SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 18

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

Carlos R. Cisneros

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IN COOPERATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO CONDUCT A FEASIBILITY STUDY TO INSTALL A BRIDGE BARRIER ON THE RIO GRANDE GORGE BRIDGE.

     WHEREAS, deaths resulting from suicide attempts or accidental falls from the Rio Grande gorge bridge in Taos county have increased in recent years; and

     WHEREAS, the cost of rescue efforts and the danger to emergency responders has increased commensurately with such incidents; and

     WHEREAS, the Rio Grande gorge bridge has become a significant tourist attraction, and the increasing traffic on the bridge also contributes to higher risks for visitors and public safety personnel; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico currently ranks fourth in the United States for its suicide rate, which is one and one-half to two times the national average; and

     WHEREAS, the suicide rates among all ethnicities and age groups are four times higher among males (thirty-one and six-tenths per one hundred thousand) than females (six and nine-tenths per one hundred thousand); and

     WHEREAS, suicide is the ninth-leading cause of death for New Mexicans, and suicide is the second-leading cause of death among persons fifteen to twenty-four years of age and the fourth-leading cause of death among persons thirty-five to fifty-four years of age; and

     WHEREAS, suicide at the Rio Grande gorge bridge accounts for over fifty percent of all suicides in the Taos county area; and

     WHEREAS, the national suicide prevention lifeline steering committee has stated its position that the use of bridge barriers is the most effective means of bridge suicide prevention;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE

STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the department of transportation be requested to conduct a feasibility study in cooperation with the department of public safety for the construction or installation of bridge barriers and safety enhancing improvements to the Rio Grande gorge bridge on United States highway 64 in Taos county; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of transportation report its findings to the appropriate committee of the legislature by December 1, 2009; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of transportation and the secretary of public safety.

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