For the second Sunday in a row, Washington State Department of Transportation crews will close some lanes on the Aurora Avenue bridge to work on the suicide prevention fence. So if you’re planning to travel downtown on Sunday, plan for delays or take an alternate route.
Photo from WSDOT’s Flickr page.
Crews will work on the east side of the bridge, closing two northbound lanes.
Access to northbound SR 99 from Halladay near Canlis will be open. Lane closures will be from 6 a.m. to midnight again, with the noisy work beginning as early as 7 p.m. and continuing until 11 p.m. Since they will be on the east side of the bridge, the sound will likely travel further into Lake Union this time.
WSDOT is posting some pretty scenic photos of crews working. Work will continue each Sunday through Sept. 5.
14 responses so far ↓
1 Tahomajim // Aug 20, 2010 at 9:48 pm
I don’t totally understand the logic here.
The state is constructing an extra barrier as a second line of defense to try and provent people from jumping to their death from SR99.
I disagree with this concept, anybody else agree with me?
2 JM // Aug 21, 2010 at 7:11 am
I think it’s a waste of money. They doing something similar in San Francisco, but that will cost even more.
3 RIF // Aug 21, 2010 at 12:02 pm
After having lived in Fremont for several years, I strongly disagree that this is a waste of money. Having a jumper land on the concrete 20 feet in front of you is incredibly traumatizing. I will never, ever, forget the sound of a human body impacting the pavement like that. A friend was a bit closer and saw the look on the person’s face just before they hit – pure terror. She still has nightmares.
4 Tiktok // Aug 21, 2010 at 5:57 pm
That’s horrible–since there’s no possible way for you to move out from under the bridge, I think the best thing to do would be to spend millions of tax-payer dollars on a fence which isn’t guaranteed to stop people from jumping. It’s not that there are many horribly depressed and mentally ill people in Seattle who want to kill themselves, it’s that a few people who choose to live under THE SECOND DEADLIEST SUICIDE BRIDGE IN AMERICA might see someone die. That’s the problem that needs urgent redress.
5 Tahomajim // Aug 21, 2010 at 8:25 pm
All suicides are traumatic, death is traumatic. Will the “fence” prevent one? We’ll find out.
I suspect those bent on suicide will climb over the fence and jump anyway. There’s phones on the bridge for suicide counseling.
We had a neighbor who walked out on his deck stuck a gun in his mouth and blew his head off. Neighbors told me pieces of Peters head were on their roof, gutters, etc. Even crows carried off bits and pieces.
This fence may simply shift your terror to us.
6 anotherneighbor // Aug 22, 2010 at 5:10 am
gee thanks Tahomajim, I really wanted that image in my mind.
7 Tahomajim // Aug 22, 2010 at 8:11 am
anotherneighbor….. did you prefer RIF comments about the sound a human body makes when it hits the pavement? Or the facial expression of someone falling to their death?
My point is, suicides impact everybody. Remember the leapers from the World Trade Towers? Maybe this fence will deter jumpers off the bridge…..
A women a year or so ago covered herself with gas at lower Woodland Park and tourched herself to death. At least home buyers know around the bridge they’re buying in a potentially high suicide area. The fence may simply cause them to take their life in “anotherneighbor-hood.”
8 leukothea // Aug 22, 2010 at 8:53 am
“ScienceDaily (July 7, 2010) — Suicide barriers on bridges might not reduce overall suicide rates by jumping from heights, as people may change location for their suicide attempt, according to a new study published online in the British Medical Journal.
“Researchers from Canada found that the overall suicide rate (by any means) in Toronto reduced after a barrier was erected at one particular bridge known for a high suicide rate, but suicides from jumping remained the same.”
It seems people bent on this course of action would probably find someplace else to jump.
9 Whopper // Aug 22, 2010 at 10:33 am
What about a big circus net?
10 morbore // Aug 22, 2010 at 3:31 pm
sweet picture from the bridge up there!
11 Anna Log // Aug 22, 2010 at 11:08 pm
It is sad, but how often does it happen? The city needs more police on Aurora stopping speeders.
12 anotherneighbor // Aug 23, 2010 at 6:45 am
Since you asked, I’ve had three friends in the last two years commit suicide in the way you described, Taho.
One in a local park, one in his own backyard, and one out of state.
No, I didn’t like the description of a body hitting the pavement, either. Yours just hit a nerve.
In fact, one of those who killed himself had tried many years ago by jumping off the Aurora Bridge.
He lived to tell about it.
(Landed in the water and was fished out in time, had some pretty severe injuries)
about fifteen years later he shot himself…
That being said, there are some studies out there that imply that suicide *CAN BE* (not always, certainly) impulsive, and if there’s even the littlest thing deterring someone, they MIGHT not go through with their effort.
I realize that perhaps the nets are rather expensive for what they are, but — what would you suggest? That people continue jumping, and traumatizing those who live and work and shop nearby?
13 Tahomajim // Aug 23, 2010 at 7:48 pm
anot,
To answer your last question, my answer is no. To answer your other question I don’t have an answer and neither does anybody else. *
Those bent on suicide will take their lives. It’s almost impossible to stop them.
You really had three friends in the past two years commit suicide? Sad, I guess you don’t have the answer either.*
14 BF // Aug 24, 2010 at 5:58 am
What would I suggest? I would suggest that in our current economy, where government is screaming that they are going to have to lay off firefighters and teachers and cut services to the elderly…I would suggest that spending millions on a project that will MAYBE help less than 100 people is not good stewardship of our tax money. Yes, suicide is traumatic, but the cost of removing that trauma is way too high on a per capita basis. I would suggest that we get some ecomonic common sense. We can’t afford every worthwhile project; let’s start looking at the bigger picture.
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