PROSPECT — The Maine Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to install safety fencing on the Penobscot Narrows bridge.

The fencing is now expected to be in place on the bridge by July.

Lawmakers approved a bill requiring the installation of barrier fencing on the bridge to help prevent suicides back in 2023.

According to the legislation calling for the installation of the barriers, the Prospect bridge has been the site of several suicides since it first opened in 2006.

“A key factor in preventing death from suicide is to create a distance in time from the suicidal thought to the lethal action,” reads 2023 testimony from State Senator Chip Curry prior to the bill’s approval. “In the case of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, we have failed to design for the delay between the thought and the lethal action”

In further testimony prior to the bill’s approval in 2023, Curry said that prevention barriers like the one that will soon go up on the Penobscot Narrows Bridge have already proven to be effective.

“We’ve already seen proof of these barriers working here in Maine. Following a rise in suicides at Augusta's Memorial Bridge, a barrier was installed to halt these tragic deaths. No suicides have been reported at the Memorial Bridge since,” said Curry. “A 2005 study revealed that not only was the barrier effective in preventing suicides, but there was also no observable increase in attempts at other sites across the state during the research period. As a result, the barrier continues to serve as a successful measure in deterring suicide deaths.”

The Maine Department of Transportation awarded the $1.35 million contract for the long-awaited project to BMB Construction of Holden.

Construction is set to begin sometime this spring.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call or text 988 for the Maine Crisis Line.

Additional resources are available on the Maine Suicide Prevention Program website.