Showcasing global road innovation at key event

Now in its second edition, the IRF Global R2T Conference & Exhibition has quickly established itself as the international meeting point. Leading industry innovators, researchers, and stakeholders can acquire essential engineering and business insights, and help build tomorrow’s transportation infrastructure today.

A newly-released programme featuring more than 150 speakers spread across 50 policy and technical sessions offers an exciting glimpse into the long-term trends and strategic orientations of the sector.

According to 8781 Washington-based IRF Global president & CEO C Patrick Sankey, “Technology and innovations are evolving at a pace never seen before in the history of the road and transport sector. From innovations in materials, such as self-healing concrete and rubberised asphalt, to advances in construction equipment automation, and of course, the dawn of the connected and automated vehicle, we are on a verge of a new era. As the sector’s leading knowledge partner, we understand the importance of setting a long- term agenda for our research activities and capital investments. It is with these goals in mind that we have designed this event: unique in its aspiration to capture the insights and innovations of an entire industry.”

Questions addressed during the conference include critical measures to future-proof road networks for connected and autonomous driving.

All of the pathways to full automation identify a critical transition phase where different vehicles and mobility services co-exist on the same road network.

Forward-looking road agencies are already assessing the technologies and engineering guidelines required to assist this transition process and ensure public benefits from connected vehicles and shared mobility are maximised.

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) to the design and management of highways is another key trend expected to create a ripple effect across the sector. This ranges from how cars are designed, and traffic is managed, to how the roads themselves are built and work to protect users as well as the environment. Solutions are currently being tested to create more advanced cognitive systems that can analyse big data with machine learning technology which could result in safer and more reliable road networks in the future.

Lastly, investment decisions in the sector are increasingly supported by sophisticated roadway analytics, a powerful new tool that enables road operators and city managers to carry out on-demand traffic analysis to identify congestion bottlenecks, visualise the results of infrastructure improvement projects, and benchmark roadway performance in support of targeted investment strategies.

The Conference will be attended by many innovative road agencies with a stake in developing successful applications of these concepts, including the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.

This agency has gained a solid “can do” reputation in piloting, testing and employing innovative solutions to the age-old problems of safety, congestion and capacity.

• The IRF Global R2T Conference & Exhibition runs November 19th-22nd 2019 at the Las Vegas Tropicana Hotel. Preferential rates run through August 31st.