The $360 million project is unique in that it includes an elevated guideway andconstruction is taking place in a high-traffic area, requiring trafficmaintenance as well as the constant coordination and integration of theoperational Metrorail system. Passengers will ride between the MIC and theairport on the 1.27-mile MIA Mover, an Automated People Mover (APM) also underconstruction by Odebrecht under another joint venture, and for which ground wasbroken in early March. Altogether, the various transportation projects will helpease traffic congestion and reduce the area`s carbon footprint. "Linking Miami International Airport to the Metrorail system is a long-awaitedproject that is now becoming a reality," says Gilberto Neves, CEO of Odebrechtin the US. "We are very pleased to be part of this historic moment forMiami-Dade public transportation, and we are confident that the project willcontinue to add to Miami`s growing role as a world-class community." The Metrorail`s MIC-Earlington Heights Connector is slated to employ 300workers, boosting the South Florida economy as well as contributing to theinclusion of local small businesses. The Odebrecht-OHL Joint Venture hascommitted more than $43 million to hiring small- and medium-sized subcontractorsand consultants, with about 12% of the work being carried out by DisadvantagedBusiness Enterprises (DBEs).

The Airport Connector will provide rapid access to the airport from DowntownMiami, Dadeland and Hialeah, reducing travel time and cost for airport workers,tourists, shoppers and University of Miami students, among others. The projectalso helps to reduce greenhouse emissions by expanding the city`s publictransportation network. The Metrorail system already reports 18 million annualboardings, which are set to increase as the system continues to undergoexpansion. "We are grateful to Miami-Dade County for their continued confidence in us, andexcited to get started on a project that will so greatly benefit the Miami-Dadecommunity. The MIC - Earlington Heights Connector will improve regional transitconnectivity, offer greater access and convenience to riders, and connect MIAwhile reducing the number of vehicles traveling to the airport. It will alsocontribute to providing employment opportunities.

The project will meet allAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements," concluded Lauro Bravar, CEOof OHL USA, Inc. About OdebrechtOdebrecht, a global construction company founded in 1944 and headquartered inBrazil, is one of the world`s leading engineering and construction firms. Thecompany`s US division, which entered the US market in 1991, is based in CoralGables, Florida. It became the first Brazilian contractor ever awarded a USpublic works contract, when it was hired by Miami`s Metro Dade Transit Agency toexpand its Metromover Downtown Automated People Mover (APM). Its projectsthroughout Miami-Dade County have included construction of the MiamiInternational Airport South and North Terminals, Adrienne Arsht Center for thePerforming Arts, American Airlines Arena, I-95 Golden Glades Interchange andsections of the Palmetto Expressway (State Road 826). The company is alsoworking with the US Army Corps of Engineers on rebuilding and improving leveesin New Orleans destroyed by Hurricane Katrina Odebrecht corporate Web site:. For OdebrechtSantiago Fittipaldi, Copyright Business Wire 2009.