
Height: 150 feet
Year built, year barrier put in: 1913, 1992
» Vincent Thomas Bridge, San Pedro
Height: 185 feet
Year built, year barrier put in: 1963, 1998
» Augusta (Maine) Memorial Bridge, (under renovation)
Height: 100 feet
Year built, year barrier put in: 1949,1983
» Duke Ellington Bridge, Washington, D.C.
Height: 710 feet
Year built, year barrier put in: 1935, 1986
» Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney, Australia
Height: 456 feet
Year built, year barrier put in: 1932, 1983
» Jacques Cartier Bridge, Montreal
Height: 162 feet
Year built, year barrier put in: 1930, 2004
» Bloor Street Viaduct Bridge, Toronto, Canada
Height: 109 feet
Year built, year barrier put in: 1918, 2003 with the “Luminous Veil”
» Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, England
Height: 245 feet
Year built, year barrier put in: 1864, 1998
» Grafton Bridge, Auckland City, New Zealand
Height: 142 feet
Year built, year barrier put in: 1910, 1992
In addition, barriers have been discussed or studied for these bridges:
» Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
» San Diego-Coronado Bridge, San Diego
» George Washington Memorial Bridge (Aurora Bridge), Seattle
» Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Tampa Bay, Fla.
Noozhawk’s Cold Spring Canyon Bridge Series
» Click here for free suicide prevention resources that are available 24 hours a day.
» Click here for the first story in Noozhawk’s four-day series on Cold Spring Canyon Bridge: Public Safety, Preservation Collide on Cold Spring Canyon Bridge.
» Click here for Day Two’s main story: Creativity a Hallmark of Bridge Barrier Alternatives, Funding.
» Click here for Day Three’s main story: For Barrier Opponents, There’s No Bridging This Divide.
» Click here for Day Four’s main story: Bridge Barrier Debate May Be Resolved in Span of a Month.
» Click here for Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen’s explanation of our series.
» Click here for a timeline of Cold Spring Canyon Bridge.
» Click here for a list of the various suicide prevention measures that were considered.
» Click here for Cold Spring Canyon Bridge facts and engineering numbers.
» Leading Off: Just What Can We Say, and How? Suicide is a touchy topic for the media. Here’s what Noozhawk does, and why.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com.