On Monday, April 13, 2026, a meeting was held at the Guayaquil Chamber of Construction, bringing together representatives from the private sector and academia to discuss opportunities for improving the design and performance of road pavements in the country. The meeting was attended by the association’s president, OtTón Lara Pincay, vice president Gustavo García Caputi, and professors Rolando Vila Romaní from the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil and Carola Gordillo from ESPOL, a professor at FICT.
During the session, a space for dialogue was created between the Chamber and the professors from both universities, highlighting the Chamber’s openness to welcoming proposals from academia. In this context, technical issues related to pavements were addressed, with the aim of identifying solutions that respond to local conditions and the sector’s needs.
As part of the exchange, the universities presented technical proposals aimed at improving pavement performance. In the case of ESPOL, Carola Gordillo proposed lines of work related to characterizing damage caused by overloaded traffic, promoting the use of emulsions for road maintenance, using local and stabilized recycled materials to reduce the consumption of virgin aggregates, and improving design methodologies to optimize the service life of road infrastructure.
For his part, Rolando Vial of the Catholic University presented technical aspects focused on the behavior of asphalt mixtures, aggregate control, and the need to incorporate more representative tests to evaluate pavement performance, taking into account real-world operating conditions.
This approach strengthens the link between academia and the private sector and calls for the continuation of this dialogue to develop joint proposals aimed at promoting the participation of contractors interested in implementing pavement improvements. The initiative helps generate technical solutions that have an impact on the country’s road infrastructure and development.
Sustainable Development Goals
ODS 9: Industria, innovación e infraestructura
ODS 17: Alianzas para Lograr los Objetivos
