**7.2 Pedestrian bridge failure: Florida**

A concrete pedestrian bridge under construction at the International University in Miami suddenly collapsed in March 2018. The bridge, which had not yet opened, killed five people. The 174 foot concrete structure, **Figure 8**, weighing 930 tons was non-redundant and fracture critical. Seven days before opening numerous wide and deep structural cracks developed, with cracks lengthening daily. Before the collapse the EOR stated there were no safety concerns.

*Failure analysis:* Root cause was a failure in a single structural element. Among the contributing factors was a failure by the Engineer of Record (EOR) and the Construction Engineer and Inspector (CEI) to recognize the severity of the developing cracks. In addition there was a lack of a clear line responsibility for enforcing safety and structural issues.
