SAN FRANCISCO – The project to build a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge could escalate to as much as $198 million and continues to be delayed as officials seek more money for construction.

The bridge board voted Friday to formally delay the project until Jan. 9 so a funding plan can be revised. Bridge officials were stunned in July when bids came in almost double the $76 million estimate. Now span officials are noting the project could be as much as $198 million, but caution that that figure is likely high. It was included as a safeguard in a budget planning document to acknowledge the high-end cost of the project.

“My plea to you today is to not let the process of constructing the safety net take any longer than absolutely necessary,” San Francisco resident Pat Madden told the board. Her son, Jesse Madden-Fong, 15, jumped from the span the day after Easter in 2015. “I don’t want other families to experience what mine has. … I hope the safety net gets built soon. I wish with all my heart it had been there for my boy.”

The bridge board had a $76 million financing plan in place based on consultant estimates and officials were hoping work could start as soon as this year and be completed by 2020.

But a major stumbling block occurred in July when the lowest bid for the work came in almost double the construction cost estimate.

The low bid was $142 million from the Oakland-based Shimmick/Danny’s Joint Venture. The Pennsylvania-based American Bridge Co. submitted its bid at $174 million.

Now bridge officials are asking those bidders to freeze those estimates while they look for more dollars. In the original funding package, Caltrans contributed $22 million to the overall project, the state $7 million from Mental Health Services Act funds and the bridge district $20 million in addition to $27 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Bridge officials are in touch with those agencies about more funding. The bid contracts are also being looked at to see if there are any cost savings to be had.

“We are committed to this project,” bridge board president Dick Grosboll told Madden. “It has been delayed a little bit. But we are trying to get additional money. We are moving forward.”

The bridge district’s barrier plan calls for a net extending 20 feet below and 20 feet from the side of the span, although it will have to be modified in certain areas because of surrounding terrain. The net will be made of stainless steel, marine-grade cable to stand up to the elements, bridge officials said. The net will be gray instead of red to better blend with the water.

The bridge district is also looking to hire five new officers to patrol the span to prevent people from jumping.

“We want to do more in the ensuing period while we construct the net,” said Denis Mulligan, the bridge district’s general manager.

Manuel Gamboa of Fair Oaks, whose 18-year-old son, Kyle, jumped from the span in September 2013, praised the work of bridge security and hopes the barrier is built as soon as possible.

“Three months is a long time,” he said of the delay