$1.3 Million grant investment in educating tomorrow’s math and science professionals

AUSTIN – May 18, 2011 – Houston-based Webber, whose roadway construction projects are creating Texas jobs and economic development opportunities for local communities, today announced the company’s partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) to invest in advanced math and science programs at three Texas high schools.

The five-year, $1.3 million grant – which is being funded by three Cintra US-led infrastructure development teams – will support implementation of the nationally recognized and highly successful Advanced Placement Training & Initiative Program (APTIP) in three high schools in North and Central Texas. The APTIP program has been shown to dramatically increase U.S. student achievement in advanced math and science courses. AP Strategies will administer the APTIP program for NMSI during the five-year partnership.

“In the transportation industry, we are absolutely dependent on a highly educated workforce that has a strong background in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM),” said Nicolas Rubio, President of Austin-based Cintra US. “That is why we’re making this investment in educating tomorrow’s math and science professionals. We anticipate that our support of this program will drive local students’ interest in rigorous, college-level math and science classes. This translates to success in college and will open the door for them to careers in industries like ours.”

“This unprecedented financial commitment from the transportation infrastructure development industry represents a significant, long-term investment in the future of our state’s workforce,” said Tom Luce, CEO of NMSI and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education. “In today’s global, high-tech economy, proficiency in math and science are essential: Eight of ten jobs of the future will require a background in STEM.”

The participating high schools, which were selected through a competitive grant process for program implementation in fall 2011, include:

  • Lockhart High School in Lockhart Independent School District, southeast of Austin
  • Haltom High School in Birdville Independent School District near Fort Worth
  • R.L. Turner High School in Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in Dallas County.

Each of these high schools is located in a community within the service areas of the following highway projects:

  • SH 130 Segments 5 and 6 project in the greater Austin area, led by Cintra US and Zachry American Infrastructure
  • North Tarrant Express project in Northeast Tarrant County, led by Cintra US, Meridiam Infrastructure, the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System, Ferrovial Agroman and Texas-based Webber
  • LBJ Express project in Dallas, led by Cintra US, Meridiam Infrastructure, the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System, Ferrovial Agroman and Texas-based Webber

Citing the importance of connecting the company with schools located near its projects, Ignacio Vivancos, President of Ferrovial Agroman US said, “We build major infrastructure projects, each of which requires the expertise of hundreds of professionals highly-skilled in math and science, and our success depends on the education system’s successful production of those professionals. We want to help make that happen.”

NMSI’s national AP program is based on a proven model that was developed in 1999 by Dallas-based AP Strategies, which will administer the program in the three new schools, in addition to 61 other schools across 15 districts in the state of Texas. The program utilizes a combination of intensive teacher training, open enrollment, preparatory classes for students and financial incentives for teachers and students to boost student achievement. In the last two years, the APTIP has produced a 97 percent increase in AP math, science and English exams passed by students in participating schools – seven times the national average. In addition, the number of AP exams passed by participating minority and female students has increased 155 percent and 116 percent, respectively.

AP Strategies will officially launch the program in the three selected high schools in August 2011. However, teacher-training sessions are already under way and will continue throughout the summer.

About the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) 
NMSI was launched in 2007 by top leaders in business, education, and science to reverse the United States’ troubling decline in math and science education. NMSI is focused on improving the American public school system by replicating programs nationally that have documented success: the AP Training and Incentive Program (APTIP) to expand the number of high school students mastering college-level Advanced Placement* courses, and UTeach, a program to recruit and prepare college students to become qualified math, science and computer science teachers. Founding sponsors for NMSI include Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. For more information, please visit www.NationalMathandScience.org.

About AP Strategies
Advanced Placement Strategies™, Inc. (APS) is a non-profit corporation that works with Texas schools and the private sector to manage Advanced Placement Incentive Programs™ for students, teachers, and schools. Launched in August 2000 by an individual donor, APS develops and manages AP Incentive Programs™ throughout the State of Texas through partnerships between Texas schools, businesses, and the philanthropic community. For more information, please visitwww.APStrategies.org.

