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Advocates press conference committee to fund suicide-prevention barriers on Washington Avenue Bridge
Summary
Family members and safety advocates urged the Transportation Conference Committee to include funding for permanent suicide-deterrent barriers on the Washington Avenue Bridge, citing lives saved by temporary fencing and studies showing large reductions in site-specific suicide deaths.
MJ Weiszblayer, a Minneapolis resident and mother of a woman who died by suicide on the Washington Avenue Bridge, urged the Transportation Conference Committee to include funding for permanent suicide-deterrent barriers in the conference report. "There should be no trade off between saving money and saving lives," Weiszblayer told the panel, noting a chain-link fence installed as a temporary measure after last year's hearings has already prevented multiple attempts.
Why it matters: Committee members on both sides of the aisle have included barrier funding in their transportation bills, and advocates said a final conference agreement could secure a permanent fix for a high-risk…
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