LOWELL — Acting on community concerns about suicides off the Howe Bridge this and other years, the administration of City Manager Tom Golden told the City Council that the city has posted suicide-prevention signs on area bridges.
“We all know this is a terrible, sad topic to discuss,” Golden said during the March 24 meeting at City Hall. “The university (UMass Lowell) and our sign department here in the city of Lowell reacted.”
The city posted new signs to railings on several bridges directing people contemplating suicide to resources, including calling or texting 988, the national suicide hotline.
A UMass Lowell first-year student died after a fall from the Richard P. Howe Bridge the morning of Jan. 10.
The $32 million University Avenue span, named after former longtime City Councilor and Mayor Richard P. Howe, replaced the Textile Memorial Bridge in 2013. The blue girders of the four-lane structure soar almost 60 feet above the rocks of the Merrimack River below.
The picturesque tableau has been the scene of numerous falls and jumps over the years, and prompted several councilors to submit motions to install suicide-prevention barriers, signage and “deterrent infrastructure, on bridges within the City of Lowell where such incidents have occurred or present a demonstrated public safety concern.”
The Howe Bridge is city owned, and Councilor Vesna Nuon said that the onus is on Lowell to “do everything we can to deter people from jumping off the bridge.”
At the request of the council, the Golden administration sent a letter to Interim Transportation Secretary Phil Eng at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, with a copy to UMass Lowell to coordinate efforts to address the public safety issue.
The popular pedestrian and car crossing connects the North and East campuses of the university.
“I am pleased to report to the City Council that a meeting with stakeholders from UML, MADOT, and the city of Lowell has been scheduled for March 27 at 10 a.m.,” Golden said.
The meeting will kickstart a planning process to update the railings and protections in an effort to try and address the issue of bridge suicides in Lowell.
“I’m unaware at this time at what the state will do, but we have their ear,” Golden said.
Golden also said that once the signs are posted, the city will check them every September to make sure they are “in good order and not faded.”
He noted that although the Howe Bridge is a “particular” site of suicides, a private garage, which he did not name, in Lowell also had an “unfortunate experience.”
The only large private garage in Lowell is the Lupoli Companies’ $26 million, eight-story, 550-space parking garage located across from the Kiernan Judicial Center at 330 Jackson St.
“I’ve talked to (Lowell Police) Superintendent Hudon about that,” Golden told the council. “About possibly putting signs up in that area to let folks know, as well.”
The council will receive a report back from the administration on the stakeholder meeting and what other steps the city, state and university may be able to take for both safety and public awareness.
Individuals in emotional distress or contemplating suicide are urged to seek assistance. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 in Massachusetts, providing free and confidential support. Contact the lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visiting 988lifeline.org for online chat services.
