Posted on 05/10/2018 1:51:55 PM PDT by Stalwart
A key concrete support truss in the doomed Florida International University pedestrian bridge developed worrisome cracks 10 days before the structure was lifted into place over the Tamiami Trail, photographs and an internal email unintentionally released by the school show.
The documents, released in response to public records requests from the Miami Herald, show that FIU's construction and engineering team discovered potentially problematic cracks in the bridge earlier than officials have previously acknowledged.
The cracks were found in late February at the base of a diagonal support member at the north end of the span. Independent engineers have identified that as the point where the structure shattered on March 15 while under construction, sending the 950-ton bridge crashing onto the roadway below and claiming six lives.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
Wow. That is one sh!tty bit of concrete work.
I wouldn’t build a dog house on top of that foundation.
So....
Will the families of those crushed by this corrupt construction company of losers be sued into oblivion???
Wow, under-designed and poorly constructed. If it turns out it was built in the wrong place they can win the trifecta!
"The photos don't clearly provide any clues to me related to ultimate failure," Verrastro said in an email. "I would assume these cracks would have been repaired by epoxy injection before the bridge was moved."
Note to self: Never hire Ralph Verrastro of Naples, Florida to design a bridge for you.
At the exact point of failure
Well duh
This story really disappeared fast from the news cycle.
It seems clear the bridge should have never been installed, then there should not have been any traffic under it until stress tested.
Their only goal was to throw it up quickly and get it operational without interrupting traffic flow; they were really proud of that til the collapse.
The true deficiency was in the selection process for design engineer. Minority firm with history of bridge collapses. What could possibly go wrong. Think they ever mention that in a report? Ha!
Negligence in several ways, IMO.
When the full report comes out, those engineers are toast.
Wouldn’t there have been state inspectors, who might have noticed these cracks, before or at least after the main bridge was lifted onto the supports? Or was this all just done on faith in the contractor?
Ya think???
Hopefully the brass AND the engineers.
A fourth bridge engineer, Ralph Verrastro of Naples, said the cracks did not appear significant to him.
“The photos don’t clearly provide any clues to me related to ultimate failure,” Verrastro said in an email. “I would assume these cracks would have been repaired by epoxy injection before the bridge was moved.”
...
He’s being truthful. Cracks are common and usually not a problem. The photo alone isn’t enough evidence.
#7 FTA: an internal email unintentionally released by the school show.
Someone was fed up with the coverup.
That wasn't their main goal. Their main goal was to show that a bridge built by girls and foreigners was just as good as a normal bridge. Notice how quickly that theme has disappeared. They even had a web site touting their "affirmative action" engineering and construction team. Gone!
It is my understanding that the bridge was designed by an all women team.
Yes, that did not age well, quite literally.
Assuming that they've been repaired is a big problem. Competence calls for verification, not assumption that someone else will do/has done their job.
No one associated with this project should do anything more skilled than day labor, and then preferably in an orange prison jump suit.
No, but they are evidence of poor workmanship — unless they were expected?
But now the issue is who in their right mind can tell with a visual inspection that a structural concrete item showing cracks is going to meet its specified stress requirements?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.