As a UK delegate and working group leader of PIARC Technical Committee 4.5, I had the privilege of participating in the 17th World Congress on Road Winter Service, Resilience and Decarbonisation earlier this year. Held in Chambéry, France, the Congress brought together a global community of practitioners, researchers and policymakers, united by the challenge of how to accelerate decarbonisation while improving the resilience of road infrastructure systems.

The purpose of the Congress was to enable international knowledge exchange, showcase innovation and align approaches across the road sector. With strong global representation, the scale and diversity of attendees highlighted the growing international focus on resilience and decarbonisation. Throughout the event, the mood was pragmatic yet optimistic, with clear recognition of the challenge but also confidence that many of the solutions already exist and can be implemented.

Award-winning session

A personal highlight for me was the Technical Committee’s double session on the decarbonisation of construction and maintenance, which was recognised as Overall Winning Session of the Congress. It was a proud moment for our Technical Committee and even more rewarding to see how this recognition reflects a broader shift across the industry, where decarbonisation is no longer peripheral but a core priority within the road sector.

The session focused on three key themes: early-stage planning and design, next-generation construction practices, and the use of carbon calculation tools to support decision-making. A consistent message was that emissions associated with construction, rehabilitation and maintenance must be addressed alongside operational emissions.

Reducing emissions through efficiency

One of the many compelling insights at the World Congress was the impact of logistics and planning. Evidence presented showed that emissions from earthworks alone can vary by around 40% depending on decisions such as haul distances, material reuse and equipment efficiency. This shows that meaningful reductions can be achieved through better planning and efficiency, without relying solely on emerging technologies.

Another key theme was the application of lean management principles. Reducing inefficiencies such as unnecessary transport, waiting times and rework not only improves delivery but directly reduces carbon emissions. Supporting this, the importance of ‘getting it right first time’ was emphasised, with poor design and premature failure identified as major drivers of avoidable lifecycle emissions.

The discussions also highlighted the need for consistent and transparent carbon measurement, with the lack of harmonised methodologies across countries remaining a barrier to comparability and effective target-setting.

Reflecting on the Congress, I came away with a clear sense that the transition to low-carbon road infrastructure is well underway. The challenge now is scaling these approaches, firmly embedding decarbonisation into decision-making, procurement and delivery. Events such as the World Congress play a vital role in enabling that shift, bringing together knowledge, evidence and collective ambition to drive meaningful change.

• To find out more about the 17th World Congress on Road Winter Service, Resilience and Decarbonisation, click here
www.piarc-chambery2026.com

• For more information on PIARC, click here

www.piarc.org

Image: ‘VHRD Chambéry Congress-191’ supplied