On September 18, 2026, representatives of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and CSI Bangkok met with Dr. Piyapong Jiwattanakulpaisarn, Director General of Thailand’s Department of Highways, to discuss cooperation on bridge engineering and infrastructure management.
The delegation included Dr. Naveed Anwar, CEO of CSI Bangkok and AIT Adjunct Faculty; Professor Siddharth K. Jabade, AIT Vice President for Administration and Development; Mr. Karma Rana, AIT Institute Secretary; and Ms. Chalita Lertwinyu, Executive Director of Development and External Affairs at AIT’s Office of Thailand Affairs.
Opportunities for Project Collaboration
Discussions during the meeting included bridge design, infrastructure asset management, challenges in inspection and maintenance, the need for training of engineering professionals, and other collaboration opportunities.
Dr. Naveed expressed CSI Bangkok’s readiness to support bridge design, inspection, rating, monitoring, and asset management, including the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other digital tools.
Professor Jabade highlighted AIT’s commitment to applying research and innovation with practical solutions to overcome infrastructure, environmental, and economical challenges.
Invitation to the Bridge Engineering Symposium
Dr. Naveed took the opportunity to invite the Department of Highways to participate in and co-host the opening session of the upcoming Regional Symposium on Future Directions in Bridge Engineering, organized by CSI Bangkok in Bangkok on 26 November 2026.
The symposium will give road and bridge authorities from Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India a forum to share their experience and discuss challenges in bridge inspection, maintenance, monitoring, and renewal. It follows a series of bridge engineering symposium events that were held in Manila, Kathmandu, Colombo, Karachi, and Islamabad to exchange knowledge within the field.
The Department of Highways’ participation would give Thailand and visiting delegations an opportunity to share their experience, discuss common challenges, and learn from each other’s approaches to highway and bridge management.
Congratulations to Dr. Piyapong
The delegation also congratulated Dr. Piyapong, an AIT alumnus, on his appointment as Permanent Secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Transport.
