Plans Moving Forward To Rebuild FIU Bridge That Collapsed, Killing 6
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — Nearly three years since a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University collapsed during construction killing six people, plans are underway to construct a new bridge in the same location.
In a meeting this week, the university's board of trustees approved the transfer of $9.1 million to the Florida Department of Transportation, which will oversee the design and construction of the bridge, the Miami Herald reported.
The FIU bridge was under construction when the 950-ton span collapsed onto busy 8th Street/Tamiami Trail on March 15, 2018, trapping cars that had been stopped at a traffic light underneath. One construction worker and five people sitting in their cars were killed.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined design errors are the probable causes for the tragedy. A peer review that failed to detect the calculation errors by designer FIGG Bridge Engineers – and an engineer's failure to recognize the importance of cracking before the collapse, contributed to the tragedy, the board said.
It was intended to give FIU students a safe way to cross the eight-lane and extremely busy 8th Street/Tamiami Trail.
The new bridge will span the same road, connecting the university's Modesto A. Maidique Campus to the downtown area of Sweetwater.
The Herald reported the university got the $9.1 million from different sources, including $8.5 million from the settlement with the contractors on the failed bridge.
Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis authorized the Florida Department of Transportation to "accept responsibility for completing the new bridge and administering the design and construction contracts," according to the resolution approved Tuesday by the university's board.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
