RoadLCA 2026 - https://roadlca2026.unipa.it/ 

The 7th edition of the international symposium on Life-Cycle Assessment for Pavements and Bridges under the new acronym “ROADLCA” will be held in Palermo, Italy, September 30th to October 2nd, 2026 with the SMARTI Lab, Department of Engineering and Centre for Sustainability and Ecological Transition of the University of Palermo as main local organizer, and with international support from University of California Davis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Arizona State University

The Congress intends to be a global forum for scientists, engineers, road authorities and road pavement industry from diverse countries and cultures, who will interact, exploring ways and strategies to face global and regional challenges on the use of life cycle thinking with focus on pavements and bridges for roads, although the forum also embraces innovations also in railways and airports. This will promote international cooperation and research exchanges in the field of environmentally sustainable transport infrastructure.

The aim of the Congress is to discuss innovation inSustainability, Resilience, and overall Decarbonisation of each life cycle stage of transport infrastructure for: design, materials, construction, use and end-of-life within in a climate change context. This edition gives particular attention to implementation of industry best practices globally, including policy makers, and will be promoting a conversation to understand opportunities and limitations of harmonizing these international examples at European level and beyond.

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The targeted audience follows:

• Road Administrators at all levels, national managers, regions, cities, towns
• Asset management professionals
• Pavement design and maintenance engineers
• Researchers and academics
• Industry professionals
• Policymakers and government representatives
• Infrastructure project managers
• Sustainability and environmental professionals
• Students and early-career professionals
• Technology providers

Submission Guidelines

The submission and review of abstracts and papers for LCA 2024 will be managed through the ROADLCA2026 EasyChair online conference paper management system This system gives you, the author, complete control over your submission.

You can submit your abstract and check on the review status of your submission. You will be notified by email if your abstract has been accepted or rejected. If it is accepted, then you can update your submission by uploading your draft paper. If the draft paper is accepted, then you can update your submission again by updating the previously uploaded file.

List of Topics

• Conference themes

  LCA METHODOLOGIES FOR TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

• Advancements in LCA methodologies and tools
• Data collection, data selection, uncertainty analysis, and interpretation
• Comparative LCA studies for infrastructure project types

• MATERIALS, DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY

• Durability and service life assessments
• Maintenance strategies to enhance performance and minimize environmental impacts
• Evaluating the environmental impacts of materials and construction
• Recycling and reuse of materials in pavements, bridges, and roadways
• Carbonation of concrete: science, models, research, and implementation

• USE STAGE AND END OF LIFE ANALYSES

• Pavement vehicle interaction research and implementation
• Radiative forcing: science, research, and strategies

• CLIMATE CHANGE AND RESILIENCY

• Life cycle thinking in climate change planning
• Climate change mitigation
• Human thermal comfort: science, research, and strategies

• POLICY, STANDARDS, AND CERTIFICATION

• Integration of LCA into regulatory frameworks and industry standards
• Policy schemes for sustainable pavements, bridges, and roadways
• Integrating LCA into design and decision-making processes
• Prioritization of strategies for implementation

• CASE STUDIES AND BEST PRACTICES

• Successful LCA applications for pavement and bridge projectss
• Lessons learned and best practices from sustainable infrastructure initiatives
• Lessons learned and best practices for clean procurement
• Collaborative approaches for knowledge transfer and capacity building

• SOCIAL ASPECTS AND WORK FORCE OF THE FUTURE FOR PAVEMENT AND BRIDGE SUSTAINABILITY

Committees

LOCAL and INTERNATIONAL CHAIRS

• Davide Lo Presti (chair),University of Palermo, Italy
• Clara Celauro (vice-chair)University of Palermo, Italy

• John Harvey (co-chair),University of California Davis, USA
• Imad Al Qadi (co-chair),University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
• Gerardo Flintsch (co-chair),University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
• Hasan Ozer (co-chair),Arizona State University, USA
• Ana Jimenez Del barco Carrion (co-chair),University of Granada, Spain

LOCAL ORGANISING Committee

• Maurizio Cellura,University of Palermo – CSTE
• Gaetano Di Mino,University of Palermo,
• Anna Granà,University of Palermo
• Sonia Longo,University of Palermo – CSTE
• Marzia TraversoCircular srl
• Maria Luisa Tumminello,University of Palermo
• Konstantinos Mantalovas, University of Palermo

other details on Committees will be published soonFeel free to contact us at roadlca2026@unipa.it for more information

Venue

The conference will be held in a peaceful and stunning location in one of the most captivating cities in Italy – Palermo.

Palermo is the capital of the Sicilian region in Italy. It is located in the northwest of the island, overlooking the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Throughout history, Palermo has always been a place where different perspectives have been presented and discussed to find balanced and sustainable solutions.

Embraced by the sea, Palermo in summer is an exciting and inspiring venue. We look forward to fruitful discussions and valuable learning experiences in Palermo.

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to roadlca2026@unipa.it