National News
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.
Student captures the moment FIU bridge collapses in Miami. Eerie to see the cars that just passed underneath that bridge in this photo. #FIU #FIUBridge pic.twitter.com/KbGHAlPteI
— Bianca Hanlon(Perez) (@ThisIsBiancaP) March 15, 2018
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.
More images coming in of the FIU pedestrian bridge collapse. https://t.co/zNN4oCUNiN #FIUbridge pic.twitter.com/Ii6vhHATkC
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) March 15, 2018
FIU is a very large school, with about 55,000 students, most of whom live off campus and commute to classes.
Miami bridge collapse eyewitness Jonathan Munoz describes hearing a "a large bang," and "people screaming" https://t.co/u0b6tdTmwC pic.twitter.com/zmE9bzEAtA
— CNN (@CNN) March 15, 2018
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.
. @BDITest deleted this tweet shortly after #FIUBridgeCollapse. pic.twitter.com/Uagz4tKhfv
— Kelly Blanco (@KellyNBC6) March 15, 2018
The #FIU pedestrian bridge that just collapsed was built by a collaboration between MCM Construction and FIGG Bridge Design, Miami Herald has reported. https://t.co/VRP537aNGw
— Lidia Dinkova (@LidiaDinkova) March 15, 2018
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