SPOKANE, Wash. – The University District pedestrian bridge being built in Spokane is being constructed differently from the Florida bridge that collapsed into traffic Thursday.
The cables on the 950-ton pedestrian bridge under construction in Miami were being tightened when the bridge collapsed onto traffic below, killing at least six people and injuring 10 others.
That bridge was constructed using a new method of bridge-building being promoted by Florida International University that was supposed to be safer, faster, and cheaper. Now, federal and state investigators are working to determine what caused the bridge span to fail, after being up for just five days.
Spokane residents asked how the new pedestrian here is being built to connect the East Sprague area to the University District.
Spokane city officials said the U District bridge is being built using completely different methods from what was used in Miami.
“We’re working on the main supports now,” Marlene Feist, the city public works director of strategic development said. “It’s totally different structural elements from the Florida one.”
Feist said the road below, Martin Luther King Jr. Way, will be closed when they build the pedestrian bridge over the roadway, and will not reopen until the bridge has been inspected and is structurally sound.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.