(1) The Obama era political context that led to the collapse of the FIU Miami Bridge on 3/15/18.
This thread is about Common Sense vs the "University City Prosperity Project."
Below: FIU's Chief Financial Officer and President with a model of the bridge in September 2016.
This thread is about Common Sense vs the "University City Prosperity Project."
Below: FIU's Chief Financial Officer and President with a model of the bridge in September 2016.
(2) Since news of the fatal bridge collapse broke, I've been covering news updates and whatever technical information I could find. I cover the engineering failures elsewhere & have set aside this thread for the politics.
panthernow.com/2016/09/19/new…
panthernow.com/2016/09/19/new…
(3) FIU President Mark Rosenberg is the embodiment of the anti-science far left ideology that dominates his college, most others, and Miami-Dade County itself.
He & others have emphasized that the bridge was meant to save pedestrian lives, given the 6 lane highway it crosses.
He & others have emphasized that the bridge was meant to save pedestrian lives, given the 6 lane highway it crosses.
(4) If the US DoT funding decision had been strictly evidence-based (ie science, engineering) then if a bridge was approved at all, it would be mostly steel, about 600 tons lighter than this 950 ton bridge & the load bearing calculations would have been viable for the design.
(5) This bridge was massive (in weight), the span was very wide, the support during construction inadequate & now >6 people are dead and the University City Prosperity Project is forever tarnished.
Decision makers were seduced by peripheral factors.
Decision makers were seduced by peripheral factors.
(6) "FIU’s University City Prosperity Project has released new details on its $15 million project that may provide a new hangout spot for students, while strengthening the connection between FIU and the City of Sweetwater."
$15m of fed tax money that "may" provide a hangout?
$15m of fed tax money that "may" provide a hangout?
(7) And what does "strengthening the connection" between a college and small city mean?
Nothing in particular, as it happens. This project was a wasteful socialist central planning build-it-and-they-will-come monstrosity that was all too common in DC under Obama.
Nothing in particular, as it happens. This project was a wasteful socialist central planning build-it-and-they-will-come monstrosity that was all too common in DC under Obama.
(8) But HW, won't someone think of the students who are mown down by mean nasty cars?
Fine. Show me the data, how many pedestrian deaths there have been at this intersection in, say, the last 30 years.
I only know of one, which occurred years after the project began.
Fine. Show me the data, how many pedestrian deaths there have been at this intersection in, say, the last 30 years.
I only know of one, which occurred years after the project began.
(9) What I do know is that the University of Miami also has a busy road near its campus, and 3 people have been killed crossing it since 1990.
They got a nice fancy pedestrian bridge so why shouldn't we?
Source: miamiherald.com/news/local/com…
They got a nice fancy pedestrian bridge so why shouldn't we?
Source: miamiherald.com/news/local/com…
(11) Vehicle-pedestrian conflict, as it's called in the industry, is preferably to be avoided or minimized. But Common Sense suggests it's not practical to cover a city in pedestrian bridges.
There are a few topographical sites where it's the best solution. Not here though.
There are a few topographical sites where it's the best solution. Not here though.
(12) All over the world, lives are saved every day by pedestrians waiting for the lights to change, eyeballing each vehicle driver and proceeding across the street. Where the street is wide, you can install a pedestrian refuge, like these:
(13) Mega cities like Miami do present challenges for planners and engineers. Rapid population growth with disjointed "planning" and unstable resourcing streams make it very problematic to combine a turnpike, expressways, high density housing and large college campuses.
(14) Tragically for the US, all its mega cities are (supposedly) run by inter-
generational Democrat elites with their snouts in the trough. LA, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Baltimore and NYC. Problems with sanitation, crime, poverty and so on.
generational Democrat elites with their snouts in the trough. LA, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Baltimore and NYC. Problems with sanitation, crime, poverty and so on.
(15) For 40 years, Mark Rosenberg has grown his little empire at FIU and it's reached the point where he can leverage his 52k enrolments with the tiny 15k "city" of Sweetwater to garner tens of millions in federal grants for projects few will use.
(16) Combine that with shoddy procurement, design, build, and audit practices and the outcome is almost so predictable it's depressing.
If the political context hadn't been ripe for abuse, pedestrian safety at this site would have had a much better solution.
If the political context hadn't been ripe for abuse, pedestrian safety at this site would have had a much better solution.
(17) Rosenberg became FIU President in 2009 and immediately started pushing for the bridge and the overall project. Some good background details here:
miamiherald.com/news/local/edu…
miamiherald.com/news/local/edu…
(18) The real reason the Obama DoT splashed out >$15m on this bridge was because they all believe that facts care about your feelings. Or at least, that you can use feelings to win elections by spending money on voters' wants instead of (safety) needs.
(19) This death-trap of a bridge was bought by the Obama admin, with your money, to attract students to one of the country's largest liberal indoctrination centers, to ultimately line the wallets of the crooks and cronies running Miami.
(20 BTW, my apologies for posting the wrong photo at tweet (11) above. I meant to post these two.
I'm not saying this solution would have been the best, I'm saying the evidence based calculations of objective independent engineers should have been respected.
I'm not saying this solution would have been the best, I'm saying the evidence based calculations of objective independent engineers should have been respected.
(21) IDK whether the traffic fatalities at this site (& the U of Miami site) were due to driver or pedestrian error. But I know that in 48yrs, I've never bn struck by a vehicle while crossing a road. Have you?
Many have forgotten to run ideas through the Common Sense filter.
Many have forgotten to run ideas through the Common Sense filter.
(22) So, to recap, a bridge option was chosen to solve a problem that didn't warrant it, the design was flawed but no one was brave enough to blow the whistle, and even when it was swung over the roadway, no one thought to keep the traffic out a bit longer. Well done, folks.
(23) And then, the icing on the cake... that evening, the man himself appeared at the press briefing acting shocked and grief-stricken, just like two other guys I'll introduce you to next.
(24) A similar avoidable tragedy that owes a lot to leftist political correctness occurred only a month ago just North of FIU in a place called Broward County.
Sheriff (why isn't he fired yet?) Israel, Peter Whithall and Mark Rosenberg have some things in common.
Sheriff (why isn't he fired yet?) Israel, Peter Whithall and Mark Rosenberg have some things in common.
(25) Acting sad when you know your actions contributed to the deaths is one of the lowest things a person can do.
Did they know? Yes.
Did they know? Yes.
(26) Whether you're a cop scamming grant money by letting violent youth away with crimes, or a coal mine manager cutting corners, or a college boss hiring incompetents to grow your empire, you are not the kind of "leader" we want anymore.
(27) No one is going to get away with building a death-trap bridge, under the auspices of Elaine Chao's Department of Transportation. Be afraid.
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