Police and fire have been dispatched to N 34th St and Troll Ave N after reports that someone jumped from the bridge, a witness tells us. According to police, they have found the victim and are waiting for the King County Medical Examiner to arrive.

State Department of Transportation crews have been working since last month to install an eight-foot ‘suicide fence’ to prevent people from jumping. As of now, there isn’t any noticeable changes to the bridge as the DOT attaches the anchor bolts before the fence goes up. The project was slated to start in April but was delayed by construction equipment problems.

Medics responded to a person who jumped from the Aurora Bridge around 2 p.m. today.  There’s no word on whether the person survived.  Construction on the barrier on Aurora Bridge, designed to prevent suicides, is scheduled to begin in January or February.

A recent increase in the number of suicide attempts from the Aurora Ave. bridge and comments from people who live and work in the densely populated area compelled the City of Seattle, King County, WSDOT and community members to take action.

WSDOT is designing a fence to deter people from jumping off of the bridge. This effort follows the city of Seattle’s installation of signs and phones on the Aurora Bridge in 2006 to connect people directly to a suicide hotline.

The project received design funding during the 2008 legislative session. Design work started in spring 2008. We expect the construction phase to start in late 2009, although actual fence installation won’t begin until early 2010 because of the time it will take to manufacture the fence. Construction would be complete by the end of 2010.

On Sunday, March 29, WSDOT attached a mockup of a fence panel to the bridge for evaluation. Click here to view photos of this fence.