REAM and IRF jointly organise the 2 nd IRF Asia Regional Congress & Exhibition 2016 This second in series biennial event, jointly organised by Road Engineering Association of Malaysia (REAM) and International Road Federation (IRF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Works, Malaysia, Public Works Department, Malaysia and the Malaysian Highway Authority was held from 16 to 20 October 2016 at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), Kuala Lumpur. The inaugural Congress was held in Bali, Indonesia in November 2014. As a premiere forum for the road sector and transportation professionals in the region, the Congress, the largest gathering in Asia of its kind to date, provided a platform for showcasing best practices, new technologies, cutting edge research, and practical applications that could maximise returns from road investments. Close to 1,000 delegates from more than 50 countries worldwide attended the Congress. A total of 102 exhibition booths were taken up by local and foreign exhibitors. Minister of Works YB Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah Haji Yusof (second from left) declares open the Congress Exhibition The august audience at the opening The Minister’s entourage visits the booths
Transcript
REAM and IRF jointly organise the 2nd IRF Asia Regional Congress
& Exhibition 2016
This second in series biennial event, jointly organised by Road Engineering Association of
Malaysia (REAM) and International Road Federation (IRF) in collaboration with the
Ministry of Works, Malaysia, Public Works Department, Malaysia and the Malaysian
Highway Authority was held from 16 to 20 October 2016 at the Putra World Trade Centre
(PWTC), Kuala Lumpur.
The inaugural Congress was held in Bali, Indonesia in November 2014.
As a premiere forum for the road sector and transportation professionals in the region, the
Congress, the largest gathering in Asia of its kind to date, provided a platform for
showcasing best practices, new technologies, cutting edge research, and practical
applications that could maximise returns from road investments.
Close to 1,000 delegates from more than 50 countries worldwide attended the Congress.
A total of 102 exhibition booths were taken up by local and foreign exhibitors.
Minister of Works YB
Dato’ Sri Haji
Fadillah Haji Yusof
(second from left)
declares open the
Congress Exhibition
The
august
audience
at the
opening
The
Minister’s
entourage
visits the
booths
Minister of Works declares open the Congress
YB Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah bin Haji Yusof delivered a keynote address and declared open the
Congress on 17 October 2016. In his opening address, the Minister said, "the Congress theme
echoes the ASEAN countries' efforts in producing the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity which
includes the completion of the ASEAN Highway Network (AHN) that has been acknowledged as
the flagship transport infrastructure projects on the priority agenda of the ASEAN transport
cooperation."
AHN is a critical infrastructural support facility, which is vital for greater and closer integration
of the ASEAN region, as well as to facilitate regional trade, investment and tourism opportunities.
AHN links all ASEAN member states by connecting 23 designated national highway routes, with
a total length of some 38,400 kilometres.
Minister of Works receives the IRF Professional of the Year 2016 Award
YB Dato' Sri Haji Fadillah Haji Yusof, Minister of Works, Malaysia and one of the chief architects
behind Malaysia's spectacular highway investment programme was nominated to receive the
International Road Federation's (IRF) most distinguished individual honour.
Established in 1951, IRF's Professional of the Year award recognises eminent public, private and
education sector professionals with an outstanding track record of leadership and commitment to
the road transport industry. Throughout the years, the award has recognised some of the world's
most influential transport leaders for their work in the field of advocacy, policy, research and
educational programmes in support of better, safer and more sustainable road networks globally.
Prior to his political mandate, Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah, a lawyer by profession, was actively
involved in non-governmental organisations and numerous charities. His foray into politics saw
him elected as a Member of Parliament in 2004. In 2008, he was elevated to the post of Deputy
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation leading to his appointment in 2013 as Minister
of Works.
Official address and official opening of the Congress by YB Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah Haji Yusof
Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah quickly immersed himself in implementing innovative strategies to
aggressively address Malaysia's road deficit as a means to promote economic development and
shared prosperity. Malaysia has now embarked on its most ambitious road development
programme ever conceived since independence - the Trans Borneo Highway connecting the states
of Sarawak and Sabah and linking Brunei Darussalam. Estimated to cost some RM 27 billion, this
1,300-mile, four-lane toll-free highway is scheduled for completion in 2025.
Accepting the award, the Minister said that “road construction is expected to continue being an
important driver for the economy and a key generator of skilled jobs for Malaysians as we progress
towards a high-income nation."
IRF Chairman Abdullah Al-Mogbe in a statement highlighted the achievements under Dato’ Sri
Haji Fadillah's tenure, noting they would serve as an inspiration for regional leaders in their efforts
to address Asia's infrastructure deficit. “The award will also further strengthen the ties between
Malaysian transport stakeholders and the global community of road professionals”, he said.
The award was presented on 17 October following the opening ceremony of the Congress.
Congress theme and sessions
Carrying the theme Connecting Asia with Better Roads, the Congress sessions continued to
build on the first IRF Congress theme Building the Trans-Asia Highway by way of
discussions and advocating the building and maintaining a highway network that is
efficient, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
The prospects for growth in Asia, particularly in South Asia and ASEAN regions are
tremendous, but the regions’ true potential will not be realised unless there is well planned
and efficient highway network that is part of a well-integrated road transport network. This
can only be done through use of best practices, excellent policies, innovations in
engineering and technology, and work force development.
