In June of last year, as part of an environmental review, Caltrans unveiled a proposal to add fencing along both sides of the iconic Coronado Bridge, citing a need for safety after a series of people died by suicide jumping off the bridge.

The plan's supporters argue that it would save lives — according to the report, more people take their lives on the Coronado Bridge than any other span in America, save the Golden Gate Bridge.

Late last week, Caltrans announced it was moving ahead with the plan, at least insofar as the design elements are concerned, and had set aside $14 million to design the suicide-deterrent for the bridge. The funding is part of the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, also known as SB 1, which set aside more than $250 million for public works on public roads.

"Last year, the project completed the environmental review process,” said Caltrans District 11 Director Gustavo Dallarda. “This new funding is an important next step to allow Caltrans to move into the final design phase of the project. An untraditional project for Caltrans, but an important one that will have a big impact on the lives of many Californians.”

To clarify, the fences themselves are not going to cost $14 million, that's how much Caltrans has allocated for the design of the fences, which seems pretty nailed down in last year's announcement. To wit:

Other options to the vertical fencing, such as a horizontal fence below the roadway, were studied and discarded due to "additional maintenance and operation costs of extraordinary magnitude," for example.

There is a lot more to "design" than just the design, according to last summer's environmental review.

"During project design, avoidance, minimization and/or mitigation measures will be incorporated into the project’s final plans, specifications," the report stated.

Another element of "design" is determining what such a project would cost. It seems likely that, if it's going to cost $14 million just for the design, the construction of the project will cost quite a bit more.

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741, anytime.