Miami, FL | November 12, 2025

The Infrastructure Summit 2025, organized by the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Florida with the support of Sacyr as main sponsor, took place today in Miami, gathering key industry leaders to analyze emerging needs and growth opportunities in the U.S. infrastructure markets.

To open the event, Anthony Rodriguez, Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners, highlighted the vitality and continuous growth of his community. He emphasized the region’s cultural, educational, and professional richness, as well as the large-scale infrastructure, transportation, and urban development projects that make Florida a place where everyone wants to be, while acknowledging the important challenges that remain to ensure continued progress.

Summit 2025 offered a comprehensive view of the infrastructure landscape in the United States, combining discussions on national priorities with real-world examples of project execution. The panels covered perspectives from North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, explored large-scale initiatives led by the public and private sectors, coordination among transportation, aviation, and utility departments in South Florida, and investment and financing strategies analyzed by leaders from JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, and Wells Fargo. The program also examined how engineering, technology, and data are transforming infrastructure planning and construction, concluding with a case study of the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge in Louisiana — a landmark example of a large-scale and innovative PPP project.

Juan Carlos Pereira, CEO of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, stated:

“We are proud to see how the third Infrastructure Summit has become a key meeting point for industry leaders. This forum brings together authorities, investors, and experts who are defining the future of infrastructure in the United States. We are grateful to our sponsors and to Holland & Knight for hosting us once again in their Brickell offices. Our goal is to continue fostering collaboration and innovation across the industry.”

Panel 1: Perspectives on Infrastructure in the U.S.

The opening panel, “Perspectives on Infrastructure in the U.S.”, was moderated by Alice Bravo, President & CEO of Alice Bravo & Associates, LLC, and featured Hiral Patel, Director of Public-Private Partnerships at the Georgia Department of Transportation; Brett Canipe, Deputy Chief Engineer at the North Carolina Department of Transportation; and Dan Hurtado, President of the Florida Transportation Builders Association.

Representatives from North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida shared insights into how their states are advancing innovative projects, sharing risks with the private sector, and optimizing cost management. They emphasized that the success of these projects depends largely on trust among teams, given their long duration and complexity, and highlighted the importance of creating efficient, high-impact solutions for communities. As Hiral Patel noted, “Georgia’s Mobility Investment Program represents the largest infrastructure investment in the state’s history, creating more capacity, improving freight movement, increasing safety and operational efficiency, and reducing travel times — one of the largest P3 deals in the U.S., with $11 billion over 56 years.”

Panel 2: From Planning to Projects — Building Across the U.S.

Moderated by César Díaz Plaza-Pérez, Director of Infrastructure and Global Roads Sector Leader at KPMG, this panel discussed how major infrastructure projects are developed in the U.S., from planning to execution and operation. Panelists Eduardo de Lara (Managing Director, Sacyr Concesiones), Sia Kusha (Senior Vice President and Head of Project Development & Partnerships Group, Plenary), Kevin Powell (Executive Vice President, Civil Infrastructure and Construction Group), and Anna Bonet (CEO, Abertis USA) explored collaboration across all stages of the project cycle, the search for strategic partners, and the most efficient management models. The discussion highlighted the growing strength and presence of Spanish companies in the U.S. market. Anna Bonet noted that “having a complete vision of projects from conception through execution and operation is essential, and private sector initiative at every stage is fundamental to ensuring long-term success and sustainability.”

Panel 3: The Dynamism of South Florida

Moderated by Hugo P. Arza, Partner at Holland & Knight, this panel explored the sustained growth and strategic projects transforming the region. Speakers included Lisa Colmenares, Executive Director of Planning at the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works; U. Desmond Alufohai, Director of the Protocol and International Affairs Division at the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department; and Marisela Aranguiz, Deputy Director of the Capital Improvement and Regulatory Compliance Program for the same county. The panelists highlighted the strong collaboration among transportation, aviation, and water & sewer departments in coordinating large-scale projects that promote mobility, sustainability, and regional competitiveness. They shared a common vision for South Florida’s infrastructure — one focused on integrated and resilient planning to meet the challenges of urban growth and climate change.

Panel 4: Smart Financing

The Smart Financing panel, moderated by Francisco Brugueiras, Director at Barclays Investment Bank, emphasized the wide range of topics covered: “We discussed everything from transportation to energy, starting with transportation because of the focus on the multibillion-dollar projects completed in the U.S. over the past 12 months, as well as smaller projects in energy, transit, and aviation. We also covered multiple financing markets, including the bank market.” Panelists included Benjamin Djiounas (Managing Director, JP Morgan), who underlined the investment potential of urban infrastructure projects and the advantage of planning from scratch in fast-growing cities like Miami; Christopher Elmore (Managing Director, Goldman Sachs), who discussed the complexity of tax exemptions in public-private partnerships; Ignacio del Río (Director of Infrastructure Debt, BlackRock), who highlighted the growing interest of international investors in the U.S. market; and Julie Burguer (Managing Director and Co-Head of Public Finance, Wells Fargo), who stressed the importance of the municipal market — both taxable and tax-exempt — as a key financing source.

Case Study: I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge (Louisiana)

The Infrastructure Summit 2025 featured the I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge in Louisiana, the first transportation public-private partnership (PPP) in the U.S. with the participation of Sacyr, Plenary, and ACCIONA, presented by Sia Kusha, Senior Vice President at Plenary. The project, with a total investment of $3.37 billion and a construction budget of $2.27 billion, will replace an obsolete bridge with a modern, sustainable, and resilient structure to meet the region’s future mobility needs. Kusha emphasized how public-private collaboration allowed for a balance between tolls and public subsidies, optimizing design, construction, and long-term operation while generating local employment and fostering innovation in infrastructure. This project reflects the commitment of Sacyr, Plenary, and ACCIONA to delivering transformative and efficient infrastructure in the United States.

Panel 5: Design and Innovation Today

The event concluded with a panel on Design and Innovation, moderated by Ricardo Dávila, Head of International at American Global. Mike Griffin, Senior Vice President and Market Sector Leader at Arcadis, stressed the importance of involving design teams early in the procurement process to ensure more integrated and efficient results. Dr. Shawn D. Wilson, Senior Vice President at WSP, agreed, noting that “early design participation is key to any project’s success, as it helps anticipate challenges and optimize resources.” Finally, Noah Jolley, Senior Vice President at HNTB, emphasized that procurement timelines should encourage innovation, allowing the best ideas to be incorporated from the start to ensure more agile and higher-quality execution.

The Infrastructure Summit 2025 brought together construction and engineering companies such as Sacyr, Plenary, ACCIONA, Arcadis, and WSP; consulting and project management firms like Alice Bravo & Associates and Transport Business Planning; financial institutions such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, and Wells Fargo; and public institutions including Miami-Dade County, Georgia DOT, and North Carolina DOT, along with other specialized providers in technology, mobility, and design.
The Summit provided a unique platform to discuss the future of U.S. infrastructure, foster networking among attendees, and share best practices on PPP projects and efficient management models. Thanks to the support of its sponsors — Sacyr, Álava Internacional, Arcadis, American Global, Wells Fargo, and Holland & Knight — the event was a resounding success. Given its growing relevance, it is expected to return next year, further consolidating its position as one of the leading forums in the industry.

For more information, please contact Ana Lluch, Marketing Manager at the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, at all@spainchamber.org or +1 305 358 5988.