If there’s one thing clear about the National Transportation Safety Board’s recent release of documents on last year’s Florida International University bridge collapse, it’s that the spin machines have been running at full speed. As expected, contractor MCM and engineer FIGG Bridge Engineers, the pedestrian bridge’s contractor-led design-build team, have accused each other of being at fault.
NTSB is due to make a presentation on Oct. 22 setting the stage for its final report on the disaster. The board can do engineering and construction a big favor if, in addition to assessing the causes, it defines two key industry concepts that are at the center of the MCM-FIGG collapse arguments.