About Cintra US
Based in Austin, Texas, Cintra US is the American arm of Cintra, a subsidiary of Madrid-based Ferrovial. Cintra is one of the leading private-sector transportation infrastructure companies in the world with experience spanning more than 40 years of innovative highway development on three continents. Today its portfolio includes nearly 2,000 miles of managed highways worldwide, representing a total global investment in traffic congestion improvements of more than $25 billion. In the United States, Cintra US manages roadway projects in the Midwest and Southwest. A global powerhouse and Fortune 500 company, Ferrovial owns and manages major infrastructure assets, including London’s Heathrow Airport and several other major airports in the United Kingdom. Public Works Financing has previously named Ferrovial the world’s leading investor in transportation infrastructure. About Ferrovial Agroman With more than 80 years of experience around the globe, Ferrovial Agroman is an international construction company, specializing in major design-build and concession projects. Ferrovial Agroman has executed projects in more than 50 countries on five continents. The company designs and builds all types of infrastructure such as roads, airports, railways, hydraulic projects, maritime works, hydroelectric works and industrial projects.

About Webber, LLC 
Webber, LLC (Webber), a Texas-based company founded in 1963 as a highway construction subcontractor, has worked in the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) market as a Prime Contractor for the last 30 years. Project sizes range from a $1.5M emergency project to the IH-635 $2B Design-Build Comprehensive Development Agreement, both with TxDOT in Dallas. With their focus just on Texas, ENR Texas & Louisiana (formerly Texas Construction magazine) lists Webber as the #1 largest transportation contractor in the State in their April 2010 issue, and in 2011 ENR ranks Webber as #14 in the nation for transportation, and #75 in size nationally for all construction firms. In addition, Webber is also the largest recycler in annual tonnage of construction aggregates in Texas, and ranked in the nation’s top ten according to Construction & Demolition Recycling magazine, which brands Webber a Green Initiative company. With annual revenues of $600M, a focus on highways/bridges, ports/marine, airports, and Department of Defense/federal projects, and a work force of over 1,800, Webber calls Houston “home.”

About SH 130
The SH 130 project (Segments 5 and 6) spans approximately 40 miles, beginning in Mustang Ridge, travelling through three counties – Travis, Caldwell and Guadalupe – and connecting with Interstate 10 in Seguin. Construction is now under way and is expected to be completed in 2012. The SH 130 is a project of the SH 130 Concession Company LLC, an independent company formed by Cintra US and Zachry American Infrastructure. For more information, please visit www.mysh130.com or contact Victoria Miller, corporate affairs director, at (512) 407-0514.

About the North Tarrant Express
The 13-mile North Tarrant Express project will reconstruct a major east-west highway corridor, along Interstate 820 and State Highway 121/183 in Northeast Tarrant County, one of Texas’ fastest-growing regions. The project, which is now under construction and scheduled to be completed in 2015, will nearly double the roadway capacity. The North Tarrant Express is a project of NTE Mobility Partners, comprised of Cintra US, Meridiam Infrastructure and the Dallas Police and Fire Pension. The Contractor for the project is Bluebonnet Contractors, a collaboration between Ferrovial Agroman and Texas-based Webber. For more information, please visitwww.NorthTarrantExpress.com or contact Robert Hinkle, corporate affairs director, at (817) 710-0511.

About the LBJ Express
The 17-mile LBJ Express project in Dallas encompasses improvements along I-635 from Luna Road to Greenville Avenue, as well as on I-35E between Loop 12 and Valwood Parkway. When complete in late 2015, the LBJ Express will dramatically increase the capacity of the current roadway and reduce traffic congestion. The LBJ Express is a project of the LBJ Infrastructure Group LLC, comprised of Cintra US, Meridiam Infrastructure and the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System. The Contractor for the project is Trinity Infrastructure, a collaboration between Ferrovial Agroman and Texas-based Webber. Learn more at www.LBJExpress.com or contact Andy Rittler, corporate affairs director, at (469) 759-0238.

Media Contacts:
Rossanna Salazar, (512) 476-8676, rsalazar@rosscomm.com, or Josh Meeks, (512) 476-8676,jmeeks@rosscomm.com