Aurora Bridge Suicide Barrier Update

For those of you not in the Seattle area (and that would be maybe 90 percent of you) this post might be meaningless, but nonetheless I wanted to let readers know about the status of the proposed suicide barrier for the Aurora Bridge in Seattle. Washington's Governor, Christine Gregoire, has asked the state's Legislature to fund initial design work on a barrier to the tune of $1.4 million. The bridge is currently the second worst suicide bridge in the US and, sadly, many jumpers are not hitting the water below but are crashing onto the land below, resulting in much trauma for people who work in the vicinity of the bridge.

I'm glad the state is moving forward on the project. Now the state and City of Seattle need to agree upon a design. From what I'm told, it sounds as if the state's Transportation Department is going to propose an ugly, chain link fence type of design. Total cost for design and construction is estimated to be $4.3 million. Here's the state's website on the barrier. I've written about the proposed barrier here and here. Sadly, the piece I wrote for Seattle magazine is no longer on the mag's website. Gone too are the fabulous pictures which accompanied the article.

The public will have a chance to weigh in on the design and other issues at the first of two scheduled public meetings on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 6.30 p.m. at B.F. Day Elementary, 3921 Linden Ave N. in Fremont. If you have strong feelings about the barrier you might want to attend. A little bird tells me that one group of neighbors is going to oppose any barrier as being aesthetically unpleasing. Apparently, they think dead bodies look better.

A second meeting is scheduled for later in February.