Bridge Voicemail Bombshell

CHICAGO (CBS) -- According to Florida transportation officials, an engineer called two days before the deadly bridge collapse in Miami to report cracking at one end of the bridge.

We're learning more about the engineering firm and the disaster that left at least six people dead.

CBS 2's Brad Edwards has the latest.

The bridge's lead engineer left a voicemail on Tuesday mentioning cracks.

"Calling to share with you some information about the FIU pedestrian bridge and some cracking that's been observed on the north end of the span...." says the engineer.

"I know that crews were out there inspecting it," says Robert Accetta of the National Transportation Safety Board. "And they were applying tension to strengthen a member. I don't know if that was related to the cracks they discovered. That's still too early in the investigation for us to determine."

"What we are here to do is real simple. Find out what happened so we can keep it from happening again," says NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt.

"From a safety perspective we don't see that's there's any issue there, so we're not concerned about it from that perspective," said the engineer in the voicemail.

The company behind the failed bridge, FIGG Bridge Group, is involved in the new Cline Avenue bridge in East Chicago.

The expected opening date is in 2020.

That project now concerns Hammond's mayor.

"If this company has trouble building a pedestrian bridge in Florida, what makes us think they can build a highway bridge that carries semi traffic," says Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott. "And we get the pleasure of paying for it to use it. I'm not going to use it."

Work continues on the Cline Avenue Bridge.

A bridge that will span 1.2 miles and rise 10 stories.

CBS 2 reached out to the company. Figg responded with a statement.

"We are committed to ensuring the Cline Avenue Bridge continues to move forward in a safe and successful manner."

The company calls the collapse of the Florida bridge unprecedented.

The NTSB says they'll be on the ground in Miami for at least a week.

The investigation will take much longer.