After Don Holt shutdown, advocates push for jump guards to deter suicides

For nearly 10 hours on Thursday, Dec. 18, the Don Holt Bridge stood still. 

Traffic backed up for miles. Parents scrambled for school pickups and drop-offs. Workers missed shifts. With one of Charleston’s main arteries shut down, drivers were forced to reroute across the Ravenel Bridge or wind through Mount Pleasant, a reminder that in a peninsula city, there are only so many ways to get where you’re going. 

But beyond the gridlock, the incident reopened a deeper conversation in the Lowcountry: what is being done, and what more could be done, to prevent suicide, particularly on Charleston’s bridges and overpasses? 

At the center of the shutdown wasn’t a wreck or roadwork, but a man in crisis, threatening to jump. 

For North Charleston Police, the decision to close the bridge was immediate and deliberate. 

“In this situation, officers were dealing with a subject experiencing a mental health crisis who was actively threatening to jump,” said assistant chief Scott Perry. 

Perry said closing the bridge reduced noise, vibration, and distractions; prevented added danger to motorists and first responders; and allowed trained negotiators to work safely. 

“At that point, keeping traffic moving would have introduced unnecessary danger,” he said. “The closure was a deliberate and measured step to protect everyone involved.” 

Crisis negotiations have no fixed timeline. “These situations can take anywhere from minutes to several hours,” Perry said. Trained crisis negotiators, a mobile crisis professional, fire and EMS crews, and command staff were all involved. “Time is often the most important tool in these situations.” 

The standoff ended without loss of life, something Perry called a success. “Traffic delays are temporary. The loss of a life is permanent.” 

The incident revealed troubling trends.  

Charleston County recorded an all-time high of 76 suicides last year, nearly double the 43 reported in 2013. In 2025, Berkeley County reported 37 suicides, continuing a pattern of 30 to 40 annually. Statewide, the Centers for Disease Control lists 818 suicide deaths in South Carolina in 2023, with suicides increasing about 8% over the last decade. 

Mental health advocates say physical barriers can play a critical role in prevention. 

“These barricades would be so beneficial even if it were to just stop someone for a few moments to think about what is happening and what their decision is about what they’re about to do,” said Laura Moss, deputy director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of South Carolina. 

Some protections are already in place on I-26. The recently opened Weber Interchange includes a jump guard, and a similar barrier was installed earlier this year on the Ashley Phosphate Road overpass following two suicides there. The South Carolina Department of Transportation said a $125,000 grant paid for that barrier. 

Still, the majority of Charleston-area overpasses and bridges remain unprotected. 

“Our Charleston bridges do not have any physical deterrents in place for suicide prevention,” said Elizabeth Childers, SCDOT's communications director.  

While SCDOT explored options in 2016 – including raising barriers on portions of the Ravenel Bridge – Childers said funding, ownership, and approval challenges remain. 

NAMI is now pushing for 988 signage on bridges and overpasses statewide. “Signage that would alert them to resources, that they are not alone, that 988 is out there to help them as a resource in a moment of crisis,” Moss said. 

Anyone in crisis can call or text 988 or contact nami.org for support and guidance.