LOWELL — The University Avenue bridge is getting the reputation as the suicide bridge.

In a tragic repeat of the start of last year, a UMass Lowell student allegedly jumped from the bridge Jan. 10, one of several falls or jumps from the popular pedestrian and car crossing that connects the North and East campuses of UMass Lowell.

“We build bridges for people to cross safely and not for people to jump to their death,” said Councilor Vesna Nuon during the council’s Tuesday night meeting at City Hall. His motion asked City Manager Tom Golden work with the appropriate department to install iron railings on the bridge.

“We need to do something about it,” Nuon said.

The $32 million span, named after former longtime City Councilor and Mayor Richard P. Howe, replaced the Textile Memorial Bridge in 2013. The blue girders of the four-lane structure soar almost 60 feet above the rocks of the Merrimack River below.

The picturesque tableau has been the scene of numerous falls and jumps over the years, and has prompted several councilors to submit motions to install suicide prevention barriers on the railings.

Mayor Erik Gitschier and Councilor Sokhary Chau made similar motions, with Chau’s providing more detail on suicide prevention measures.

“Request City Manager work in coordination with the Department of Public Works, the Lowell Police Department, the MassDOT, and any other relevant state or regional authorities to evaluate and pursue the installation of suicide-prevention measures, including but not limited to physical barriers, safety netting, or other proven deterrent infrastructure, on bridges within the City of Lowell where such incidents have occurred or present a demonstrated public safety concern,” Chau’s motion said.

UMass Lowell Senior Director of Communications and Digital Media David Joyner said by email Wednesday that the university had no comment, but at least one speaker affiliated with the university spoke to the motions during the meeting.

“According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, and the second most frequent cause of death for youth and young adults from ages 10 to 35,” Paulette Caragianes-Renault said.

Although she did not speak on behalf of the university, Caragianes-Renault has been a part-time case manager in UMass Lowell’s Office of Prevention and Education. She previously served as the director of public health for the city of Somerville, director of adolescent programs at Lowell Community Health Center, director of human services for the city of Lowell, as well as other public health roles in her career. She called the Howe Bridge a “huge” pedestrian crossing.

“When we do something — and we can do something to prevent someone from impulsively jumping off a bridge — we are interrupting what is an attempt as lethal as suicide by gunshot,” she said. “Once you jump from any significant height, there is no going back.”

Another speaker, who said she had recently lost a family member to suicide, urged the council to support the motions.

“In just the past 12 months, I know of two suicides at this bridge and that’s too much,” Kear Ou said. “We don’t want Lowell to have the reputation of having a suicidal bridge.”

She asked the council to consider prevention measures to make it more difficult for someone to hurt themselves.

The Howe Bridge is under the control of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, but Golden said next steps include asking MassDOT for a safety evaluation, as well as the city continuing to work with mental-health providers such as Vinfen and Lowell Community Health Center to address suicide-prevention issues.

Golden also told the council that following what he called “a terrible tragedy,” he spoke with the university and that it “is in the process of taking some corrective actions. That call came in from UMass Lowell.”

“There are signs up there right now and asking people to reconsider [suicide],” he said. “We’ll take all three of these motions to see how we can make a difference.”

The motions were bundled and unanimously passed by the council.

Individuals in emotional distress or contemplating suicide are urged to seek assistance. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 in Massachusetts, providing free and confidential support. Contact the lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visiting 988lifeline.org for online chat services.