Miami International University Bridge Collapse

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Miami International University Bridge Collapse.
The $14.2 million Miami University bridge was initially supposed to be a way for students to safely cross the Tamiami Trail (Nehamas and Viglucci 1). However, a few months ago the bridge collapsed because of a flaw in the design. The FIGG Bridge Group failed to realize how a large amount of stress placed on the strut on the north end could cause the bridge to collapse. According to Nehamas and Viglucci (1), the bridge lacked a central tower meant to support the deck and had the cables intended to suspend the walk-way loosely tighten. It was contrary to the structural design expected for bridge implementing a cable-stayed bridge design. As a result, the lower structures were not strong enough to sustain the weight of the deck and the users.
The constructors could have avoided the disintegration of the bridge. Nehamas and Viglucci (1) argue that if they had not implemented a cable-stayed bridge design, the geometry might have been more accurate. The supports beneath the steel pipes were of different sizes and shapes thus increases the degree of errors made during construction (Nehamas and Viglucci 1). Contrary, several other bridges have been created out of simpler designs with temporary support in place. A similar approach would have resulted in a better, easy to construct and durable bridge.
The collapse of the University bridge had several societal effects on those tasks with the construction of the bridge, the state, and the public.

The FIGG Bridge Group and other engineers involved lost their reputation and the support for their accelerated bridge construction technic (Imam and Marios 96). There were reported cases of up to ten people injured at the scene, and six died after being taken to the hospital (Detman 1). Moreover, the public lost faith in the ability of the State to implement a durable and less threating to their lives. As a result, there are very few people in the society who would consider supporting any further construction project by the State in the area.
The bridge crumpling also had some economic effects. A lot of funds went in cleaning up the rubble and repairing the bridge (Imam and Marios 96). Also, Florida State incurred traffic re-routing and management costs. The investigations and rescue missions also used a lot of funds. According to The Associated Press, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the contractors who worked on the bridge 86,000 dollars for safety violations (1).
Conclusively, the Miami bridge disintegration resulted to social and economic consequences for the FIU group, the State and Miami residents. The contractors missed a crucial mistake in their design. The companies tasked with the work lost their reputation in the process as the citizens lost faith in the ability of the State to fund an implement construction projects in the region. The Government, on the other hand, incurred more expense in dealing with the aftermath events to ensure the victims were compensated and things were back to normal.

Works Cited
Detman, Gary. “6 People Killed in Pedestrian Bridge Collapse at FIU in Miami.” WPEC, WPEC, 15 Mar. 2018, https://cbs12.com/news/local/pedestrian-bridge-collapses-at-fiu-in-miamiImam, Boulent M., and Marios K. Chryssanthopoulos. “Causes and Consequences of Metallic Bridge Failures.” Structural Engineering International, vol. 22, no. 1, 2012, pp. 93–98.
Nehamas, Nicholas, and Andres Viglucci. “FIU Had Grand Plans for ‘Signature’ Bridge. But the Design Had a Key Mistake, Experts Say.” Miamiherald, Miami Herald, 16 June 2018, www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article212571434.html.
The Associated Press. “Contractors Fined $86K Over University Bridge Collapse.” WLRN, 19 Sept. 2018, www.wlrn.org/post/contractors-fined-86k-over-university-bridge-collapse.