Case Report: FIU Pedestrian Bridge Collapse (Miami, 2018)

• Baraa Elmoussa

  Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Mechanics, Université de Lille, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France.

This technical report presents the findings of an engineering investigation into the March 2018 Florida International University (FIU) pedestrian bridge collapse, which resulted in the loss of six lives, numerous injuries, and significant damage to vehicles and surrounding facilities. The bridge was constructed using an accelerated bridge construction (ABC) technique as a concrete truss structure; however, it failed due to fatal design mistakes, most notably underestimating the load applied to the joint and incorrect estimation of its shear strength. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation revealed several fundamental engineering failures, including a lack of structural redundancy, poor independent peer review, and the weak response to the warnings prior to the collapse. The incident gave rise to substantial legal and regulatory ramifications, encompassing financial penalties imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a $102.7 million civil settlement encompassing 23 stakeholders, and a decade-long prohibition on FIGG Bridge Engineers from participating in federal projects. The report's conclusions entail several direct technical recommendations, including the necessity of implementing effective peer reviews during all design and implementation stages, the incorporation of structural redundancy into construction systems, the conducting of nonlinear finite element analysis for complex structures, and the adoption of immediate response protocols when indicators of structural failure are detected. This enhancement in safety measures is a significant development in the realm of future infrastructure projects.

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