Florida International University Bridge Collapses, Cars Underneath

miami.cbslocal.com ^ | 03/15/2018 | Staff

[Red Badger]

MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Florida International University’s massive new pedestrian bridge collapsed Thursday afternoon in West Miami-Dade.

The bridge, located at 109th Ave and 8th Street, collapsed on a number of cars.

There are reports of numerous people injured in the collapse. At least one person was taken as a trauma alert to the hospital, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

The 950-ton bridge went up on Saturday. It was then lowered into its final position, just west of 109th Avenue that day.

The main span was built next to Southwest 8th Street.

[freedumb2003]

>>They might want to stick with what works.<<

Or at least field test a real one in a less dangerous situation like over a river that needs 10 feet or so.

I cannot believe they field tested this in production. You would think they were (red dot) Indians who did this.

[Biggirl]

Rush just talked about it on his show.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Safety Factor - If the calculations show it will fail with a load of X, you design it to withstand a load of 2.5X. That’s the “margin of safety.”

[SolidRedState]

Las Vegas has a lot of experience with pedestrian bridges.

They should have contracted with whomever builds those.

This thing was just pure poor construction and design apparently...

[tomkat]

4 seconds !   :-\

[Popman]

Should have used Reardon steel...

[Cobra64]

We’re turning into a third world country.

[PapaBear3625]

What does that mean, 2.5 factor?

Figure out how strong you expect it needs to be, then multiply by 2.5 to take into account the things you weren't expecting.

[dfwgator]

Wonder how many that worked on the bridge were illegals?

[Reno89519]

Yes, the Mulilla family is one of the two. Jorge, Raul, Juan, Lou, and Fernando.

Their website is shutdown, but here is from Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=4361441

[SMARTY]

Who had the low bid on that job?

[TallahasseeConservative]

They’re a local company here. Built the Zakim Bridge in Boston and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa. Owned now by a woman and created by her Father.

[Red Badger]

It was unfinished, not scheduled to open for another year................

[9YearLurker]

Ouch: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:46yfl0aOGIwJ:https://news.fiu.edu/2016/12/fiu-offers-bridge-high-rise-design-classes-for-professionals/106843+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

My scholarship currently focuses on applying liberative pedagogies in engineering education, leveraging best practices from women’s studies and ethnic studies to engage students in creating a democratic classroom that encourages all voices. In 2005 I received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation to support this work, which includes developing, implementing, and assessing curricular and pedagogical innovations based on liberative pedagogies and student input at Smith, and understanding how students at Smith conceptualize their identities as engineers. I seek as an engineering educator to be part of a paradigm shift that these pedagogies demand, repositioning concerns about diversity in science and engineering from superficial measures of equity as headcounts, to addressing justice and the genuine engagement of all students as core educational challenges.

Riley’s research interests include engineering and social justice; engineering ethics; social inequality in engineering education; and the liberal education of engineers. In 2005 she received a National Science Foundation CAREER award on implementing and assessing critical and feminist pedagogies in engineering classrooms. Students in Riley’s research group are pursuing interests including culturally inclusive pedagogies; understanding faculty motivations and approaches to teaching engineering ethics; connections between critical thinking and engineering ethics pedagogies; engineering education policy; and public participation in engineering projects impacting communities.

[IronJack]

I’m assuming Florida International University is not an engineering school ...

[dfwgator]

Built the Zakim Bridge in Boston and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa.

Note to self: Don't take the Zakim Bridge and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

[The Working Man]

Chinese steel?

---

My very first thought. Inferior concrete is also a possibility.

[lurked_for_a_decade]

The department of engineering “eduction” is not a part of any Engineering Curricula or department of college. It is part of the college of education for certification as a High School teacher. Sort of like getting a degree in Business Education is not in the College of Business.

Universities have fallen in the US but not as far as this article or its’ responders imply.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Judging by the looks of the abutments, the bridge had not even been finished yet.