A fatal engineering miscalculation caused a pedestrian bridge under construction to collapse onto live traffic in Sweetwater, Florida, killing six people.
Key Facts
- Date of collapse
- March 15, 2018
- Bridge section length
- 175 feet (53 m)
- Deaths
- 6 (1 worker, 5 motorists)
- Injuries
- 10 (6 serious, 4 minor)
- Vehicles crushed
- 8
- Traffic lanes open below
- 6
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Engineers miscalculated the resistance to sliding at the connection between the concrete walkway deck and the truss members above it. The steel reinforcing rods embedded in both elements were insufficient to prevent the truss from sliding along the hardened deck surface, causing progressive cracking in the truss concrete.
On March 15, 2018, a 175-foot section of the FIU-Sweetwater UniversityCity Pedestrian Bridge collapsed while under construction over an active six-lane road in Sweetwater, Florida. The complete disconnection of one truss-to-walkway connection triggered the sudden structural failure, crushing eight vehicles below.
Six people were killed and ten injured, with one worker permanently disabled. The NTSB identified the specific engineering design error responsible. The disaster prompted scrutiny of accelerated bridge construction methods and engineering oversight practices, particularly for structures built over active roadways.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 6 (other)