It is an honor for me, as Chairman of the Organizing Committee, to extend this first invitation to the 17^th Argentine Congress on Road Administration and Traffic.

Once again, we are getting closer to a new edition of this important road meeting, with the certainty that it will make, once again, a significant contribution to the entire society.  Therefore, it is specially addressed to every road sector-related professional, technician and official, who will find a quality event, devoted to technology transfer, debates about ideas and exchange of knowledge with a group of national and international experts.

Following the lead of the last two editions, and fostering an even more federal participation, we have chosen the city of Rosario as venue of this 17^th Congress on Road Administration and Traffic.  Rosario is one of the three most important cities in the country, hosting, for the first time a Congress on Road Administration and Traffic.

Rosario promises to be the perfect place for a huge turnout due to its excellent location, its highway and airway connection with Buenos Aires and Córdoba, and its general tourist attractions.  The venue undoubtedly meets all the requirements to be the perfect setting to hold a successful congress and a great exhibition, with the attendance of various professionals and technicians from every Argentine province and abroad.

This time, the theme is A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF ROADS AND TRANSPORT.  Within a multidisciplinary approach, we will deal with a wide range of topics, from logistics planning in cities or urban mobility solutions, to geometric design and technology innovation in road, bridge and tunnel construction, or the development of intelligent transport systems, just to mention a few examples.

Thus, we hereby invite every professional and technician from the road administration and transport sector, whether public or private, academic institutions and individuals to submit and share their work and experiences in order to have a congress that will become a place for knowledge exchange, with special conferences and presentations of local and international experts.

As it has been the case before, the Instituto Argentino del Cemento Portland (Argentine Institute of Portland Cement), ITS Argentina and the Comisión Permanente del Asfalto (Asphalt Standing Committee) will be part of the 17^th Congress on Road Administration and Traffic and, within this framework, they will also organize the 3^rd International Seminar on Concrete Pavement, the 11^th International ITS Congress, and the 38^th Asphalt Meeting “Eng. Marcelo Álvarez,” thus creating synergies that will surely leverage the topics to be dealt with and the turnout to the event.

The challenge is still to have a perfectly efficient and sustainable transport system, correctly meeting the growing demands of a developing country, always considering that ground transport plays a leading and irreplaceable role since it is, and will continue being by large, the main means of transport for people and goods throughout the region and the world, in general.

To achieve that, it is necessary to continue with the introduction of new technologies and human resources training, especially considering the environmental and social aspects of the activity.

The Congress sessions will be about introducing important infrastructure projects in the region as well as technical and management innovations, in addition to the presentation and discussion of several papers submitted, which will make up an excellent program for the interest of the attendees and the sector’s scientific and technical progress.

As on previous occasions, the 9^th Expovial Argentina 2016 is also simultaneously and supplementary held, developing technical and scientific activities.  The features of the venue will enable a large exhibition, with settings that will suit every need of exhibitors and a perfect location to showcase road administration equipment, in particular.

This way, companies and professionals, both from the country and abroad, will release their latest IT and product and service breakthroughs related to road administration.

Previous experiences, particularly the 16^th Argentine Congress on Road Administration and Traffic held in Córdoba in 2012, have proved that these events have exceeded our country's borders to become regional and international events, where international input and participation enrich their content and optimize the exchange of technology, knowledge and experiences.

This first communication details the most important organizational aspects of the 17^th Argentine Congress on Road Administration and Traffic, as well as the general guidelines of the event so that you can plan your participation in advance.

Against this background, I once again invite professionals and technicians, teachers, students, investigators, businessmen, consultants and officials from every level, both country and region-wide, to take part of this new issue.

We are convinced that it will be the most important meeting of Argentine and Ibero-American road administration of 2016, a forum of ideas based on the challenges we need to face over the next years.

So, and under the motto that has summoned us throughout these years, “More and better roads,” I invite you to meet once again in a friendly and welcoming environment, in the city of Rosario during October 24-28, 2016.