The stalled completion of a suicide prevention net on the Golden Gate Bridge could be delayed even further after construction companies hired to take on the project allege their costs have more than doubled, according to recently filed San Francisco Superior Court documents.

The project to erect stainless steel mesh nets on both sides of the bridge was supposed to be completed by last year but has been fraught with delays.

Last year, subcontractor for the project Vigor Works LLC sued joint venture contractors Shimmick Construction Co. and Danny’s Construction Co. (SDJV) over allegations that they were owed at least $13 million. Shimmick and Danny’s then countersued this year. In a motion in that case filed last week, SDJV also asked the court’s permission to sue the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which manages the bridge.

The bridge district is accused of “concealing significant information” during the proposal phase of the project, including “extensive bridge deterioration” that interfered with SDJV’s ability to perform the work.

Over 2,000 people have jumped to their deaths from the Golden Gate Bridge since it opened in 1937.

“It later became apparent that many of the District’s own designs and design criteria and specifications are flawed, and some requirements would be impossible to execute,” reads the court filing. “Rather than acknowledge its own mistakes, the District seeks to hold SDJV hostage and have it complete the work with no adjustment in price.”

SDJV alleges that the project will cost “well over” $398 million, not the $142 million the district wants to pay.

“We are deeply frustrated by the contractor’s slow pace of construction and multiple delays building the suicide barrier,” said district spokesperson Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz. “Shimmick has had three different owners since beginning work on the suicide barrier in 2017, which has led to project delays and cost overruns. The District has been transparent with Shimmick about the condition of the Bridge throughout the project.”

Cosulich-Schwartz added that the district continues to work “diligently” with the contractor to complete the project as quickly as possible.

Bridge officials first green-lit the project in 2008, as the Golden Gate Bridge remains the only “suicide magnet” in the world without protective barriers installed. Over 2,000 people have jumped to their deaths from its span since the bridge’s opening in 1937.

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, help is available by dialing 988 to contact the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.