Industry Forum Set for the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project; Global Vendors, Contractors Expected to Attend

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The Louisville and Southern
Indiana Bridges Authority, along with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and
the Indiana Department of Transportation, is hosting an industry forum that will
showcase the Ohio River Bridges Project, explore creative approaches to project
development and seek cost-saving ideas. The conference is scheduled for February
16-17, 2011 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville and
will be kicked off by Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels
and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.

Because this is one of the largest transportation projects in the country, the
forum is expected to attract attention and participants from around the world in
the following fields:

— Global contractors
— Global developers
— Construction labor industry
— Engineering and design firms
— Equipment and materials suppliers
— Investors and lenders
— Local, DBE and specialty contractors
— Technology providers
— Industry media

“Forums like this are an excellent way to learn about best practices,
cost-saving techniques and innovative construction methods,” said Authority
Co-Chair Kerry Stemler, who is also chairing the forum. “This is an opportunity
to solicit input and ideas from prospective bidders.”

The first day will provide attendees with information about the project as well
as facilitate dialogue among prospective collaborators for the project. The
second day, February 17th, will consist of an open forum and scheduled meetings
with potential lead developers and contractors to hear their ideas on innovation
and project delivery alternatives.

Registration is accepted at the Authority’s website: www.bridgesauthority.com.
While the conference is free, attendees are responsible for travel, lodging and
meals. Advance registration is encouraged to help the Authority gauge the total
number expected to attend. The small group meetings on the second day will
require advanced registration and arrangements. If you are interested in having
a small group meeting with Bridges representatives, please contact
anichols@indot.in.gov.

“The forum will give local companies and DBEs an opportunity to meet and develop
relationships with global developers and contractors,” said Steve Schultz,
executive director for the Authority. “The key to the success of any project of
this magnitude will be teamwork among all these types of firms.”

“There is tremendous market interest in this project, and we should leverage
that,” said Stemler. “After all, there aren’t too many projects of this size and
scope for global developers to focus on right now.”

The Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project calls for
reconfiguring Louisville’s Kennedy Interchange and building two new bridges, one
downtown and the other eight miles upstream in the metro area’s east end. The
current cost estimate is $4.1 billion although ongoing cost-savings efforts now
involve the exploration of potential options that could reduce the overall cost
by more than $500 million. The Authority has established a target for
construction to begin in August, 2012.

When completed, the project is expected to reduce accidents by as much as 50
percent, cut travel time by more than half through the Kennedy Interchange
during rush hour and create more than 2,000 jobs per year during construction
and nearly 1,000 jobs per year after completion. (Statistics are based on
federally approved methodology.)

More information on the project can be found at www.kyinbridges.com.

SOURCE Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority