TEHRAN – Iran’s 17th Bitumen, Asphalt and Machinery Exhibition opened on Tuesday, bringing together 54 domestic companies for a three-day event hosted by the Road, Housing and Urban Development Research Center.
At the opening ceremony, Majid Kianpour, managing director of the Technical and Soil Mechanics Laboratory Company, said Iran’s asphalt and bitumen sector faces ten major challenges, including low product quality, insufficient use of standard materials, short pavement lifespan, lack of skilled personnel, and weak coordination between academia and industry.
Kianpour noted that under the national budget law, 30 percent of the country’s bitumen output is allocated to executive bodies, with 49 percent going to the Transport and Urban Development Ministry, 17 percent to the Municipalities Organization, and the rest to the Housing Foundation for rural projects. He said projects receive bitumen at half the market price as part of a government subsidy program to reduce road maintenance costs.
Masoud Nosrati, deputy interior minister and head of the Organization of Municipalities and Village Administrations, highlighted the growing strain on Iran’s urban road networks, noting that 76 percent of the population lives in 1,451 cities and that daily commuter trips between Tehran and its suburbs exceed 3.5 million.
Nosrati said the cost of bitumen and asphalt has increased 36-fold and 30-fold, respectively, over the past nine years, adding that the rise of ride-hailing services has eased transport pressures but also contributed to faster road wear. He called for new financing mechanisms to support infrastructure renewal, warning that traditional funding models are no longer effective.
According to organizers, 72 research papers were submitted to the event, with 17 presented orally and 40 in poster form during the exhibition.
EF/MA
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