NTSB Investigators Confirm that Workers Were Tightening Tension Rods When FIU Bridge Collapsed

Local10.com reports that engineers were tightening the cables of the bridge at Florida International University (FIU) when it collapsed last week.

In the hours and days following the tragic collapse of the bridge at FIU, reports swirled that crews had been working on the structure at the time it failed. These reports immediately caused many to wonder why engineers would be performing a so-called “stress test” on the structure during the middle of a work day, especially because the streets around the bridge had not been blocked off before the test.

The Local10.com report says that investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed workers were tightening tension rods when the bridge failed. Investigators have sent samples from the bridge to a research center in Virginia in an effort to see if the materials used to construct the bridge were of appropriate quality or suffered from any defects.

The university claimed that the bridge was being built with cutting edge modular technology and was to be the largest bridge of its kind when it opened next year.