deck, which has lanes, and the lack of a median barrier to separate the two directions of traffic. There have also been some calls to reduce the number of lanes from six narrow lanes to four wider lanes, although early reports indicated that a mechanical failure of the duck tour vehicles' front axle may have also been a major factor in the crash. Suicides The bridge's height and pedestrian access make it a popular location for suicide jumpers. Since construction, there have been over 230 suicides from the bridge, with nearly 50 deaths occurring in the decade 1995–2005. The first suicide occurred on January 20, 1932, when a shoe salesman leapt from the bridge before it was completed. Numerous reports have been written about the high incidence of suicide on the bridge, many of them using the bridge as a case study in fields ranging from suicide prevention to the effects of prehospital care on trauma victims. Despite the force of impact, jumpers occasionally survive the fall from the bridge, though not without sustaining serious injuries. News sources have referred to the George Washington Memorial Bridge as a suicide bridge. In December 2006, six emergency phones and 18 signs were installed on the bridge to encourage people to seek help instead of jumping. Around that time, a group of community activists and political leaders living near the bridge created the Fremont Individuals and Employees Nonprofit to Decrease Suicides (FRIENDS), their primary focus being the installation of a suicide barrier on the bridge. In 2007, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire allocated $1.4 million in her supplemental budget for the construction of an suicide-prevention fence to help reduce the number of suicides on the bridge. Construction of the fence began in spring 2010 and was completed in February 2011, at a total cost of $4.8 million. See also List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Washington (state) List of bridges in Seattle List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) References External links Seattle FRIENDS 1932 establishments in Washington (state) Bridges completed in 1932 Bridges in Seattle Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) Historic American Engineering Record in Washington (state) National Register of Historic Places in Seattle U.S. Route 99 Steel bridges in the United States Cantilever bridges in the United States Warren truss bridges in the United