Wisconsin monitoring collapsed Miami bridge, looking for potential lessons

 

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation says it's monitoring the collapsed bridge situation in Florida to see if any changes should be made to its construction practices.

The bridge in Miami was made using what's known as "accelerated bridge construction." That practice is used in Wisconsin. The goal is to build bridges more quickly to avoid traffic delays.

WisDOT says it's a common practice and is proven to be safe. State officials are waiting to see what exactly caused the collapse in Florida before making any drastic changes.

"There are thousands of factors that go into what could have happened down there," WisDOT spokesperson Michale Pyritz said. "And that's why we want to wait. We want to find what the investigations do reveal, and then see if any of the lessons learned would be applicable here in Wisconsin."

DOT says the specific structure in Miami appears to be unlike anything here in Wisconsin, and drivers have nothing to worry about.