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Six Dead, Including Student, After Bridge Collapse at Florida International University

The bridge had been put up very quickly and praised at a ceremony on Saturday.

A pedestrian bridge stretching across a busy street near the campus of Florida International University (FIU) in Miami collapsed Thursday, crushing motorists who waited at a red light.

The Associated Press reported that six people died and ten were injured as a result of the collapse. The Miami Herald reported that one student from FIU was killed.

They also reported:

It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse of a $14.2 million structure FIU had touted as an innovative “instant” bridge because of construction techniques intended to speed up the work and minimize disruption to commuter traffic. The bridge’s main 175-foot span, assembled on the side of the road, was raised into place across Tamiami Trail on Saturday in less than six hours. But the project was far from complete and not expected to open to student foot traffic until 2019.

At the ceremony celebrating the installation on Saturday, FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg said “FIU is about building bridges and student safety. This project accomplishes our mission beautifully.”

The Miami Herald wrote a story about the “instant” bridge on March 10.

FIU is a very large school, with about 55,000 students, most of whom live off campus and commute to classes.

The bridge was erected over 8th Street, a busy seven-lane road that runs from downtown Miami all the way to the Everglades.

Students and faculty had been calling for a bridge at the crossing of 8th Street and 109th Street, where pedestrians were required to cross through heavy traffic from the Sweetwater community, which is mainly made up of student housing.

MCM, the construction management firm that won the bridge contract, took its website down on Thursday, according to the AP.

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