Collapsed FIU Bridge Was Funded by Federal Grant Program Criticized for Shoddyness

Looks like that bridge in Florida that collapsed was funded by an Obama-era program !!

Surprise as many say programs were "political" and money went to "Friends of the Administration" !!

We know from past Obama "funding" of failed solar companies and such boondoggles.

Makes you think "Hmmm" doesn't it ?

MSM silent as far as I know.

And some big shot got some kind of "Award" too !!

Another deep hole exists ......

Collapsed FIU Bridge Was Funded by Federal Grant Program Criticized for Shoddy, Politicized Review Process

The pedestrian bridge that collapsed at Florida International University's Miami-Dade campus today, killing several people, was funded with $11.4 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. The TIGER program has come under repeated fire for awarding money based on politics rather than merit.

"This project is an outstanding example of the ABC method," said Atorod Azizinamini, the center's director, in a press release on Saturday. "This bridge is the result of great support from our congressional delegation and the U.S. Department of Transportation," said FIU CFO Kenneth Jessell in the same press release. "FIU and our surrounding community will benefit from this project for generations to come."

In 2013, the FIU was awarded $11.4 million in TIGER money for its University City Prosperity Project, which included the pedestrian bridge. Some 52 projects were awarded $458 million in that round of TIGER grants—known as TIGER V—using methodology that was later criticized by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for violating DOT's own standards.

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Father of Collapsed Florida Bridge was Obama ‘Champion of Change’ in 2015

The bridge was supposed to last for more than 100 years and withstand a Category 5 hurricane. Instead it came crashing down on people occupied cars within days of its construction.

Celebrated leading visionary bridge engineer Atorod Azizinamini, whose ABC (Accelerated Bridge Construction) technology was used to build the bridge that collapsed yesterday on Florida International University’s campus, was named an Obama era Department of Transportation ‘Champion of Change’ in 2015.

The event in which Azizinamini was awarded ‘Champion of Change’ status was webcast live at whitehouse.gov/live, no longer online.

Much will be made in coming days that FIGG Bridge Group designed the bridge and that it was constructed by MCM Construction, in the aftermath of the bridge’s collapse.

I don't know if they have released a reason for the collapse but if I had to guess it would be somebody screwed up the lift.
Either they didn't support the bridge properly during or they moved the lifting points and screwed that up.

Politics might decide what projects get the funding but no good engineer will put his name on something he thinks will fail.

It was Obama's fault! I knew it. He rigged the bridge to collapse with his own hands. That bastard.

Isn't this a womyn owned company, with womyn engineers?

IF so, criticism them for crappy work is misogynistic . We need to judge them on their good intentions and inclusiveness

on the flip side, someone should sue whomever awarded the grant based on gender and not quality.

My god. How far will these dumb asses go to try and justify Trump.

Smell the roses people, he can not be justified.

One of those "shovel ready jobs" that weren't so ready ?

Turns out the same company that designed the florida bridge designed the new 35w bridge after its collapse.
35w bridge

a reply to: xuenchen

Obama. Obama. Oh no!!!!! Godzilla!! Godzilla!!

You crack me up.

Do you really know how ridiculous this OP sounds?

Probably not.

I'm frankly surprised you didn't blame ALL LIBERALS and DEMS. That seems to be an ongoing theme on ATS lately.

I KNEW IT!

#ing Obama and his #ty bridge design.
At least it wasn't Killary and her toddler-like engineering consultants else we'd be seeing these things falling all over the place.

I can't wait to see some works coming out of Trumps office. Big shiny steel or possibly concrete structures that will last for generations.

ugh....excuse me while I get a copy of architectural digest, some hand lotion and kleenex

originally posted by: hoss53
My god. How far will these dumb asses go to try and justify Trump.

Smell the roses people, he can not be justified.

Your hate will assure his reelection. Congrats.

a reply to: xuenchen

In all fairness, the bridge itself might have. I think it was the construction technique that was at fault, and it was an experimental process too, also funded by this grant.

I heard a stress test was being performed when bridge collapsed. Real intelligent, when cars were under the bridge, while stopped at traffic light. I don't know how a stress test is performed, so this may or may not have been the cause. While watching the news right after the collapse, an eye witness stated something fell from a crane onto the bridge. Either way, took some real Brain Surgeons to conclude that it was a good time to lift heavy equipment over the bridge while traffic was going under, and stopping at the traffic light, right under the bridge.

I pray the people crushed, went fast, and did not suffer.

originally posted by: hoss53
My god. How far will these dumb asses go to try and justify Trump.

Smell the roses people, he can not be justified.

Where do you see "Trump" in any single word of the OP ?
I do believe this is about a walkway falling that was Federally funded during the Obama admin.Which is fact.
Unlike your post is just a random assumption .And inane.

originally posted by: schuyler

originally posted by: hoss53
My god. How far will these dumb asses go to try and justify Trump.

Smell the roses people, he can not be justified.

Your hate will assure his reelection. Congrats.

Pretty sure he will not run for reelection. He's already served his purpose. Getting attention so he can charge more to market his name. Don't you get it?

He did not want to win. He could have gotten the same results simply by running. Can you imagine how much publicly you dumb asses would have given him had he lost.

a reply to: schuyler

I have a feeling that was the media's thoughts as well during his campaign and up to today. Bash him do much that people have no other choice but to support him.

I love all the people instantly resorting to mocking for putting any blame on Obama without addressing anything in the OP. As if we didn't have to listen to Obama blame Bush for more than half a decade.

a reply to: sine.nomine

Exactly. What about Obama? If he and his supporters did it then Trump and his supporters are even better for doing the same thing. There's no hypocrisy in complaining about it for 8 years then turning around doing the same exact thing once he's out of office. None at all, they're completely opposite things that only seem exactly alike.

The engineers will blame the construction company that got the contract to build it. The contractor will blame the engineers and the people will foot the bill.

And no one will be held accountable.

a reply to: watchitburn

That's the worst thing. I want to know why we were essentially experimenting with construction techniques over regular folks in traffic without really knowing if they were going to work or not.

originally posted by: sine.nomine
I love all the people instantly resorting to mocking for putting any blame on Obama without addressing anything in the OP. As if we didn't have to listen to Obama blame Bush for more than half a decade.

I'm just calling it completely asinine to blame any sitting or past president for the failures of an apparent construction error. In your reasoning if Trump gets to build his " Communist wall", and it falls on someone I will be his fault.