Legislators to pursue updated study, $15M for suicide deterrents at Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

TAOS — At a youth rally held Friday in response to a recent string of suicides at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, state Rep. Susan Herrera, D-Embudo, said state lawmakers would be seeking an updated feasibility study and between $10 million and $15 million from next year’s legislative session for additional safety measures, such as higher railings, at the 60-year-old structure.

“By God, if there’s anything I care about, it’s this,” Herrera told a crowd of students, first responders and families of people who have died at the bridge. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get that money in the budget this year with an emergency clause, so as soon as we have the money, we can start building it. That’s what we need to do.”

Speaking at a Legislative Finance Committee meeting a day prior in Hobbs, New Mexico Department of Transportation Secretary Ricky Serna said the department’s previous bridge study was commissioned in 2018 but did not result in additions such as raised railings, fencing or netting — solutions that have proven effective at mitigating suicides at high bridges elsewhere in the U.S.

In addition to examining the feasibility of physical suicide deterrents, which were the focus of Friday’s rally, Serna told the Journal last week that the state would also examine the possibility of professional mental health support personnel for the bridge. The department recently increased the number of security guards at the tourist destination to three and last year repaired 10 call boxes designed to connect people in crisis to counseling.

“The range of what we’re looking at now goes from preventative measures to counter measures to infrastructure upgrades and everything in between,” Serna said.

Responding to a request from Taos County Sheriff Steve Miera, whose staff for decades has descended into the rugged canyon below the bridge to recover the bodies of suicide victims, Serna closed the structure to foot traffic on Sept. 22. The bridge remained closed as of Tuesday.

“He called on us to do something that could preserve life immediately,” Serna said. “I concurred that closing the bridge to pedestrian traffic could present a short-term, but effective countermeasure. Right now, we don’t have a timeline for that.”

The bridge’s sidewalks often draw hundreds of sightseers daily. Miera called for them to be temporarily closed following a string of three suicides last month. Six suicides have occurred at the bridge this year, double the annual average cited by officials.

State Sen. Roberto “Bobby” Gonzales, D-Ranchos de Taos, a New Mexico lawmaker based in Taos County since the mid-’90s, told the Journal that “there’s more support now than ever to make something happen.”

“There’s more awareness within the legislators that are not from the area,” he said. “It’s recognized that the problem is not going away — the problem is there.”

State Rep. Kristina Ortez, D-Taos, said local legislators have for years pressed the state to take action to make it harder for people to commit suicide at the bridge, which sits 600 feet from the canyon floor and whose railings are currently 4 feet tall.

But she added that the call to action at the bridge is coming at a time when the state’s budget may be under unusual strain.

“We have to be really careful with how we steward our money right now because we have so many things that we have to make up for with federal cuts,” she said.

Taos County Manager Brent Jaramillo also added his voice to the mix of advocates calling for action.

“We believe the State of New Mexico has the capacity and responsibility to address this issue,” he said. “With some of the brightest minds working in state government, we are confident that a meaningful and effective deterrent can be developed. If we can put a man on the moon, surely, we can find a solution to help prevent further loss of life at the Gorge Bridge.”

Anna Maria Gonzales, who lost her teenage son to suicide at the bridge in March 2022, told rallygoers Friday that the site had been one of her family’s favorite places to hike and sightsee.

“They have money for everything else,” she said. “They could have money to do this and put the rails up.”