Design flaws led to cracking in the Florida International University pedestrian bridge that collapsed during construction earlier this year, federal investigators conclude in a brief update issued Thursday.
The two-page reportby the National Transportation Safety Board stops short of blaming the design errors for the bridge’s collapse, which killed six people, including an FIU student. The board’s full findings on the cause of the bridge’s catastrophic failure on March 15 are expected to come in a full report expected next year.
But the investigative update bolsters conclusions reached by independent bridge engineering experts consulted by the Miami Herald and others posting in online professional forums. Three experts consulted by the Herald separately concluded that design flaws at the north end of the unfinished bridge’s 174-foot span over Southwest Eighth Street were likely a leading contributor to the collapse.
Read more at our news partner, the Miami Herald.
