Building Safer, Smarter and More Connected Roads

Highways UK 2026 takes place on 14 and 15 October at the NEC Birmingham, bringing together thousands of professionals responsible for planning, building, operating, maintaining and future-proofing the UK’s road network.

The event has become one of the major meeting points for the highways and road infrastructure sector, bringing together National Highways, local authorities, contractors, consultants, technology providers, manufacturers, engineers and policymakers.

For 2026, the event is built around three central themes: innovation, sustainability and collaboration.

With more than 10,000 attendees, 360 exhibitors and 250 speakers expected, Highways UK will provide two days of discussion around how the country’s road infrastructure can become safer, smarter, greener and more resilient.

Roads for a Connected Future

The theme surrounding Highways UK 2026 is particularly relevant as road infrastructure becomes increasingly connected.

The roads themselves may look familiar, but the technology being used to manage them is changing significantly.

Sensors, cameras, connected infrastructure, digital twins, artificial intelligence, real-time data and increasingly sophisticated traffic management systems are creating new possibilities for how road networks are monitored and maintained.

Instead of relying solely on scheduled inspections and reactive maintenance, highways organisations can increasingly use technology to understand what is happening across the network in real time.

The long-term objective is not simply to collect more information.

It is to use that information to make better decisions.

More Than 10,000 Highways Professionals

Highways UK is expected to attract more than 10,000 attendees over two days, bringing together professionals from across the highways supply chain.

The event is designed for organisations involved in every stage of the road network, including:

• National highways organisations
• Local authorities
• Contractors
• Engineering companies
• Infrastructure consultants
• Technology providers
• Manufacturers
• Asset management specialists
• Transport organisations
• Policymakers
• Road safety professionals
• Sustainability specialists

Bringing these groups together is important because improving the road network cannot be achieved by one organisation alone.

Highways infrastructure involves complex relationships between government, local authorities, contractors, technology companies, engineers and the wider supply chain.

Highways UK provides a place for those organisations to exchange ideas and develop new partnerships.

More Than 360 Exhibitors

The exhibition floor will feature more than 360 exhibitors from across the highways and infrastructure industry.

Visitors will be able to explore products, services and technologies covering areas such as:

• Road construction
• Highway maintenance
• Intelligent transport systems
• Connected infrastructure
• Digital construction
• Asset management
• Road safety
• Traffic management
• Materials and surfacing
• Sustainability
• Data and analytics
• Sensors and monitoring
• Software
• Communications technology
• Kerbside management

The range of exhibitors demonstrates just how broad the modern highways industry has become.

Building and maintaining roads remains fundamental, but technology is increasingly becoming part of the infrastructure itself.

Digital Roads

One of the most interesting areas of Highways UK 2026 is the focus on Digital Roads.

The dedicated Digital Roads programme explores how technology can help organisations manage infrastructure more intelligently.

One of the sessions examines how digital technologies can help future-proof the road network by moving technologies such as digital twins and sensor intelligence from isolated trials into wider operational use.

Digital twins can provide virtual representations of physical infrastructure, allowing organisations to combine information from multiple sources and better understand the condition and performance of assets.

Sensor technology can add another layer of information by continuously monitoring infrastructure.

Together, these technologies could support a shift towards more predictive road management.

From Reactive Maintenance to Predictive Maintenance

Road maintenance is traditionally associated with identifying a problem and then repairing it.

Digital technology creates opportunities to intervene earlier.

If infrastructure can be continuously monitored, organisations may be able to identify signs of deterioration before they become more serious.

The Highways UK programme includes discussions about moving from reactive maintenance towards preventative asset management.

This approach can involve predictive data models, targeted interventions and lifecycle planning.

The principle is straightforward.

Rather than waiting for infrastructure to fail, organisations can use data to understand where maintenance may be required and intervene earlier.

For road users, this could ultimately mean fewer unexpected failures and less disruption.

Artificial Intelligence Comes to Highways

Artificial intelligence is also becoming increasingly relevant to road infrastructure.

One of the major keynote discussions on the second day of Highways UK focuses on digital technology, data and AI and how the sector can move innovation from pilot projects into real-world deployment.

AI has the potential to help organisations analyse the enormous quantities of information generated by modern transport infrastructure.

That could include data from:

• Road sensors
• Traffic monitoring
• Cameras
• Connected vehicles
• Weather systems
• Asset inspections
• Maintenance records
• Incident information

The challenge is not simply having access to data.

Organisations need to determine how that information can be turned into useful insight and incorporated into everyday operations.

Making Roads More Resilient

Climate resilience is another important part of the 2026 programme.

Road networks need to continue operating through increasingly challenging environmental conditions.

Heavy rainfall, flooding, extreme temperatures and severe weather can all affect infrastructure.

Highways UK includes discussions around how organisations can make roads more resilient while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact of construction and maintenance.

This requires consideration of both new infrastructure and the enormous amount of road infrastructure already in use.

For highways organisations, the challenge is therefore not simply building new roads.

It is ensuring existing assets can continue performing reliably for decades to come.

Building a More Sustainable Road Network

Sustainability runs throughout the Highways UK programme.

Road construction and maintenance require significant quantities of materials and energy.

