Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapse
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (March 2018) |
On March 15, 2018, 175-foot-long (53 m) section of a pedestrian bridge collapsed on the campus of Florida International University in Miami-Dade County, Florida, across six lanes of the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41).[1] The 320-foot-long (98 m) bridge was planned to connect the university with Sweetwater, crossing seven lanes of Southwest Eighth Street just west of the intersection with Southwest 109th Avenue.[2] Erected only five days earlier on Saturday, March 10,[2] it had not yet been opened to pedestrian traffic, and the school was on spring break at the time of collapse.[1] The section of the bridge that collapsed weighed 950 short tons (860 t) and fell onto several cars on the roadway below. The number of fatalities and injuries has not yet been determined.[1] At the time of the collapse the bridge was undergoing a stress test with multiple cars stopped at a traffic light under the span.[3]
Dubbed the "instant bridge", construction was completed ahead of schedule. It was scheduled to be finished in early 2019, at a cost of $14.2 million.[1] It had been constructed with a modular method developed at FIU, Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC), which was touted to "...significantly reduce the risk to workers, walkers, drivers and minimized traffic disruptions for construction."[2] It was assembled in place beginning at 5 a.m. on March 10, and was completed aproximately 5 hours later. It was installed by Munilla Construction Management.[4] The $14.2 million project was funded with a $19.4 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the United States Department of Transportation, along with state agencies.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "FIU pedestrian bridge collapses days after installation; police say multiple deaths, cars trapped". Miami Herald. March 15, 2018.
- ^ a b c David J. Neal and Monique O. Madan (March 15, 2018). "FIU pedestrian bridge collapses, people trapped underneath". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ https://www.local10.com/news/florida/miami-dade/fiu-pedestrian-bridge-collapses-days-after-portion-of-bridge-was-installed
- ^ Zachary Fagenson (March 15, 2018). "Several killed, cars crushed in Florida foot bridge collapse". Reuters. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
- ^ "FIU Pedestrian Bridge Construction Using Innovative Approach By Swinging Into Place". CBSLocal. WFOR-TV. March 10, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.