The state transportation division is proposing to build the barrier to reduce the number of people who have jumped to their death from the structure. While suicide prevention advocates and law enforcement officials have hailed the decision, others have decried the negative impacts to the aesthetic appearance of the bridge and the use of highway safety funds to build the barrier.
Since its construction in 1963, the Cold Spring Arch Bridge has been the site of 47 suicides, with 33 of those deaths occurring in the past 25 years.
Caltrans officials said the project would improve safety for both pedestrians and motorists. Construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2010. Members of the public may review the completed environmental impact report at www.dot.ca.gov/dist05 or at libraries in Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito and Solvang.