SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The long-awaited project to install suicide prevention barriers on the Coronado Bridge has been approved and fast-tracked, with the contract signed and design underway.

Despite the project's approval, securing the necessary funding for construction remains a challenge, as only the design and engineering phases have been financially supported so far.

The Coronado Bridge has been a site of tragedy, with at least 550 people having died by suicide there since its opening in 1969.

In comparison, the Golden Gate Bridge, which installed suicide nets last year at a cost of $400 million, has seen a 73% reduction in suicides.

Coronado's approach will involve a fence rather than nets, aiming to prevent access to the bridge's edge.

Local leaders remain optimistic that th

See Full Page