The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says a construction crew was working on re-tensioning one of the diagonal members connecting the canopy and the deck at the north end of the pedestrian bridge when it collapsed.
However, the NTSB, in its preliminary report issued on May 23, does not state what caused the March 15 bridge collapse, which killed six people and injured eight others, FIU News reported.
While a full report on what went wrong is not expected for at least several months, the preliminary report on the investigation, to which FIU is a party, indicates that the NTSB is scrutinizing the bridge design, the construction process and the construction materials. The NTSB is also investigating cracks that emerged in areas near two of the bridge diagonals.
To access the full preliminary NTSB report, click here.
“We appreciate that progress is being made to ensure something like this never happens again. This accident has caused deep and lasting pain to families and the entire community. We look forward to the final NTSB report,” FIU president Mark B. Rosenberg said in a statement.
The NTSB says in the next month it will conduct additional forensic exams of several of the bridge’s structural components and destructive testing of multiple core and steel samples.
“All aspects of the collapse remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar events,” the NTSB report said.
