Florida’s Department of Transportation (FDOT) will design and build a replacement bridge for the structure that collapsed onto cars at Florida International University (FIU) in March 2018 killing six people and injuring eight.
The new pedestrian bridge will link FIU to a student housing area over a busy thoroughfare in Miami-Dade County.
The FDOT will oversee and manage the project, and will integrate safety measures recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), FIU and the City of Sweetwater.
The original $14m design was financed by the US Department of Transportation after a student was killed crossing the road in June 2017.
The bridge collapsed during post-tensioning, and led to fines being imposed on the contractors and designers by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Kevin Thibault, the FDOT’s secretary, said: “FDOT has learned valuable lessons since the tragic events surrounding the FIU bridge collapse two years ago.
“The department has worked closely with the NTSB and local partners to ensure proactive safety measures are included in the plans for this much-needed bridge.”
Design work for the bridge will start in early 2021 and is due to be completed by 2023. Construction is expected to take two years.
Image: NTSB investigator Robert Accetta briefs NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt at the collapse site in Miami on 16 March 2018 (NTSB/Chris O’Neil)
