'We are going to raise the rails': NMDOT makes historic commitment to suicide barriers at Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

TAOS  — New Mexico Department of Transportation Secretary Ricky Serna announced at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge on Friday that the state will construct higher curved railings for the 60-year-old structure, responding to a spike in suicides there this year and the bridge's longstanding reputation as a magnet for people in crisis.

Serna made the historic announcement at the Community Rally for Accountability, one of two gatherings held at the bridge this fall in response to seven suicides in 2025, including three in the month of September. A day before Friday's rally, the Taos County Sheriff's Office recovered the body of a Colorado woman from below the bridge, marking the seventh such death there this year.

"A higher rail can interrupt a moment," Serna told a crowd of local residents, politicians and sheriff's deputies, some of whom participated in Thursday's body recovery operation. "A conversation can interrupt a spiral. Compassion can interrupt despair, and a connection can truly save a life."

An engineering study the NMDOT commissioned this fall determined it will cost the state roughly $8 million to complete the project, which will require the replacement of the bridge's current sidewalks using "lightweight concrete" to help the structure support the heavier railings. The steel arch bridge, which was built in 1965, may also be repainted in the process. A closure the state ordered for the bridge's sidewalks this fall is still being enforced.

"We need concrete interventions now," said Carlos Miller, a former president of the True Kids 1 Youth Council, speaking at Friday's rally. "We cannot continue to let lives be lost to this bridge."

John Nettles, a longtime river guide and swift water rescue expert who attended Friday's gathering, estimated he has discovered the remains of up to 12 suicide victims below the bridge over the last 16 years. The section of river below the bridge is a popular rafting and kayaking spot, known for its challenging rapids.

According to data the sheriff's office shared with the Journal this week, a total of 58 people have died by suicide at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge since 2000, with an average of three deaths annually.

"This is a time-sensitive issue, getting these rails raised," Nettles said, adding that there's a misperception that halting one suicide attempt is only delaying another.  "I think a lot of people misunderstand how suicide works. A lot of times if you can just break that momentum, they'll be able to clear their head and move through it and onto the rest of their life."

The bridge has for years been equipped with crisis phone lines and now is patrolled by three security guards employed through the state. However, advocates for safety enhancements at the bridge argue that the structure's 4-foot-tall railings make it too easy to jump, minimizing the window for people in crisis to reconsider their decision or for someone else to intervene.

Steven Adelsheim, director of the Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing at Stanford School of Medicine, said suicide at the bridge is just one part of a complex problem — he said it's important that the Taos community looks for ways to provide its population with additional mental health resources as part of a continuum of care.

"I worked for many years as the director of school mental health programs in New Mexico," he told the Journal, "and I continue to believe there can be expanded support for young people, both from the school district, school mental health professional staff as well as from community mental health agencies, who also can provide an additional level of confidentiality for mental health services for young people."

The Taos County Sheriff's Office has borne the brunt of the responsibility for recovering the bodies of people who die due to suicide at the bridge. Missions are often led directly by Steve Miera, the county sheriff. Lt. Marvin Armijo said each mission ends with a debriefing process, in which team leaders conduct a mental health check of every deputy involved with recovering a body.

"It's never easy to see — the aftermath," Armijo said. "Having to break the news to a loved one, having to break the news to families, to kids, you know, they lost a loved one. It's not easy for us. It impacts everyone as a whole, not just the people who have lost a loved one, but it also impacts us to see the aftermath and to have to relay the death notifications. It's never easy."

Serna said the design of the new sidewalks and railings is expected by June, with a goal to begin construction in July and finish by summer's end. The announcement of the project's timeline was met by applause from attendees at Friday's rally, which was organized by True Kids 1 and Help Outreach Taos.

"We are going to raise the rails," Serna said. "We are going to raise awareness. We are raising responsibility and raising our commitment to mental health and its care across New Mexico. While physical infrastructure matters, we also know that we cannot build our way out of the mental health crisis with railings alone."

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The New Mexico Crisis and Access Line can also be reached at 855-662-7474 (855-NMCRISIS).