Engineers have emphasised the importance of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) including 'smart highways' in order to achieve prosperity for the country ahead of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).

While addressing a seminar at Sarak Bhaban in Tejgaon of the capital on Wednesday, the speakers stressed the importance of connectivity between architecture and network to ensure efficient highways.

Bashundhara Bitumen, a brand of Bashundhara Oil and Gas Company Limited, is the platinum sponsor of the conference, reports Daily Sun.

Road Transport and Highways Division secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri was the chief guest while RHD additional chief engineer Abdullah Al Mamun made a keynote presentation on the occasion.

RHD Chief Engineer Md Ishaque, BUET Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Abdul Jabbar Khan and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Director General Nasim Parvez participated in the panel discussion.

ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, referred to optical fiber networks as the backbone of smart transportation systems.

"Digital Bangladesh is now a reality. Now, we are moving to a Smart Bangladesh. Bangladesh should focus on electric vehicles (EV) as our neighbouring country like India has made significant progress in EV. RHD will promote young engineers to lead innovation in architecture," he said.

Abdullah Al Mamun, RHD's additional chief engineer, discussed the government's initiatives to transform smart mobility on smart highways in his keynote address.

In a smart highway, advanced network and communication technologies are integrated with road infrastructure to allow people to move more intelligently.

"RHD supports innovation in infrastructure in line with the government's next vision of smart Bangladesh. We are working to empower transportation systems in the country with cyber-physical interactions to speed up economic activity," Dr Mamun added.

Engineer Mamun informed that the department has been working on revising the highway act to introduce modern technologies in infrastructure.

"We revised the Highway Act 1925 with some amendments in 2021. We are using intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and artificial intelligence to improve mobility," he said.

ITS is a system that provides innovative services that help manage transport and traffic smartly to support economic growth. Last year, the Department of Roads and Highways developed a master plan for ITS to increase highway productivity.

To achieve the 4IR goals, RHD has been working on intelligent transport systems, smart asset management, service automation (paperless office, tolls, fees) and optical fiber cable infrastructure.

In the field of road transport, intelligent transportation systems refer to the use of information and communication technologies.

In accordance with the RHD vision for smart highways, Bashundhara Bitumen has supported engineers' conferences and knowledge sharing through various seminars.

Bashundhara Group produces 60-70 penetration grade bitumen, which is effective for wearing courses of national highways, internal roads, and bridges and sustainable in all kinds of weather conditions.

The industrial conglomerate launched the country's first bitumen plant in February 2020 in order to meet the growing demand for bitumen on the local market.

The plant has the capacity to produce bitumen grades such as Cutback, Emulsified, Oxidised and Polymer (SBS, Rubber Powder) and is customised as per clients' requirements.

Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul