ROTREX 2007 Showcases
Latest Road/Transportation Tech

2nd ROTREX 2007 held at KINTEX May 9-12

Amid the global recognition of Korea's prowess in road & transportation construction capabilities, the just concluded 2nd International Road & Traffic Expo 2007 (ROTREX 2007), Asia's largest road/transportation exhibition, served as a good opportunity to view advanced road/transportation technologies in Korea and abroad.
More than 200 Korean and foreign exhibitors participated in ROTREX 2007, held in the second and third exhibition halls of KINTEX from May 9 through May 12. The 2nd ROTREX 2007 had a space 50 percent larger than the one used during the first ROTREX in 2005.
The exhibition categories in the road sector included road construction/maintenance, floor mark, road safety/guidance facilities, roadside facilities, lighting equipment and environment. The categories representing the transportation sector include mass transportation, emergency systems, toll collection systems, parking equipment, traffic control and traffic signs. The exhibition categories of other service areas were inclusive of new technologies,
new engineering methods, R&D and publications.
The side events of the 2nd ROTREX 2007 were the HORA meeting, REAAA Board of Directors Meeting, Policy Debate on Road and Transportation, a session for announcing research results, a photo exhibition and the Traffic Safety Experience Exhibition.
"A Hundred Beautiful Roads in Korea'and a photo exhibition on roads attracted the public's attention. The selections for "A Hundred Beautiful Roads in Korea'were chosen through a screening by experts in order to publicize the beauty and excellence of Korea's roads. The photo exhibition on roads was Korea's prestigious photo contest concerning a single theme - roads.
Jointly organized by the Korea Road & Transportation Association (KRTA) and KINTEX, the 2nd ROTREX 2007 had the support of the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, Korea Expressway Corp. National Police Agency and Seoul Metropolitan Government.
In the meantime, the opening session of ROTREX 2007 was held at the entrance of the third exhibition hall of KINTEX on May 8 at 11 a.m.,
with 500 prominent figures, including Lee Yong-sup, minister of construction and transportation, Son Hak-lai, chairman of Korea Road & Transportation Association, and Rep. Cho Il-hyun, chairman of the National Assembly Construction /Transportation Committee.
In his opening speech, KRTA Chairman Son said, "The roles of road and transportation systems of each country are more important now than ever before due to brisk world trade, raising anew the need for the organic connection of road networks among nations."REEAAA, established in 1973, plays a leading role in the advancement of the science and technology of road engineering and related professions, as well as in finding solutions to the pending issues in the road planning, design, construction and maintenance fields." "As you are well aware, many Korean contractors are now participating in large-sized construction projects abroad. In particular, they are striving to make a play for orders for construction projects in the Asian region."
"I'm confident that your concern and endless support towards Korean companies will lay the foundation for building confidence beyond the barriers of nations and ultimately bring us our desired outcome,"he said.
Minister of Construction and Transportation Lee said in his congratulatory message, "The government has acknowledged the importance of this vital industry by devoting over 40% of its annual construction budget to the road and traffic sector.
Korea now has over 100,000km of roads, including 3,100km of highways and 14,200km of national roads." "In this age of unlimited global competition, only technological enhancement through research and development will ensure survival. The Korean government will focus its investment in "Smart Highway" and "Super Long Span Bridge" under the "Construction and Transportation R&D Innovation Road Map" in order to eagerly nurture related fields in the road and traffic sector. It also plans to expand operation of cutting-edge systems such as the ITS and the High Pass for up-to-date management of road traffic."
In his congratulatory speech, Rep. Cho said, "Our country's road and transportation sectors have made great strides in terms of scale, but they still lag behind advanced countries in terms of quality, I dare say." "Because of limitations on investment resources in the area of roads and transportation, the sector has not been able to cope fully with social and economic changes related to the sustainable growth of the economy and it must continue to increase its efforts in utilizing the rapid development of the IT industry." "I too, will do as much as I can to lighten your load. But its extent will be limited by the availability of the government's financial resources,"he said.
"An upgrade of your technology alone will lead the way for building a strong country in transportation logistics, backed by the effective investment of limited resources, and you are called on to work harder to collect information on technology and its trends in advanced countries and to revitalize the exchange of information among construction companies, along with gaining a better grasp of international technology trends,"he noted. nw

(right photo) Korean and foreign prominent figures, including Minister of Construction and Transportation Lee Yong-sup, KRTA Chairman Son Hak-lai, HORA and REAAA delegates, attend the tape-cutting ceremony of the 2nd ROTREX 2007. They look around a range of advanced technologies on display at the exhibition.

(left photo) A spectator tries out an advanced equipment. The ROTREX 2007 booth set up by Korea Expressway Corp.