Bridge designer left state voice mail about cracks days before FIU bridge collapsed

[babylonsister]

A voice mail??? I don't usually listen to mine.


Bridge designer left state voice mail about cracks days before FIU bridge collapsed

By Mary Ellen Klas And David Smiley
March 16, 2018 08:42 PM

Updated 9 minutes ago

Two days before a pedestrian bridge collapsed at Florida International University, killing at least six, an engineer with the firm that designed the structure called the state to report cracks in the concrete span.

While it’s unclear if those cracks were a contributing factor to the catastrophic collapse Thursday, they were observed at the north end of the structure, which appeared to be the section that failed. The FIGG Bridge Group employee, Denney Pate, left a message with the Florida Department of Transportation Tuesday in which he acknowledged the structure needed to be repaired but dismissed the significance of the problem.

“Hey Tom, this is Denney Pate with FIGG bridge engineers. Calling to, uh, share with you some information about the FIU pedestrian bridge and some cracking that’s been observed on the north end of the span, the pylon end of that span we moved this weekend,” Pate said, according to a transcript released Friday night by FDOT.

“Um, so, uh, we’ve taken a look at it and, uh, obviously some repairs or whatever will have to be done but from a safety perspective we don’t see that there’s any issue there so we’re not concerned about it from that perspective although obviously the cracking is not good and something’s going to have to be, ya know, done to repair that. At any rate, I wanted to chat with you about that because I suspect at some point that’s gonna get to your desk. So, uh, at any rate, call me back when you can. Thank you. Bye.”

FDOT said the voicemail wasn’t heard by any of its employees until Friday, the day after the bridge fell.

“This voicemail was left on a landline and not heard by an FDOT employee until Friday, March 16 as the employee was out of the office on assignment,” the department said in a late evening press release. “When the employee returned to his office today, Friday, March 16, he was able to listen to the voicemail.”


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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article205627294.html

[BeyondGeography]

1. I see lawyers

[babylonsister]

2. Oh yea. nt

[PoliticAverse]

3. obviously the cracking is not good and somethings going to have to be, ya know, done to repair that

"obviously the cracking is not good and something’s going to have to be, ya know, done to repair that."

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. "but from a safety perspective we dont see that theres any issue there so were not concerned..."

but from a safety perspective we don’t see that there’s any issue there so we’re not concerned about it

well, sounds as if somebody misjudged the danger.

[jberryhill]

4. Like the Morton Thiokol O-ring guy

I had figured there would be an engineer with concerns. It's tough to keep engineers from doing their jobs.

[Angry Dragon]

5. cracks are not good

[herding cats]

7. Whose to blame if that was his primary contact number?

I don’t know the answer.