The pedestrian bridge that collapsed at Florida International University in Miami on Thursday was built using Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) technology, according to a statement from the university.
Unlike traditional methods of construction, ABC streamlines the building process so that bridge projects can be completed quicker and more cost effectively.
— cnn.com
The FIU bridge which collapsed last week was engineered using Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC), a method used by many companies for its time and cost efficiency. Weighing 950 tons, the bridge was meant to connect FIU's campus to an adjoining neighborhood where many students live.
Of the many types of ABC technology, Prefabricated Bridge Elements and Systems (PBES) appears to be the method used in construction of the FIU bridge. This method allows prefabrication of elements off-site which are then transported and quickly assembled on site.
A fact sheet on FIU's website relates the bridge cost $14.2 million to build and was funded by a $19.4 million grant from the US Department of Transportation. It was also apparently supposed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane and last more than 100 years. The bridge was designed by FIGG Bridge Engineers in Tallahassee and built by MCM in Miami.
15 Comments
the dash cam video of the bridge collapse is terrifying - it happened in a split second.
Terrifying is the word, yes.
Absolutely terrifying. Note that the failure starts exactly where the crane and workmen are.
As a Civil EIT, this post is embarrassing. Rick, stop pretending to know what you're talking about.
Ricky, you've never actually designed anything more complicated than a backyard deck... so it's embarrassing to see you attempt to understand bridges.
Yes Rick, cable suspension was replaced for something else. That part is obvious. Still does not mean that suspension cables are the only option for this application. I've worked on a few long span structures including pedestrian bridges and we've never relied on cables.
Rick, I know enough about your antics on this forum to know better than to feed the troll, but this is the last thing I'll say: the fact that you 1. use incorrect terminology when trying to talk about structural engineering and 2. would design a bridge for 1000 mph wind speeds (and you wrongly attribute the cause of the Tacoma Narrows bridge failure to high winds) tells me that you probably leafed through a couple textbooks and now think you can design structures. You've already put your foot in your mouth twice while attempting to demonstrate your "knowledge." Please stop before you embarrass yourself further. Be a professional.
There is this 3-part thread starting here about the bridge collapse - very detailed and insightful
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