Last updated 2 months ago 
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Transportation officials have approved $5 million in federal funding to design a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission signed off on the funding on Wednesday, and the Golden Gate Bridge Board of Directors is expected to accept the money when it meets Aug. 13.
Bridge officials approved in February plans to hang a stainless steel net about 20 feet below the world-famous span in an effort to stop people from jumping to their deaths.
More than 1,300 people have jumped from the bridge since it opened in 1937.
Officials say the barrier will cost $45 million and take about 18 months to design.
They are seeking federal, state and private funding for the project.
The Associated Press
