Flatiron, one of the nation's largest transportation and infrastructure contractors, has been recognized by the Federal Highway Administration with an Environmental Excellence Award in ecosystems, habitat and wildlife for an innovative pile-driving method used on the U.S. 17 Washington Bypass in Beaufort County, N.C. Flatiron developed a patented variation of the top-down construction technique for the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s $192 million design-build Highway 17 Bypass around Washington and Chocowinity, N.C. which included a new three-mile bridge over the Pamlico-Tar River. The project was the world’s first application of the pile-driving operations from an erection gantry. It not only saved time and cost, it also eliminated the need for large cranes and temporary access trestles, significantly reducing environmental disturbances to the fragile wetlands below. The FHWA recognized Flatiron’s method not only for its application on the Washington Bypass but for the broader promise the erection gantry holds for minimizing damage to wetlands in the future.

The award also recognizes the financial risk Flatiron took in order to realize the innovation as well as the company’s commitment to environmental excellence. Flatiron representatives accepted the award at the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation held in Duluth, Minn., in September. The Environmental Excellence awards is a biennial program developed by the FHWA to honor those partners, projects and processes that excel in meeting growing transportation needs while protecting and enhancing the environment. Flatiron, with a construction volume of $1.04 billion in 2008, is one of the leading providers of transportation construction and civil engineering in North America. Its core competencies include major bridge, highway, and rail projects. Flatiron also operates as a contractor in public-private partnership projects.

Founded in 1947, the firm is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF, one of the world's leading international construction service providers. Further information is available at www.flatironcorp.com. HOCHTIEF is one of the leading international providers of construction-related services. With more than 64,000 employees and a sales volume of EUR 19.10 billion in FY 2008, the company is represented in all the world‘s major markets. The Group's service offering in the fields of development, construction, services, concessions and operation covers the entire life cycle of infrastructure projects, real estate and facilities. In the USA, the biggest construction market in the world, HOCHTIEF is the No. 1 general builder via its subsidiary Turner and, with Group company Flatiron, ranks among the most important players in the field of transportation infrastructure construction. With its subsidiary Leighton (HOCHTIEF share around 55 percent), the group is market leader in Australia. Because of its engagement for sustainability, HOCHTIEF has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes since 2006. Further information is available at www.hochtief.com/press.