Bridge recently was tested by structural firm from Louisville.
The collapse of a new pedestrian bridge in Florida that crushed several vehicles Thursday had just passed safety monitoring by BDI, a Louisville- based consulting and manufacturing firm.
BDI officials, in response to the tragedy at Florida International University, provided this statement: “We are deeply saddened to hear that the pedestrian bridge has collapsed at FIU. Our hearts go out to the individuals and families that have been affected by the collapse. We have removed comments from our social media accounts out of respect for the individuals and families that have been affected by the collapse.”
BDI deleted its Monday Twitter post praising the effort of moving the bridge into place by Memphis company Barnhart Crane & Rigging.
In the now- deleted tweet discovered by Florida user Billy Corben, the company said “We are thrilled to have performed structural monitoring during a spectacular bridge move by # barnhartcrane at # FIU # Miami. Congratulations to BCR on a job well done, we always appreciate being part of the team!”
BDI wasn’t alone in removing past notices about its involvement in the bridge. The Miami Herald reported that MCM Construction Management, which is building the bridge, also took down its news releases about the bridge following the collapse.
On its site, the company describes itself as a construction and manufacturing firm that provides testing and monitoring services for projects. Some of that includes checking load ratings, structure dynamics and the structural health of bridges, according to the company. Most of the images on its site show bridges.
According to The Miami Herald, the bridge was not yet open to pedestrians. But when it collapsed Thursday, it landed on vehicles stopped for a red light. Police were telling the paper that five to eight vehicles were crushed.
The $ 14.2 million bridge that crossed eight lanes of traffic was moved into its permanent position March 10, according to the school in an earlier press release. It spanned 174 feet and weighed 950 tons and connected the school to the city of Sweetwater.
“FIU is about building bridges and student safety. This project accomplishes our mission beautifully,” FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg said in a statement at the time it was completed.
On Thursday, the university said, “We are shocked and saddened about the tragic events unfolding at the FIU- Sweetwater pedestrian bridge.”
Amy Ford, spokeswoman for Colorado Department of Transportation, said that BDI has worked with the state, but she was unable to check the extent of the work.
Many of the agency’s computers remain offline after a massive ransomware attack three weeks ago.
“We know they did some research for testing for us, but we’re not sure if they’re involved in construction projects,” Ford said.