UPEIDA Signs Landmark Agreements With ETH – Swiss Federal Institute Of Technology, Zurich & RTDT Laboratories AG
Agreements to Implement AI based Technology For ensuring smooth riding quality and riding comfort at Ganga Expressway
Two landmark agreements were signed between Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) and ETH – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich – One of the World’s top universities on one hand, and UPEIDA and RTDT Laboratories AG (a spin-off company of ETH Zurich) on the other hand, to improve the riding quality and riding comfort using latest technologies, during the construction of Ganga Expressway for total length of 594 Km from Meerut to Prayagraj.
Uttar Pradesh participated at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held in Davos in January 2024 and a meeting was held between Shri. Manoj Kumar Singh, Infrastructure & Industrial Development Commissioner, IIDC and Chairman & CEO, UPEIDA with representatives from ETH Zurich and RTDT Laboratories to identify latest technologies that can be implemented in Uttar Pradesh Expressways. Following these discussions, teams from each ETH Zurich and RTDT Laboratories visited GBC 4.0 exhibition and demonstrated their Aero Sense technology & AI sensor module to Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on 19 th
February 2024.
Further to this, a team from UPEIDA, Concessionaires and Independent Engineers visited Zurich, Switzerland and Germany from 24-29 March 2024,to study National Road
Infrastructure/Motorways, new technologies, New Material and Consultant/Contractors approach to build Motorways/Highways/Structures/Road Safety and Traffic Control System with a view to implement them in Ganga Expressway.
Commenting on this break-through development, Shri. Manoj Kumar Singh, Infrastructure & Industrial Development Commissioner and Chairman & CEO, UPEIDA remarked that “The work to be done under these agreements with ETH Zurich and RTDT Laboratories AG will prove to be game changer in assessing riding quality and riding comfort assessment of the upcoming Ganga Expressway. Under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath, the focus of UPEIDA has been to ensure timely and quality delivery of projects. ETH Zurich is one of the World’s top universities. This collaboration with ETH Zurich and RTDT Laboratories AG will help to identify issues in riding quality during laying stage and will help UPEIDA and Concessionaires to take corrective actions immediately”.
“Once this pilot project is successful, we plan to implement this technology across all expressways in Uttar Pradesh, which will benefit lakhs of consumers using these expressways for their commute”, he added.
Prof. Dr. Eleni Chatzi, Chair of Structural Mechanics, ETH Zurich remarked, “We are delighted to enter into a collaboration with UPEIDA and Government of Uttar Pradesh. At ETH, we always lay emphasis of quality delivery using latest technologies and we are happy to note that Uttar Pradesh becomes the 1 st State in India to implement this technology in their expressways. We are looking forward to closely collaborating with UPEIDA and the State Government to ensure the overall objectives are satisfactorily met from this collaboration”.
UPEIDA is constructing Uttar Pradesh’s longest expressway – the Ganga Expressway spanning 594 Kms from Meerut to Prayagraj. Once completed, the expressway will transform the landscape of districts passing through this Expressway and will be a huge contributor to industrial and infrastructure development in Uttar Pradesh’s quest to become US $1 trillion economy by 2027-2028.