Yesterday there was discussion of establishing a timeline. I don't know if this video has been posted but it shows the percentage of completion up to Dec, 17 2017. Stars are on offer to anyone who can explain the need for the transparent quonset hut in the last third of the video. It just looks like a big waste of money.
Link
Here is the best image I've seen of the PT Tensioning Ram. It gives a good since of scale. I'm not sure how much it weighs but I wonder if the work on #2 & #11 wasn't done on the day of the move because not enough forethought was given to fall protection and doing fall protection as poorly as they did on the day of the collapse, when so many species of officialdom where present results in a deferment.
Link
It turns out that Sweetwater is a politically contentious little town.
Link Lots of mud slinging, a mayor the is going up the river for some serious corruption.
Link Property theft by the Police Dept. The ex-mayor is supposedly the shadow owner of a towing company that received a no-bid contract as Sweetwater's tow company. The city was charging well over $250 per tow. The police were targeting newer cars that had been fully paid off and when the owners failed to claim their cars in an allotted time, auctioning the cars off. There seems to have been either kick backs AND/OR skimming going on with this. An FBI investigation & an audit of the Police Evidence room found large amounts of impounded money missing and a subsequent investigation found that the 7 member PD had a "secret evidence room" filled with confiscated items, counterfeit merchandise & cash. 7 police officers for a population of less than 20K and a city of only 2 square miles. Towing seems to be a big source of cash for Sweetwater, so when a developer proposed building two multi-unit student housing projects with little to no parking, of course the city said YES!
Now, add to this that the Sweetwater student housing parking problem was going to be addressed by FIU, by allowing students living in Sweetwater to park their cars in the university's parking garage/s and the fee would just be a part of their rent paid by the landlord; this scheme doesn't really seem to actually fit the means vs need aspect of the TIGER program. The already built 109 Tower across the street from the university only has 25 parking spots for over 500 residence & half are reserved for staff. Still the much touted danger of crossing HWY 41 was totally conflated. Even the time lapse video prove that there is "Currently" no need for a pedestrian bridge. The developer that built the 109 Tower & the 4th Street Commons sold the 109 Tower but retains the mixed occupancy 4th Street Commons and based on Yelp it is rapidly becoming Student Slum housing.
I'm not against these kinds of partnerships but I object to Federal money contributing more than 50% to a scheme were the university profits long-term from dedicated parking funds that come to them through little to no investment of their own. When you look at projects like the 200 ft span Martin Olav Sabo bicycle bridge
Link, including 2000 feet of of bicycle path earthwork for far less money that the FIU bridge, you have to ask some hard questions.
