Construction to start on Golden Gate Bridge suicide-prevention net

Officials say the net will be positioned 20 feet below the sidewalk and extend out another 20 feet. Made of seven football fields worth of stainless steel, the structure will curve up slightly at its ends and be suspended 200 feet above the Pacific Ocean on both sides of the bridge — invisible to drivers.

In 2016, 39 people jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge and plunged to their deaths, according to spokeswoman Priya Clemens. But bridge patrol workers were able to prevent an additional 200 people from committing suicide.

Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Dianne Feinstein led the ribbon-cutting ceremony.