Seattle FRIENDS | Aurora Bridge Suicides

History (2006 - present):

· Feb 2011 - Construction of the Aurora Bridge Safety Fence is complete.

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· Spring 2010 - Fall 2010 - Construction begins on the fence. WSDOT awards the contract to

Massana Construction, who submitted the lowest bid.

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· Late 2009 - early 2010 - WSDOT plans to award the fence contract to the most competitive

bidder and begin fence construction.

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· Aug-Oct 2009 - WSDOT plans to advertise the the project to contractors for competitive

bidding.

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· June 2009 - The City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board approves WSDOT's

application for the Aurora Bridge Fence Project.

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· May 2009 - The Washington State House and Senate Transportation Committees approve

Senate Bill 5352 (better known as the 2009-2011 Transportation Budget). Funding

for the fence construction is included in the bill.

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· Mar 2009 - WSDOT creates a temporary life size barrier model for public view.

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· Feb 2009 - WSDOT meetings with the Seattle Architectural Review Committee.

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· Dec 11, 2008 - A woman leaps from the bridge and dies.

· Dec 2008 - WSDOT update on fence design and progress and project timeline.

· Dec 2008 - follow up meeting with WSDOT Project Management for the proposed Aurora

Bridge Safety Fence

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· Nov 3, 2008 - A man leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· July to Oct 2008 - multiple meetings with the WSDOT fence design advisory committee.

Conceptual drafts for a suicide barrier are reviewed and critiqued by

advisory committee members and members of Seattle's Architectural Review

Committee (ARC).

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· July 2008 - meeting with the City Neighborhood Council Transportation Committee

· July 2008 - the WSDOT fence design advisory committee is formed.

conceptual drawings for a suicide barrier as well as advisory committee purpose

are reviewed at the first committee meeting.

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· June 2008 - participation in the Seattle Out of the Darkness suicide prevention walk

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· May 6, 2008 - A forty-four-year-old man leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· April 16, 2008 - A man leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· Mar 2008 - interview with National Public Radio (NPR)

· Mar 2008 - Washington State legislators approve $1.3M funding toward a suicide barrier

in the 2008 Supplemental Transportation Budget, with an additional $6M in the '09 budget

· Mar 2008 - testimony to the Seattle City Council regarding community suicide barrier

design ideas

· Mar 2008 - interview on the Aurora Bridge Suicide issue (Seattle Cable Access Network)

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· Feb 2008 - community conceptual drawings for a suicide barrier proposed

· Feb 2008 - barrier design planning meeting with Enviroissues, City of

Seattle, Washington State Transportation Officials and Architects Without Borders.

· Feb 2008 - letter of support from Fremont Chamber of Commerce President,

Marko Tubic

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· Jan 2008 - letter of support from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

· Jan 2008 - preliminary community design workshop, over 100 attendees

· Jan 2008 - interview with the North Seattle Herald-Outlook

· Jan 2008 - barrier design workshop kick off meeting with Enviroissues, City of

Seattle, Washington State Transportation Officials and Architects Without Borders.

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· December 27, 2007 - A man leaps from the bridge and dies.

· Dec 2007 - first meeting with design workshop consultants, Enviroissues.

· Dec 2007 - second meeting with Architects Without Boarders, Seattle Chapter

· Dec 2007 - interview Aurora Bridge barrier design workshop consultants

· Dec 2007 - meeting with WSDOT program managers

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· Nov 2007 - meeting with Seattle Historic Landmarks Preservation Board

· Nov 2007 - meeting with Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, Chair Senate Transportation

Committee

· Nov 2007 - letter of support to Governor Gregoire from King County Council member

Pete von Reichbauer

· Nov 2007 - letter of support from King County Council member Larry Phillips

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· Oct 2007 - participation in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Out of the Darkness benefit walk

· Oct 2007 - phone meeting with Casey Hanewall, SDOT Chief of Staff

· Oct 2007 - second meeting with Jodie Vice, legislative aid to Seattle city

council member Jan Drago, Chair Transportation Committee

· Oct 2007 - Seattle City Council approves $75,000 to fund a suicide barrier

architectural design charrette/competition

· Oct 2007 - second meeting with the Fremont Neighborhood Council

· October 19, 2007 - A twenty-four-year-old man leaps from the bridge and dies.

· Oct 2007 - testimony to the Seattle City Council, Issue Identification Session

regarding funding for a suicide barrier architectural design charrette/competition

· Oct 2007 - letter of support from the Queen Anne Community Council

· Oct 2007 - meeting with King County Council member Pete von Reichbauer

· Oct 2007 - meeting with Shelia Babb of US Senator Patty Murray's office

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· Sep 2007 - fourth stakeholder meeting with City and State transportation officials.

