Airport Link Metrorail Extension and Transit Station (Orange Line)

The 22-mile-long AirportLink includes a network of 22 stations and provides a reliable and quick mode of transportation for Miami-Dade County residents. OHLA USA's subsidiaries, Community Asphalt Corporation and OHLA Building, Inc., were the 50% and majority partner of a joint venture that completed the construction of a 2.4-mile, double-track, elevated heavy rail extension of the Metrorail that runs from the existing Earlington Heights station to the Miami Intermodal Center, where passengers can connect to the Miami International Airport via the Miami Mover.

The major components of this $360 million project included the construction of an elevated guideway, a Metrorail station, operating systems, trackwork (direct-fixation tracks), three traction power substations, civil site work, new roadways, and roadway reconstruction. The construction of the dual-track elevated guideway included one mile of segmental bridge installed on top of 573 drilled shafts and 1.4 miles of precast U-beam constructed on 404 auger cast piles, all post-tensioned. The project also encompassed extensive trackwork, rail, plinth pads, retaining walls, bump posts, fixations fasteners, switches, associated operating systems, and three traction power substations.

The project's purpose was to accommodate the millions of residents, visitors, and employees annually who travel to and from Miami International Airport. The joint-venture team was also responsible for building a new 78,000-square-foot, three-level station that features intermodal connections and constructing a new bus plaza to accommodate Metrobus, Amtrak, Greyhound, and tour bus lines.

The project received several safety awards based upon the completion of 200,000 man-hours without a lost day injury. It was also designated Best Airport Transit Project, according to Engineering News-Record.