Aecon joins the construction joint venture extending Quebec's Autoroute 30

MONTREAL, April 26 /CNW/ - Aecon Group Inc. (TSX: ARE) today announced that its Infrastructure Division has partnered with Acciona Infrastructures Canada Inc., Dragados Canada Inc., and Verreault Inc. in Nouvelle Autoroute 30 CJV, s.e.n.c. (NA30 CJV), the construction joint venture carrying out the expansion of Quebec's Autoroute 30.

The Autoroute 30 project is being delivered as a Public Private Partnership (PPP). The PPP agreement between the Ministère des Transports du Québec and Nouvelle Autoroute 30, s.e.n.c. (NA30) for the design, construction, financing, operation, maintenance and repair of the Autoroute 30 completion for a period of 35 years was signed in September 2008. NA30 has given the design and construction mandate to NA30 CJV.

Under the construction joint venture agreement, Aecon holds a 16% interest in the construction joint venture that is building a 42 kilometre western section of the A30 in PPP mode. The project involves construction of the four-lane highway for a 35 kilometre stretch between Châteauguay and Vaudreuil-Dorion, with an additional seven kilometre section connecting the highway to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.

The project also includes erecting two major bridge crossings - a 2.5 kilometre bridge over the Beauharnois Canal, and a 1.8 kilometre bridge over the St. Lawrence River - as well as a 90-metre tunnel beneath the Soulanges Canal. Construction of the highway has commenced and is scheduled for completion in 2012.

Aecon and its founding companies have been involved in building Quebec's infrastructure for 100 years, including work on the St. Lawrence Seaway, Mirabel Airport, Dorval International Airport (now called Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport), CPR Windsor Station, Place Ville Marie, Expo '67 transit system, Décarie Expressway, and Palais des Congrès amongst many others.

"Our company was founded in Quebec and has a long successful history of working on landmark projects throughout the province," said Teri McKibbon, CEO of Aecon's Infrastructure Group. "We are extremely pleased to be part of this world-renowned project team and are thrilled to be working on such a large and high impact infrastructure project."

Aecon Group Inc. is Canada's largest publicly traded construction and infrastructure development company. Aecon and its subsidiaries provide services to private and public sector clients throughout Canada and on a selected basis internationally. Aecon is pleased to be recognized as one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada as published by Report on Business Magazine.

The information in this news release includes certain forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties which are generally described in Management's Discussion and Analysis dated December 31, 2009 and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Aecon believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct.

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For further information: Mitch Patten, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Aecon Group Inc., [phone], [email protected], www.aecon.com