NEW YORK: Suicide Prevention Barriers Fitted on Iconic New York Bridge

Metro

New York’s Port Authority is installing 11-foot-high suicide prevention fencing on the George Washington Bridge. In an effort to address the high number of suicide attempts at the bridge, installation is taking place six years ahead of schedule and will be complete by the end of 2017. “When you put barriers on bridges, people can’t jump, won’t jump, and lives are saved,” said National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Director John Draper. Last year, the Port Authority established a squad of first responders, who have intervened in at least 70 suicide attempts. The iconic George Washington is sometimes described as the Golden Gate Bridge of the East Coast, and is the only Port Authority bridge that has regular suicide attempts.

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