Pasadena bridge to be fitted with fencing to deter suicides

PASADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Officials are taking steps to secure the Colorado Street Bridge, which has long been used by people wanting to commit suicide.

Much of the iconic bridge will be covered by temporary fencing in order to deter people from taking their lives by jumping off the bridge, officials said.

Authorities say they hope to cover the bridge's 20 alcoves, which jut out from the main pathway, making it easier for people to climb over the existing iron fence and jump.

The temporary barrier will be 10 feet tall and consist of chain-linked fencing.

According to the city of Pasadena, there has been a significant increase in jumping attempts in the first half of this year, with most of the attempts originating from the alcoves.

Between 2006 and 2016, 28 people have jumped from the bridge and died. Between 2011 and 2015, Pasadena police successfully talked down 21 would-be jumpers, city officials said.

There have been more than 150 suicides at the bridge since 1919, with 79 of those occurring in the 1930s. During the 1930s, the city spent $20,000 per year to staff the bridge with police detail, officials said.

During the Great Depression, the bridge was nicknamed the "suicide bridge," because so many people leapt to their deaths off the structure.

The fencing is a temporary solution. City officials are expected to meet on Wednesday to come up with a more permanent solution, which could include a curved iron-linked fence or possibly a net below the bridge.