For decades, the iconic blue arch of the Coronado Bridge has connected San Diego to Coronado. Completed in 1969, the bridge is known as the number one deadliest suicide bridge in the nation. An average of fifteen people die after jumping from the bridge every year, an exceptionally high statistic that weighs heavily on both the residents and officials of the community.
Due to the ongoing concern of public mental health and safety, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has announced the Coronado Bay Bridge Suicide Deterrent Project. The goal of the project is to install a suicide detterent system to reduce the attempts and deaths as soon as possible while minimizing the need to block off the bridge.
In recent years, multiple non-physical suicide preventing mesaures have been installed on the bridge in effort to reduce deaths. This includes six closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras monitored by the California Highway Patrol and four-inch metal spikes along the bridge’s railings, the latter installed in 2019 with the passing of Bill 656.
While these initiatives were put in place to discourage jumping, Caltrans reports have shown these incidents continue to occur. Both additions have their limits, as the cameras don’t show full coverage of the bridge, and the recurring events often lead to the bridge closing for hours resulting in detours for residents, visitors, and military.
Wayne Strickland, a local resident and former firefighter with the Coronado Fire Department, has spent the last decade advocating for suicide prevention measures on the Coronado Bridge. Strickland sparked his involvement by meeting with the Caltrans Board of Supervisors and participating in one of the annual meetings in Mission Valley.
Over years of dedication, Strickland has connected with several jump survivors and brought them before the Caltrans Board to present their experiences and concerns. Their presence spurred progress. With the support of survivors, the Board finally agreed to take action and directed Caltrans to move forward with the project.
“Speaking with the jumpers really opened their minds. Caltrans doesn’t work with suicides, and they didn’t have funding for suicide prevention,” Strickland said. According to Strickland, the disconnect with funding made it difficult for officials to begin planning or even understand the urgent need. Due to the bridge shutdowns and the routinely delayed traffic, funding was approved. According to Caltrans, the total estimated cost for the project is about $140 million.
The new deterrent system, designed to be installed both above and beneath the bridge, will be built primarily at night to minimize traffic and blockage of the bridge. The net will stretch vertically across the full length of the bridge and will reach up to 8 ½ feet, featuring a cantilevered, see-through structure. Construction will begin this summer (2026) and is expected to be completed in 2027.
Community concerns over the net’s appearance and cost have surfaced throughout the project’s announcement, but the benefits heavily outweigh those criticisms. “Lives are worth much more than the expense of the bridge to be retrofitted for suicide prevention,” Strickland said.
Strickland is confident that the new system will not only save lives, but put an end to the routine of bridge shutdowns. Each suicide attempt requires emergency service to pause traffic indefinitely, affecting the thousands of people moving between Coronado and San Diego, including military, medical services, tourists, and locals.
With the project underway, students of the Coronado community have begun reflecting on the issue of mental health and how these changes will shape the city. Coronado High School Junior Megan Norris finds that “the nets will provide as a reminder of the losses to suicide that occur on the bridge.” Norris isn’t fully caught up on the project details, but she believes the conversation about mental health will be broadened with the deterrent system and will encourage students and other community members to speak up and share their experiences.
Meanwhile, Junior Kate Hansen is more closely informed on the contents of the project. Hansen feels that Caltrans has clearly communicated their plans for this summer to the public, and explained how schools continue to provide support and resources. Hansen finds the new deterrent system as a Band-Aid solution to the community, arguing that congested traffic causes the community to overlook the underlying mental health factors causing suicide. “Putting it up acts more as infrastructure to keep the bridge functioning and open rather than addressing the mental health crisis,” Hansen said.
Still, Hansen believes the new system will raise visibility around suicide prevention and lead to an increase in awareness among young people. With the project set to begin soon, Coronado is set to move towards a safer future, where mental health is a priority.
VOL. 13, NO. 6 – Nov. 12, 2025