RoadLCA 2026
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 from USA and University of Granada from Spain.
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 in Sustainability, 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.
aaaaa
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
Want an info or become a Partner or Sponsor?
contact us at roadlca2026@unipa.it
Important dates
NEW DEADLINE: November 30, 2025
abstract (250 words)
NEW DEADLINE: February 15, 2026
Full paper (6-10 pages)
NEW DEADLINE:
April 15, 2026
revised Full paper (6-10 pages)
How to submit
ABSTRACTS – NEW deadline 30/11/2025
The submission and review of abstracts and papers for ROADLCA 2026 will be managed through the 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.
PAPERS
There will be published indexed Proceedings and possible publication in Special Issues for selected works
Feel free to contact us at roadlca2026@unipa.it for more information
Paper Guidelines
- English is the language of the symposium and of all submissions. All papers must be written in English and must be free of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors.
- Papers submitted to LCA 2024 Symposium must be original; papers published or accepted in a journal or conference proceedings or presented at another conference will not be accepted.
- All papers must follow the manuscript formatting guidelines presented in the provided template. Compliance with these guidelines will minimize delays for authors, peer reviewers, and staff and will facilitate subsequent revision of papers for publication.
- The maximum length of the paper must not exceed 10 pages (including title page and all figures, graphs, tables, and references).
- All papers/documents should be delivered in PDF (*.pdf) format compiled from Word files or from another software program. PDF files prepared from scanned documents will not be accepted.
- Authors must secure necessary clearances and written permissions from holders of copyrights on material used in the paper. Authors must have concurrence from co-authors or co-workers before submitting papers, and all contributions to the work must be properly acknowledged. If a paper accepted for publication contains previously copyrighted materials, the ROADLCA2026 committee will assume the authors have obtained necessary permission(s).
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
Organizing 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),
Virginia Tech, USA - Hasan Ozer (co-chair),
Arizona State University, USA - Ana Jimenez Del barco Carrion (co-chair),
University of Granada, Spain
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISING Committee
- Maurizio Cellura,
University of Palermo – CSTE - Gaetano Di Mino,
University of Palermo, - Sonia Longo,
University of Palermo – CSTE - Antonio Covais,
Circular srl - Maria Luisa Tumminello,
University of Palermo - Anna Granà, (SC Co-Chair)
University of Palermo - Konstantinos Mantalovas, (YMC Co-Chair)
University of Palermo - Eugene Amrah (SC Co-Chair)
Virginia Tech, USA - Lara Diab, (YMC Co-Chair)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Young Members Committee
- Lara Diab, (CO-CHAIR)
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Konstantinos Mantalovas, (CO-CHAIR)
University of Palermo - João Oliveira dos Santos,
University of Twente - Pamela Haverkamp,
RWTH Aachen University - Maria Tsakoumaki,
National Technical University of Athens - Ibrahim Elnaml,
Louisiana State University - Asad Khan,
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Murryam Hafeez,
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Ivan Akonya,
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Feiyu Huang,
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Ben Moins,
University of Twente - Mayara Siverio Lima,
Universitat Innsbruck
- Egemen Okte,
University of Massachusetts Amherst - Jhony Habbouche,
Asphalt Institute - Milena Rangelov,
Smart EPD - Stefano Coropulis,
Polytechnic University of Bari - Rajab Ali Mehraban,
Polytechnic University of Turin - Valentina Scaramucci,
Marche Polytechnic University - Austin Jarrell,
Federal Highway Administation - Qingwen Zhou,
Wayne State University - Nadarajah Sivaneswaran,
Federal Highway Administation - Brian Dobling,
WSB - Peter Bacas,
ERG
RoadLCA 2026 Ambassadors
- Tony Parry,
AtkinsRéalis - Ankit Gupta,
Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi - James Maina,
University of Pretoria - Marzia Traverso,
RWTH Aachen University
- Veronica Castello,
Federal University of Ceará - Wilmar Darío Fernández Gómez,
Francisco José de Caldas District University - Carlos Chang,
Florida International University - David Hernando,
University of Antwerp
Local support committee
- Davide Randazzo Mignacca,
University of Palermo - Gabriele Musso,
University of Palermo
- Usman Ghani,
University of Palermo
Draft Program
This program is subject to change.
Registration
coming soon
Location
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.
Conference Venue
The University of Palermo will host ROADLCA2026 in the Aula Magna (Building 7) of the Department of Engineering and the Polididattico (Building 19).
The conference venue, located at Viale delle Scienze, is easily accessible by bus from the city center or the central station (routes 104, 108, 118) and by metro (Palazzo Reale/Orleans station). Link in maps
Travel information
Palermo International Airport
Palermo International Airport is located about 35 km from the city center. During the summer, it becomes quite busy, offering direct flights to almost all European countries, as Palermo and Sicily are major tourist destinations.
A variety of legacy and low-cost carriers operate flights to numerous European cities. Here, the list of airlines.
How to reach Palermo city centre from Palermo airport:
TRAIN
The train service to and from the airport operates daily. The railway station is located on the underground level of the terminal.
For information on schedules and fares, please visit www.trenitalia.com.
The ticket price from Palermo Aeroporto to Palermo Centrale (Central Railway Station) is €6.80.
BUS
The Autolinee Prestia e Comandè bus connects Palermo Airport to the city center, with multiple stops along the route.
- Timetable: Click here
Frequency: Every 30 minutes
Trip duration: 45–60 minutes
Ticket price: Approximately €6.00 (one way)
Where to buy tickets:
At the airport ticket office (next to the Arrivals area and the bus stop)
Online
Via the app
On board the bus
TAXI SHARING
Two designated platforms for taxi-sharing cars are located in the Arrivals area. These platforms and vehicles are easily recognizable.
The fare is €10 per passenger, applicable only with a minimum of four passengers.
The service is provided by:
WhatsApp: +39 331 3284403
Coop. Radio Taxi Trinacria – +39 091 6878
Book online: www.6878.it/taxi-sharing
WhatsApp: +39 331 4296956
Coop. Autoradio Taxi – +39 091 8481
Book online: www.taxi-palermo.com/taxi-sharing-palermo
TAXI
A taxi service is available at the Arrivals exit, coordinated with flight arrival times.
If no taxis are available, you can call one of the numbers below (approximate wait time: 20 minutes):
- Coop. Trinacria: +39 091-225455 | +39 091 6878
- Coop. Autoradio taxi: +39 091-513311 | +39 091 8481
An information desk is also located outside the Arrivals area.
Taxi Fares (Palermo ↔ Airport)
Central Station / Brancaccio: €50
Viale Michelangelo / Viale Lazio: €39
Corso Calatafimi / Corso Vittorio Emanuele: €44
CAR
Palermo Airport is connected to the city centre via the A29 highway (about 35 km, i.e. 40–45 min drive).
Program organizers, Patronages and Partners
Sponsors
Gold sponsors
Silver sponsors
Bronze sponsors
Patronage
Want to become a Partner or Sponsor?
contact us at roadlca2026@unipa.it