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NEWSLETTER
September 2026

Our Newsletter is published in English, French and Spanish.

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EDITORIAL

PIARC Road Academy: bringing knowledge to life

PIARC's reports and manuals are reference tools for road professionals worldwide. The new PIARC Road Academy now takes knowledge exchange beyond written production, bringing the work of our Technical Committees to life through courses and webinars.

The Academy is already under way. More than 80 participants are following our first course, "Work Zones Safety and Management", which runs in six modules from June to November 2026. Our first webinar, on "Innovative Approaches for Asset Management Data Collection and Analysis", gathered 141 participants from over 50 countries on 23 September 2026 [...]

Miguel Caso Florez

PIARC Secretary General

PIARC PUBLICATIONS

Techincal Report -  A PIARC Literature Review

Envisioning The Transport Agency Of The Future - A PIARC Literature Review 

This literature review explores how transport agencies can adapt to a rapidly changing sector, addressing topics such as digitalisation, innovation, future operating models, workforce and skills, and stakeholder engagement. It draws on [...]

>> Read it here

Technical Report – A PIARC Survey Report

Case Studies on Travel Behavior Data Collection in Metropolitan Regions - Briefing Note 

This briefing note compares travel behaviour surveys across five metropolitan regions, highlighting different approaches to data collection and providing [...]

>> Read it here

HIGHLIGHTS

Vancouver 2027: A successful Call for abstracts 

The Call for abstracts for the XXVIII World Road Congress in Vancouver 2027 has been a great success, with abstracts received from more than 94 countries around the world.

We would like to warmly thank all authors for their contributions and for helping make this Congress a truly international platform for sharing knowledge and experience.

Vancouver 2027: A successful Call for abstracts

What’s next? Stay tuned for the opening of Congress registration, coming soon. In the meantime, practical information and key upcoming dates are available on the Vancouver 2027 website.

PIARC Road Academy: Learning, sharing and connecting 

The PIARC Road Academy continues to grow, with an excellent response to its online sessions and a strong interest from road professionals around the world. These sessions provide a valuable opportunity to learn from international experts, exchange experiences and explore the latest developments across the road sector.

PIARC Road Academy: Learning, sharing and connecting

The next session, “Technology & Data”, will take place on 13 October 2026 and will explore key issues at the intersection of technology, data and the road sector.

Participants can choose to purchase the full course or individual modules, depending on their interests and needs.

Good to know: Discount codes are available for PIARC Fee-Paying Members. To benefit from this offer, please contact roadacademy@piarc.org.

>> Discover the PIARC Road Academy and upcoming sessions

Reminder: Share your experience with Digital Twins 

PIARC is inviting road organisations to share their experience with Digital Twins and digital representations in the road and mobility sector. 

Reminder: Share your experience with Digital Twins

Whether your project is fully operational, at pilot stage, planned or paused, your experience can contribute to building the first international picture of how these technologies are being used across the sector.

The survey takes around 15 minutes to complete, and contributors will be acknowledged in the study and receive the findings ahead of publication.

Deadline: 7 October 2026

>> Share your experience and contribute to PIARC's global study on Digital Twins

PIARC Tunnels Thematic Week: Sharing knowledge on safer and more resilient tunnels 

PIARC’s Tunnels Thematic Week brought road tunnels into the spotlight, highlighting the Association’s work and expertise in tunnel safety, operations, maintenance and resilience. 

PIARC Tunnels Thematic Week: Sharing knowledge on safer and more resilient tunnels

As part of the week, PIARC also released a new podcast, “Connecting through Tunnels” (available on: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music), featuring experts from the PIARC tunnel community.

The week also coincided with the 3rd PIARC International Conference on Road Tunnel Operations and Safety, held in Kraków from 30 September to 2 October, bringing together experts from around the world to exchange knowledge and experiences on the future of tunnel safety and operations.

Coming next: SURF 2026
The next PIARC international conference will focus on pavement characteristics. The 10th Symposium on Pavement Characteristics (SURF 2026) will take place on 9–11 November 2026 in Tokyo, Japan.

>> Save the date and join us in Tokyo!

PIARC and IBTTA strengthen international cooperation 

PIARC and the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise across the road transport sector. The agreement was announced during IBTTA’s Global Tolling Summit in Montreal.

PIARC and IBTTA strengthen international cooperation

The partnership will bring together PIARC’s international technical community and IBTTA’s network of road operators and industry leaders, with cooperation focusing on areas including road pricing, safety and resilience, emerging technologies, infrastructure sustainability, and workforce and leadership development.

The collaboration will include technical exchanges, closer links between PIARC Technical Committees and IBTTA committees and councils, as well as joint resources and conference activities.

Together, PIARC and IBTTA will help connect expertise and experience across borders to support better solutions for the future of road transport.

>> Further information

2026 City Tour, Quebec Transport Association 

The Quebec Transport Association (AQTr) is continuing its City Tour! This series of meetings highlights the projects, challenges and priorities specific to each region, whilst promoting the sharing of expertise and collaboration amongst transport stakeholders.

2026 City Tour, Quebec Transport Association

This year, the City Tour will stop off in Quebec City on 13 October for a 360° symposium dedicated to transport and urban projects. Project owners, partner organisations from the public and private sectors, businesses, design teams and industry specialists will come together to discuss the region’s key infrastructure projects and the challenges involved in their implementation.

On the agenda: mobility, collaborative approaches, risk management, innovation, social acceptability and regional benefits, with a particular focus on road, rail and maritime transport.
 
>> Find out more about the 2026 City Tour

UPCOMING EVENTS

TAC Conference 

4-7 October 2026,
Winnipeg (Canada)

Highways UK 2026 

14-15 October 2026,
Birmingham (United Kingdom)

International Workshop "Technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction and Increasing Infrastructure Resilience" 

20-21 October 2026,
Prague (Czech Republic)

VIII International Bridge Seminar "Sustainability and Bridge Technology. A vision for the future" 

21-23 October 2026,
Merida (Mexico)

International Workshop "Improving Road Asset Management" - Official website 

22 octobre
Portoroz (Slovénie)

International Seminar on Artificial Intelligence and New Technologies in Road Transport "Innovative Solutions and Practical Implementations" 

27-29 October 2026,
Nanjing (China)

Find all the events in the calendar 

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