Reducing the environmental impact of infrastructure therefore involves examining how roads are designed, constructed, repaired and eventually renewed.

The event includes discussions around:

• Lower-carbon road construction
• Sustainable materials
• Circular economy principles
• Recycled road materials
• Reducing construction emissions
• Sustainable drainage
• Climate resilience
• Environmental performance

One 2026 case study will examine a road renewal project in Cheshire West and Chester that combined circular, waste-derived and carbon-absorbing materials.

The project reported substantial reductions in carbon and virgin material use compared with more traditional approaches.

Examples such as this demonstrate how sustainability is moving from a long-term ambition towards practical changes in the way road infrastructure is delivered.

Road Safety Remains Fundamental

Technology and sustainability are important, but the fundamental purpose of road infrastructure remains moving people and goods safely.

Road safety is therefore a major part of Highways UK 2026.

The programme includes discussions involving National Highways, Transport Scotland, Transport for London, the Welsh Government and other organisations examining how infrastructure can support safer roads.

Another important area is roadworker safety.

Thousands of people work on and alongside live road networks, often in challenging environments.

Improving safety therefore involves considering both the people using the network and those responsible for maintaining it.

Connected Communities

Roads do not exist independently of the communities around them.

They connect people with employment, education, healthcare, businesses and each other.

At the same time, road projects and maintenance can create disruption for communities.

Highways UK includes a dedicated Connected Communities programme examining how transport infrastructure can better support the places through which it passes.

This includes considering the experience of road users as well as the impact of road infrastructure on local communities.

As transport planning becomes increasingly data-driven, understanding how infrastructure affects people remains essential.

Smarter Asset Management

The UK has an enormous network of existing road infrastructure that must be continually maintained.

Asset management therefore represents one of the biggest long-term challenges facing the sector.

Road surfaces, bridges, drainage systems, signs, barriers, lighting and other infrastructure all require inspection and maintenance.

Digital tools can potentially give asset managers much greater visibility over the condition of this infrastructure.

Instead of information being stored across disconnected systems, organisations can increasingly bring different data sources together.

This can help create a clearer picture of asset condition and support decisions about where limited maintenance budgets should be prioritised.

Connectivity Behind Intelligent Roads

As highways become more digital, connectivity becomes increasingly important.

Sensors and connected infrastructure need a method of communicating information.

Traffic management systems need access to real-time data.

Cameras and monitoring equipment may need to transmit information back to control centres.

Connected vehicles increasingly interact with digital infrastructure around them.

This means telecommunications and data connectivity are becoming part of the wider technology infrastructure supporting modern road networks.

The road of the future may therefore be defined as much by the information moving around it as by the physical surface vehicles travel across.

Skills for the Future of Highways

Introducing new technology also creates a need for new skills.

Engineers and infrastructure professionals increasingly need to understand digital systems, data, sustainability and connected technology alongside traditional highways disciplines.

Highways UK 2026 includes a dedicated Professional Development Hub, providing another indication of how important workforce development has become.

Digital transformation only succeeds when organisations have people capable of implementing and managing the technology.

Developing the next generation of highways professionals will therefore be just as important as developing the next generation of highways infrastructure.

250+ Speakers Across the Industry

More than 250 speakers are expected to participate in the Highways UK 2026 conference programme.

The published speaker programme includes senior representatives from organisations including National Highways, Transport Scotland, the Office of Rail and Road, the Department for Transport, Transport for West Midlands, CIHT and local authorities.

The conference covers areas including:

• Strategic roads
• Local authorities
• Digital roads
• Connected communities
• Sustainability
• Materials and surfacing
• Asset management
• Road safety
• Data and AI
• Professional development

The breadth of the programme reflects the scale of the challenge involved in maintaining and modernising the country’s road infrastructure.

Highways UK Excellence Awards

The Highways UK Excellence Awards also return on the evening of 14 October.

The awards recognise organisations, teams, projects and individuals working across the highways industry.

For an industry facing significant technological, environmental and operational change, recognising successful projects also provides an opportunity for organisations to learn from approaches being adopted elsewhere.

Highways UK 2026: Practical Information

Highways UK 2026 takes place on Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October 2026.

Venue: Hall 5, NEC Birmingham

Dates: 14–15 October 2026

Wednesday: 9:00am–6:00pm

Thursday: 9:00am–4:00pm

Exhibition: More than 360 exhibitors

Expected attendance: More than 10,000

Speakers: More than 250

The event is co-located with Asphalt World UK, bringing additional focus to materials, surfacing and the technologies used to build and maintain road infrastructure.

Building the Roads of the Future

The future of highways will involve much more than asphalt, concrete and road markings.

Road networks are becoming increasingly connected, data-driven and intelligent.

Sensors can provide greater visibility.

Artificial intelligence can help analyse information.

Digital twins can create new ways to understand physical infrastructure.

Connected systems can help organisations respond to changing conditions.

New materials can reduce environmental impact.

Predictive maintenance can potentially identify problems before they become serious.

But delivering those improvements requires collaboration across the entire industry.

That is ultimately what Highways UK is designed to encourage.

On 14 and 15 October 2026, the NEC Birmingham will bring together the people, technology and ideas helping create safer, smarter, greener and more connected roads.