IIT Madras to help government build pavement engineering technology, transport systems

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras has collaborated with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) for research in areas of pavement engineering and intelligent transportation systems.

According to officials, their collaborative work will include research on novel pavement materials and technologies, hydrogen cell transportation, automatic vehicle classification, novel toll systems, incident management systems, traveller information systems, FastTAG data analytics and traffic simulations besides transportation safety. A MoRTH chair is being created at IIT Madras, to focus on research and development (R&D), teaching and training in traffic and highway engineering. The chair professor will act as a strategic advisor to the ministry. The chair professor will interface with the Standard and Research (S&R) wing of the ministry, facilitating need-based research in the area of 'traffic and highway engineering'.

"IIT Madras should concentrate on developing less polluting pavement engineering technologies as well as intelligent transportation systems. We are already engaged with IIT Madras in a major way in terms of consultancies," said Giridhar Aramane, Secretary, Road Transport and Highways. "This chair professorship as well as this entire programme can be directed towards important and innovative research and development work," Aramane said. The chair professor will also undertake R&D activities in pavement engineering, including emerging materials and technologies such as use of coir and other bio-derived materials, use of alternative aggregates such as recycled concrete and asphalt pavement and use of environmentally sustainable materials for highway pavements.

IIT Madras programmes

"This collaboration will also facilitate PhD research programmes on areas selected by MoRTH. IIT Madras will train 8 to 10 students including MoRTH’s nominated officers in the field of highway engineering," said IIT Madras Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi. "The chair will will provide an impetus for application-oriented research. We are already active in pavement engineering and intelligent transportation systems. A lot of our know-how already reaches the field through industry collaboration. Our efforts have also reduced accidents on highways across the country. We are well-placed to take up interesting projects and seed them with the proceeds of this endowment," he added.

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IIT Madras will allow MoRTH officers (subject to required qualification) to act as co-supervisors for MTech/MS and PhD projects of students on the recommendation of supervisors at IIT Madras according to the institute norms. The chair professor will also advise the Highway Research Board of Indian Road Congress for identification and monitoring of R&D activities and act as an ambassador of highway development in the country. "The chair professor will act as a facilitator for promoting collaboration between MoRTH, IIT Madras and other academic and research institutions and industries from India and abroad," Ramamurthi said. "The professor will also assist in the evaluation and introduction of new technology, ITS and recycling, equipment and material for improving road safety and operational efficiencies," Ramamurthi added.

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