FIU Bridge Collapse: Engineering Firm Has Other Notable Projects

MIAMI, FL — A pedestrian bridge under construction, built to connect Florida International University with the city of Sweetwater, collapsed on Thursday and reports say there are several fatalities. Construction on the bridge began in 2017 and just less than a week before the collapse, the community had gathered to watch a 950-ton span of the bridge swing into its permanent position.

The project is a collaboration between Munilla Construction Management (MCM) and FIGG Bridge Design. The bridge was expected to be completed in 2019. The football stadium expansion at FIU was also done by MCM, according to a university news release.

The university said the bridge was constructed using something known as accelerated bridge construction, a method that is intended to reduce the potential risks to workers, commuters and pedestrians. The main span of the bridge was installed in just a few hours with minimal interruption to traffic, FIU said. The university also touted that the method of construction being advanced at FIU's Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center.

FIGG Bridge, a Tallahassee-based company, has been involved in several notable projects both in Florida and in other parts of the country. The company has also worked on international projects. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the company also designed the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay and the Cascades Park Bridge in Tallahassee, which is also a pedestrian bridge. The company also designed the famous Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys.

FIGG's website, which was only loading sporadically after the collapse, has images of several of the projects the company has undertaken. The website says FIGG specializes exclusively in bridges. According to the company bio, they have designed bridges in 39 states and six countries with construction values over $10 billion.

FIGG Bridge also built a 10-lane bridge in Minneapolis after the 2007 collapse of the Highway 35 West Bridge, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. According to the news report, the bridge was "heralded for its state-of-the art safety systems." In 2012, FIGG Bridge was cited by authorities in Virginia with four violations after a construction accident.

The construction company, MCM, was accused in civil court on March 5 of severely injuring a TSA employee at Fort Lauderdale Airport because of shoddy work, according to the Miami-New Times.

Both companies released statements Thursday responding to the collapse:

Photo: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department personnel and other rescue units work at the scene where a pedestrian bridge collapsed a few days after it was built over southwest 8th street allowing people to bypass the busy street to reach Florida International University on March 15, 2018 in Miami, Florida. Reports indicate that there are an unknown number of fatalities as a result of the collapse, which crushed at least five cars. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images News/Getty Images)