Odebrecht & OHL: Miami Intermodal Center

Linking up┬áKeith Regan learns how Odebrecht and OHL, two of the worldÔÇÖs largest construction firms, have teamed up to build a key link in the long-range efforts to reduce reliance on cars in and around Miami International Airport. Visit Miami International Airport (MIA) and one of the first things youÔÇÖll likely notice other than the usually balmy south Florida weather is the sheer volume of cars. In and around the terminals of the airportÔÇöthe 29th busiest in the world and one of the top international airports in the US, handling some 33 million total passengers in 2007ÔÇövehicles circulate to drop off and pick up passengers and to hunt for precious parking spaces. A closer look reveals a skyline dotted by construction cranes and a flurry of construction activity that extends well beyond the airport itself as Miami-Dade County transit officials work to reduce the reliance on automobiles at the airport by linking it to the existing Metrorail transit system. As part of sweeping improvements being made to the airport, representing the largest renovation of an operating airport in the US, the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC)ÔÇöwhich will link the airport to three different rail systems, a bus depot, and a new rental car hubÔÇöis already well under construction. Construction company OdebrechtÔÇÖs US division, through a joint venture with Parsons, broke ground in March on the MIA Mover, a 1.27-mile people-mover system that will transport passengers from the airport to the MIC. Scheduled for completion in 2011, the MIA Mover will carry passengers to the MIC, eliminating the use of buses to shuttle passengers to off-site car rental lots, which will decrease traffic and reduce the airportÔÇÖs carbon footprint. In the spring of 2009, after several years of planning, another joint venture, this one between Odebrecht and OHL, began work on another lynchpin in the transit plan. Together, Odebrecht and OHL will build a 2.4-mile transit line connecting the MIC people-mover system with the existing Metrorail network. The $360 million project includes elevated electrified track, power substations, and an innovative, architecturally striking three-story MIC Station located at the entrance of the airport, as well as roadway and other infrastructure modifications. Mobilization on the project began in early May after the notice to proceed was issued; the work is slated for completion in early 2012. Much of the construction work itself is fairly traditional and straightforward, says project executive Antonio Pinto, with the major challenges facing the project having to do with coordination. The project requires not only work over major highways and city streets, but also a crossing of the Miami River and work over existing and active Metrorail train tracks. Along the 2.4-mile stretch, the elevated train platform will cross through four different jurisdictions within Miami-Dade County. ÔÇ£The order of the day is coordination,ÔÇØ says Pinto. ÔÇ£We have to connect to the existing system, which needs to remain operational even while we connect all the systems and infrastructure.ÔÇØ Although it will not build any structures in the river, the project still requires review and coordination with environmental agencies, among others. ÔÇ£There is a lot of very detailed and in-depth coordination involved,ÔÇØ Pinto adds. The centerpiece of the project is the 78,000-square-foot MIC Station, where the connection with the MIC and the Metrorail system will be made. The three-story, twisted structure is ÔÇ£very complicated, three-dimensionallyÔÇØ and features a large metal canopy to shield the building from the hot south Florida sun. ÔÇ£All the sections of the station are different and unique, and in the end itÔÇÖs going to be a very nice architectural building for the area.ÔÇØ The elevated train line itself will average about 45 feet in height and be supported by acombination of column-and-beam system and segmental construction. Odebrecht, which is based in Brazil, and OHL, based in Spain, both bring significant construction and project management resources to the table, says deputy project executive Felipe Fernandez. Both have south Florida bases of operations, extensive local project experience and global reach, with Engineering News-Record ranking Odebrecht as the 14th largest transportation construction firm in the world and OHL as the 16th largest. Still, the joint venture is working hard to involve smaller local companies in the project and to exceed a contract goal of having 12 percent of the subcontract work completed by small businesses. That represents $44 million worth of work for local contractors, Fernandez notes. ÔÇ£That requires a lot of work on our part to make possible, but we feel itÔÇÖs an important component of the project,ÔÇØ he adds. The joint venture is also active in building community support for the project. Although the county did extensive outreach during the permitting and planning phases, many residents will only realize the impacts of the projects once actual construction work begins. ÔÇ£We spend a lot of time meeting with commissioners and community leaders to brainstorm and implement ideas for reaching out to the community,ÔÇØ says Pinto. The team has identified local schools where it will donate sponsorship and create programs to help educate children and parents alike about the importance of the project, which has long-range environmental benefits that will come after short-term growing pains in the form of construction disruption. ÔÇ£We want to be out in front and keeping them as informed about whatÔÇÖs happening as we possibly can.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£The big idea is to take a lot of those cars that are circulating around the airport off the road and give people other ways to get from the airport to downtown and the other parts of Miami where people want to go,ÔÇØ Pinto says. ÔÇ£There is a significant element of sustainability when you view it that way.ÔÇØ ÔÇô Editorial research by Tim Conlon┬á