A Tale of Two Bridges: Part 2

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Well, I lied. There are actually two bridges in this photo alone, so with the one in yesterday's that makes 3 bridges. The blue colored bridge below packed with waiting traffic is one of the busiest draw bridges in the world, the Fremont Bridge that opens for boat traffic along the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The upper-most bridge in this shot is the Aurora Bridge, officially named the George Washington Memorial Bridge. It is currently undergoing a seismic retrofit that should be completed next year. Unfortunately, this graceful span is associated with hundreds of tragic deaths since it was built in the 1930s, most from suicide. There have been over 50 in the past decade alone despite installation of prevention call boxes and compassionate signage. Governor Gregoire allotted 1.4 million dollars from the 2007 budget to install a suicide prevention barrier which was completed in February. Hopefully it will substantially reduce the likelihood of further jumping attempts. In 1998 an articulated metro bus like the one you see in the photo plunged off the side and onto an apartment house below after the bus driver was killed by a passenger. Such a horrific history for a bridge that seems here to top even the Olympic Mountains.