Miami Bridge Collapse: Promise and Disaster
In 2018, Florida International University unveiled a 53-meter pedestrian bridge in Miami,
designed to connect campus and neighborhoods.
Days later, it collapsed in seconds, crushing eight vehicles. Six people were killed and several injured.
Engineering and Oversight Failures
Experts called it “an avoidable disaster,” pointing to ignored warnings and poor management.
Design Flaws
The concrete truss design was unusual.
Forensic engineer Dr. Sean Brady explained: “If one of those members breaks, there’s nowhere for the load to go.”
With no redundancy, a single failure caused total collapse.
Construction Mistakes
Cold joints, where concrete was poured at different times, weakened the structure.
Crucially, the order to “roughen” a joint for bonding was missing from drawings and overlooked in reviews.
A new, safer bridge now stands as a reminder of accountability.
