International Road Dynamics (IRD), a Canadian highway traffic management technology company, has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary in Chile, PAT Traffic, has been awarded an intelligent transport system (ITS) contract in Paraguay.

The contract includes installation of new Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) and related control equipment in 11 existing traffic weigh stations across the country.

IRD claims that its WIM systems vary in functionality and level of complexity as they use Piezoelectric and Lineas Quartz WIM sensors, and Slow Speed, PAT Bending Plate or Single Load Cell WIM scales.

The WIM systems provide preliminary dynamic weight readings, which can be used to preclear and automatically sort vehicles at weigh stations, while truck traffic over the static scales can be minimised to target only those vehicles which are suspected of being overweight.

The deal, valued at around $3.6m, also involves provision of a central control centre connected to all the weigh stations to offer real-time station management and statistical reporting.

The project is expected to be completed before the end of 2013.

International Road Dynamics president and CEO Terry Bergan said that the new contract will provide Paraguay with the latest technologies and services to manage its roadway and highway infrastructure, which plays an important part in the country’s economic prosperity.

"Our team in Chile continues to successfully and profitably build its installed base and reputation for high-quality service and support throughout South America, and we look forward to continued growth in the region going forward," Bergan added.

In June 2012, IRD’s wholly-owned subsidiary, International Road Dynamics South Asia (IRDSA), won a $1.7m contract from India’s Reliance Infrastructure.

The contract for the Gurgaon-Faridabad expressway in the Indian state of Haryana covers over 50 lanes across four toll plazas and involves 12 lanes of electronic toll collection with the help of radio frequency identification readers and transponders, as well as four static weigh bridges along with reversible lanes on each plaza.

IRD is a highway traffic management company focused on providing products and systems to the global ITS industry.