FHP to reopen area of Tamiami Trail no later than Monday

Grieving relatives, survivors of bridge collapse continue to demand justice

SWEETWATER, Fla. – The Florida Highway Patrol announced Thursday night that it plans to reopen the area of Southwest Eighth Street where the Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapsed last week before Monday.

After the March 15 collapse that killed six people, it took several days to clear the debris. The FHP said the cleanup is expected to be completed by Saturday. 

The Florida Department of Transportation will have to inspect the road before the FHP decides it's ready to reopen.

Meanwhile, survivors and grieving relatives were demanding answers. The debris hit the roof of Katrina Collazo's car. She is among those filing lawsuits against the engineering and construction companies this week. 

"I looked back to see what had happened and that's when the bridge collapsed on top of my daughter's chair," Collazo said. 

Some of the relatives believe Southwest Eighth Street, also known as Tamiami Road, should have been closed during the construction and testing of the pedestrian bridge. Investigators have yet to release their reports and recommendations.

With the $14.2 million project turned into shambles, FIU President Mark Rosenberg was considering whether or not the school should invest on a solution to protect pedestrians in the same intersection and was also considering to build a memorial for the victims. 


About the Author:

Nicole Perez is the the primary co-anchor of Local 10 News at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. She first joined Local 10 in July 2016 as the morning traffic reporter.