The University of Minnesota quietly added fencing to the upper deck of the Washington Avenue bridge, the walking and biking level, as a safety precaution for everyone including people dealing with mental health crises.

The fencing, which is an additional barrier from the permanent side railings, was installed last Thursday and Friday. The university estimates the cost for the materials and installation at $75,000.

The school says the fencing will be up for the “foreseeable future.”

“We’re in the business of trying to prevent suicide and saving lives, and part of that means being able to advocate for these kinds of measures,” Erich Mische, chief executive officer for SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education), said about the temporary fencing. 

“The reality is that we have seen far too many lives lost in this particular location, and we are at a point at which something has to be done, and something was done, and we’re very grateful for that,” Mische added about the important deterrent. 

Mische says the university is sending a powerful message he hopes carries beyond just this bridge. 

“It’s all about buying critical time to give that individual who may be having a suicidal ideation acting on it time to rethink that and to give those around them an opportunity to intervene and ultimately help save their life,” he said. 

Along Mische’s side while advocating has been MJ Blair, founder of Kayla’s HOPE.

“My heart wanted to cry. We’ve been pushing since January to get this done and to find that they’re listening to us, so that our voices are being heard, that Kayla’s voice is being heard,” Blair said, adding she’s grateful for this step. 

A year ago this month, Blair’s daughter Kayla died by suicide.

Now, through Kayla’s HOPE, and their work alongside SAVE, Blair too hopes this action sparks more physical barriers to be added to more infrastructure that pose this kind of risk. 

The University of Minnesota University Services Vice President Alice Roberts-Davis said the school is working on a long-term solution to improve the safety of the highly traveled bridge.

A full statement from Robert-Davis about the fencing is below:

The University of Minnesota prioritizes the health of our students, faculty, staff and visitors. While we continue to work on funding and approvals needed to implement a long-term solution to enhance the safety of the Washington Avenue Bridge, we have installed temporary fencing on the bridge’s pedestrian deck that creates a barrier between pedestrians and the bridge’s permanent side railings. This should not disrupt access for the 20,000 pedestrians and 7,000 bicyclists who cross the bridge on an average day.

We are grateful for the support of our city, county and state partners as we take this action, particularly Hennepin County, which owns the bridge and needed to approve permits for this fencing. As partners, we all understand the importance of safety on the bridge, and we will continue to explore how we can work together to fund and implement long-term solutions in the future.

Addressing and supporting mental health remains critically important across the University of Minnesota System. For any U of M student, faculty or staff who is struggling with their own mental health or who knows someone who is, the University of Minnesota has resources available to help. Students have access to our 24-hour crisis hotline and drop-in urgent crisis clinic consultations, in addition to regular counseling support. We also offer free and confidential mental health support services to faculty and staff. Additional resources may be found at https://mentalhealth.umn.edu/

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Here is a list of suicide prevention and mental health resources:

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988
• Crisis Text Line – Text MN to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor to receive free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.
• Minnesota Department of Human Service’s adult mental health resources
  • DHS map and list of statewide adult mental health crisis response phone numbers
  • DHS map and list of statewide children’s mental health crisis response phone numbers
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Minnesota
• Veterans Crisis Line at 988, Option 1 or by texting 838255
• Minnesota Farm and Rural Mental Health Helpline at 833-600-2670 or by texting “FarmStress” to 898211

If you believe someone is at risk of suicide, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests you:

• Ask questions about whether the individual is having suicidal thoughts.
• Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
• Seek help from a medical or mental health professional. If it is an emergency situation, take the person to a hospital.
• Remove any objects from a person’s home that could be potentially used in a suicide.
• Do not leave the person alone, if possible, until help is available.