It was with this in mind that REAM and IRF brought the region’s and the world’s top
policy makers, road builders and operators, manufacturers, and researchers together in
Kuala Lumpur to share experiences, witness innovations, and exchange knowledge that
can make a well connected Asia a reality in the near future.
Some 200 Malaysian and foreign papers were presented during the three-day Congress
encompassing the following streams:
Minister of Works, Malaysia (right)
receiving the ‘IRF Professional of the Year
Award 2016’ from Mr. Michael Dreznes,
Execuutive Vice President of IRF
Plenary Session
Connecting Asia with Better Roads: Building Regional Prosperity
According to the Asian Development Bank, Asia needs 2.3 trillion USD of investments by 2020 to
meets it needs. Discussions looked at the status of these investments and how they can be accelerated
through the regional programmes such as the Asian Highway Network Programme and China’s “One
Belt, One Road” programme.
Executive Sessions
Building Climate Resilience in Road Infrastructure: A Cross-Sectorial Roundtable
Using real world case studies taken from different fields of engineering, this roundtable sought to
identify promising applications as well as knowledge gaps that can be addressed through information
and capacity strengthening programmes that can help make Asia’s road infrastructure more resilient to
climatic change and extreme weather events.
Preserving and Enhancing Road Assets
Some countries excel at long term infrastructure asset management, while others have fallen behind.
Emerging Asian economies have an excellent opportunity to begin planning for long term
maintenance during the investment stage of their infrastructure. This panel addressed the region’s
commonly shared challenges, and discussed opportunities to build a framework for knowledge
sharing and regional collaboration, highlighting best practices for infrastructure asset management.
Solving the Problem of Deficient Road Safety Infrastructure
Many countries around the world have undergone costly and expensive surveys of their road assets to
determine their level of safety. Yet, to date we still see the construction of unsafe road infrastructure
around the world is still continuing. At this session, experts discussed the type of problems that
countries are faced with and how they can be remedies.
Performance-Based Contracts for Road Maintenance: An International Overview
Performance-based contracts for road maintenance have been used around the world with mixed
results. While these contracts can generate significant cost savings and leverage private sector
efficiencies, much needs to be accomplished in terms of defining best practices and contract models
that be shared.
Road Financing and PPPs: Experiences from Emerging Nations
Public Private Partnerships are being increasingly utilised as an alternative to traditional public
financing methods for road and surface transport. This session featured successful Road PPP
projects from around the world, followed by a discussion on best practices.
Road Financing and PPPs II: Attracting Private Investment
In today’s volatile economic environment, the private sector’s appetite for Road PPP projects has
dampened in many places around the world. This moderated discussion examined what steps the
government and the private sector can take to produce win-win situations for the government, public
sector and most importantly, the public.
Congestion Mitigation in Asian Cities
The rapid development and growth of Asian economies has led to increasingly congested roads all
across the region. This session explored practical and cost effective solutions that can help alleviate
congestion and improve the travel experience of the Asian road users.
Building Capacity
A well-educated, multi-disciplinary workforce that is capable of acquiring new skills is an
important asset for road agencies in the region. This session examined successful case studies
from capacity building programmes from around.
Delegates participate in technical visits in big numbers
An array of five enlightening technical visits were arranged on 20 October to showcase Malaysia's
efforts to meet the accelerating demands for an efficient road and transportation infrastructure.
The delegates were required to select one of the following projects of their choice:
DUKE 2
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line 1 - Sungai Buloh to Kajang
Rawang Bypass
Maju Expressway 2 (MEX 2)
Malaysian Highway Authority Traffic Management Centre
The participation in these technical visits was well subscribed.
Delegates attending Plenary Session, Executive Sessions, Young Engineers & Professional (YEP) Session and Workshops
DUKE 2
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line 1 – Sungai Buloh to Kajang
Maju Expressway 2 (MEX 2)
Rawang Bypass
Two Malaysian companies win GRA Awards
Two Malaysian companies, Jambatan Kedua Sdn Berhad and Sunway Construction Sdn Bhd were
among the 12 winners of the 2016 IRF Global Road Achievement (GRA) Awards from around
the world announced by the International Road Federation in a glittering ceremony held in
conjunction with the 2nd IRF Regional Congress & Exhibition Gala Dinner on 18 October. The
selection was made by an international panel of senior road development specialists.
The Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd submitted the recently completed Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam
Shah (Second Penang Bridge) under the Construction Methodology category while Sunway
Construction Sdn Bhd’s Bus Rapid Transit-Sunway Line won the award under the Urban Planning
& Mobility category.
The IRF in its statement said that much of the transport sector's accomplishments went unnoticed
by the hundreds of millions of people who benefitted so greatly from the availability of safe, smart
and interconnected road networks. This was precisely why the IRF's Global Road Achievement
Awards provided a rare opportunity to celebrate the road industry's successes and to highlight how
the industry’s work supported broader societal goals.
The statement added that for the past 16 years, the IRF awards programme has constituted an
industry reference for innovators across the globe. Year after year, this sector demonstrated that it
was a source of cutting-edge solutions that made a difference to the communities. By embodying
the ideal of better roads for a better world, these 12 projects now joined an elite circle of
international laureates. Other 10 winners, at random order were:
Winner: The Roads & Transport Authority - Traffic & Roads Agency of Dubai, UAE
Project: Asset Preservation and Maintenance Management System for transport, roads, and
