PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation wants to curb suicide attempts on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
- FDOT to install suicide prevention netting at Skyway Bridge
- 8-foot netting to be installed on elevated spance this summer
- Project to cost $3 million
Highway officials announced Thursday they will install a protective metal netting along both sides of the elevated spance on the Skyway Bridge this summer.
The metal netting will be eight feet high.
The Skyway vertical net project will cost about $3 million but FDOT officials said the cost is worth it to save lives.
"It (the netting) gives when you're pressing on it, but it's not climable yet it's see through," said FDOT Structures Engineer Jim Jacobsen. "It's very wind resistant and it's linear so it won't distract drivers. It's 100 percent affective and we hope that people that are having issues will seek help and get help."
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 14 people jumped to their deaths from the Skyway in 2019. Another 15 attempted to jump and 153 people threatened to jump.
Contact the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay at 211 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255.