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Senate committee hears bill to fund permanent suicide barriers on Washington Avenue Bridge
Summary
On March 5, 2025, the Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee heard Senate File 2148, introduced by Sen. [Steve] Dibble, proposing use of Metro-area sales-tax transit funds for permanent pedestrian suicide-prevention barriers on the Washington Avenue Bridge at the University of Minnesota; the bill was laid on the table for budget consideration.
Senate File 2148, introduced in the Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee on March 5, 2025, would fund permanent pedestrian barriers on the Washington Avenue Bridge that connects the University of Minnesota’s East and West Banks. The bill’s author, Senator Dibble, said temporary fencing already in place has been helpful but a permanent solution is needed.
The bill was prompted in part by testimony from family members and suicide-prevention advocates, who said the bridge has been a recurring site for fatal suicide attempts. MJ Wise testified that her daughter, Kayla Gable, died by suicide on the bridge on Nov. 9, 2023. “She left behind a 2-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter,” Wise said, and described forming the advocacy group Kayla’s…
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