· Sep 2007 - meeting with the Lake Union District Council

· Sep 2007 - phone meeting with Rep. Deb Wallace, member House Transportation Committee

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· Aug 2007 - meeting with Seattle City Council member Jan Drago, Chair City Transportation

Committee

· Aug 2007 - meeting with Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, 36th legislative district

· Aug 2007 - meeting with Jennifer Ziegler, Governor's Executive Policy Office, Transportation

· Aug 2007 - meeting with Rep. Fred Jarrett; Ranking Minority Member House Transportation

Committee

· Aug 2007 - letter of support from the Youth Suicide Prevention Program of Washington State

· Aug 2007 - meeting with Seattle City Council President Nick Licata

· Aug 2007 - meeting with Streeter Architects

· Aug 2007 - first meeting with Architects Without Borders

· Aug 2007 - letter of support from the Fremont Chamber of Commerce

· Aug 2007 - letter of support from the Fremont Neighborhood Council

· Aug 2007 - meeting with Sen. Ed Murray, 43rd legislative district;

Vice Chair Senate Transportation Committee

· Aug 2007 - meeting with Rep. Judy Clibborn, Chair House Transportation Committee

· August 1, 2007 - A fifty-year old man leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· July 2007 - meeting with Rep. Helen Sommers, 36th legislative district; Chair House

Appropriations Committee

· July 2007 - letter of support from the Glendon Mental Health Association of California

· July 2007 - first meeting with the Fremont Neighborhood Council

· July 2007 - meeting with Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, 36th legislative district; member House

Transportation Committee

· July 2007 - phone meeting with Lieutenant Mark Olson, SPD Harbor Patrol

· July 13, 2007 - A man leaps from the bridge and survives.

· July 2007 - meeting with Lan Nguyen, legislative aid to Rep. Frank Chopp, 43rd legislative

district; House Speaker

· July 2007 - meeting with Rep. Jamie Pedersen, 43rd legislative district

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· June 2007 - The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) creates

conceptual drawing for a suicide barrier on the bridge.

· June 2007 - phone meeting with Travis Commodore, public relations for King County Council

member Larry Phillips.

· June 2007 - third stakeholder meeting with City and State transportation officials. The Seattle

Department of Transportation (SDOT) reallocates $30,000 to fund a preliminary feasibility

study for a suicide barrier on the bridge.

· June 2007 - brochures and flyers distributed to raise awareness of the bridge issue with

the Bridge community.

· June 2007 - first meeting with Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.

· June 2007 - NPR story on the Aurora Bridge suicide issue airs.

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· May 2007 - phone meeting with the Glendon Mental Health Association of California.

· May 2007 - second stakeholder meeting with City and State transportation officials.

· May 2007 - first meeting with Seattle Police Department, North Precinct.

· May 2007 - first meeting with the Youth Suicide Prevention Program of Washington State.

· May 2007 - phone meeting with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Seattle

chapter.

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· April 2007 - first stakeholder meeting with City and State transportation officials.

· April 2007 - first meeting with the Fremont Chamber of Commerce.

· April 10, 2007 - A forty-nine-year-old man leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· March 9, 2007 - A woman leaps from the bridge and survives.

· March 2007 - meeting with the King County Medical Examiners Office.

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· February 17, 2007 - A twenty-seven-year-old man leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· January 24, 2007 - A fifty-six-year-old woman leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· December 5, 2006 - A forty-two-year-old woman leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· November 2006 - The City of Seattle installs emergency call boxes and crisis signs on the bridge.

· November 14, 2006 - A sixty-four-year-old woman leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· September 6, 2006 - A twenty-year-old man leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· August 2006 - The City of Seattle, Washington State Department of Transportation

engineers, Seattle police and suicide prevention specialist meet to talk about possible

solutions to the bridge problem. A proposal is put forth to install emergency call boxes and

signs on the bridge.

· August 14, 2006 - A thirty-eight-year-old woman leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· July 13, 2006 - A twenty-four-year-old man leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· June 1, 2006 - A fifty-one-year-old man leaps from the bridge and dies.

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· May 6, 2006 - A fifteen-year-old Ballard High School student leaps from the bridge and dies.

Family and friends create a make shift memorial in the parking lot where she lands. She is

the youngest person to commit suicide by leaping from the Aurora Bridge.

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· February 16, 2006 - An eighteen-year-old college student leaps from the bridge. She

survives the initial impact but dies a week later in the hospital.

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· January 1, 2006 - A forty-seven year-old man leaps from the bridge and dies.