By Ben Zhang, professor in civil engineering, structural and fire engineering in the School of Engineering and Built Environment at Glasgow Caledonian University

I was shocked as a structural engineer and saddened to see the collapse of the bridge in Florida and the loss of lives.

It’s still too early to make a judgment as to why the bridge collapsed, however, looking at it from the perspective of engineering, we know that US Bridge engineers are using the latest construction technology, Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC).

This method was adopted in the construction of the 53 metre-span Sweetwater University City Bridge which collapsed. It is claimed is the first of its kind.

What we do know is that this method of construction is used to save construction time and reduce disruption to traffic. Most of the bridge components were manufactured and assembled in a nearby factory or offsite. The assembled bridge was then transported to the location and raised into its position within a mere six hours.

While we wait for the full investigation to reveal the cause of the collapse, possibilities could include that human error during the design state has caused its failure. There is always the possibility that something was missed.

Another possible cause is that during the construction stage offsite, there was improper management on casting (making the concrete into shapes), curing (concrete which has to settle normally and would take 28 days to gain full strength) and the assembling of the concrete components of the bridge.

Thirdly, during the transportation of the assembled bridge there could also have been damage caused by vibrations on uneven road surfaces because at this moment the bridge would be significantly vulnerable and not very stable.

Once the bridge was placed on the supporting piers, there is always the chance that the connections were improper between the deck and the piers and wind could produce further damage, causing overturn and vibrations to the bridge.

At this point we are speculating as structural engineers. However, lessons need to be learned that proper fixing to the support and lateral stability needs to be provided and maintained during the construction stage. All the factors above could have contributed to the collapse and we will be watching and waiting to learn more.

Ben Zhang is a professor in civil engineering, structural and fire engineering in the School of Engineering and Built Environment at Glasgow Caledonian University.