An Aero-Overhaul in Miami

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When Odebrecht USA was tapped for the construction of MIA’s North Terminal in June 2005, the company knew it had a big job on its hands. It was due to be one of the largest expansions of an existing airport ever undertaken in the United States—essentially adding a new midsize airport to an already existing facility.

Key to the project was ensuring that human and airline traffic continued to flow smoothly through most of the terminal. “The goal was to ‘open gates,’ an innovative approach that allowed for most of the terminal to remain operational throughout construction,” Odebrecht USA president and CEO Gilberto Neves says.

A mere 11 months after Odebrecht and its joint-venture partner took over the project, the first two new gates were open for business. When completed, the new North Terminal will boast a dizzying array of features, including 50 new gates, 123 ticket counters, four train stations, and 1.8 miles of moving walkways and escalators. And the cutting-edge new baggage-handling system is capable of handling 6,700 bags per hour.

That’s a good thing because, with the addition of the North Terminal, MIA expects to see 35 million airline passengers per year traveling its corridors by 2015.

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A 2.4-mile extension of Miami’s Metrorail transit system, the AirportLink Metrorail project will extend the Metrorail guideway to the Miami Intermodal Center, which will allow airline passengers to connect to the airport via the MIA Mover, an elevated light-rail system. And that’s not all: this $360 million project also includes the construction of a passenger station, three substations, a bus station, and several new and upgraded connecting roadways.

Scheduled to open in April 2012, the AirportLink is regarded as the jewel in the crown of the People’s Transportation Plan (PTP), which was approved by Miami-Dade voters in 2002. Among the project’s unique challenges has been conducting construction in a high-traffic area of the city. Neves and the Odebrecht team have done this while also working to integrate the existing Metrorail system into the new extension.

“With this project, Miami-Dade County joins the ranks of major metropolitan areas around the world with rapid-transit connections to their airports,” Neves says. “It will provide a fast, reliable Metrorail connection for the millions of residents, visitors, and employees who travel to and from MIA every year.”

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MIA’s Automated People Mover (APM), known as the MIA Mover, was a project of firsts. It was the first construction project in Florida to be awarded Voluntary Protection Program Star status by OSHA and the first LEED Gold-certified transportation project in Miami-Dade County. The MIA Mover now connects airport passengers to the Miami Intermodal Center and the airport’s new rental-car center, making life easier and more seamless for travelers. A 1.25-mile elevated light-rail system, the MIA Mover will eventually also link the airport to Amtrak, Tri-Rail, and the current Metrorail system.

What makes this project especially distinctive is its commitment to sustainability. Projections are that the MIA Mover will slash curbside airport traffic by 30 percent and eliminate 1,400 rental-car-shuttle trips per day. In addition, during construcion, Odebrecht ensured that more than 80 percent of debris was recycled and that the transit station was outfitted to cut its water consumption by 30 percent and its energy costs by 15 percent.

“This project will help Miami International Airport reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve its carbon footprint,” Neves says. “Not only does it reduce the impacts associated with transportation, but it also is a boost for the local economy.” ABQ