Call for Abstracts: 3rd PIARC International Conference on Road Tunnel Operations and Safety
The 3rd PIARC International Conference on Road Tunnel Operations and Safety will take place in Cracow in October 2026. The third edition of this event will explore key aspects of road tunnel planning, design, and construction, with a strong focus on safety, operation, and maintenance.
Abstract Submissions Until October 15, 2025
Until 15th October 2025 the World Road Association PIARC accepts abstract submissions from a wide range of professionals involved in any phase of the tunnel lifecycle – including representatives of road administrations, designers, researchers, engineers, contractors, suppliers, and those responsible for tunnel operation, maintenance, or safety.
Three Main Thematic Blocks
Each proposed presentation should offer meaningful insights aligned with one or more of the three main thematic blocks outlined below:
Planning and designing
Construction technologies and tunnel equipment: best practices and experiences
Safety, operation, maintenance and human factors
Each author is asked to propose the most suitable thematic block for their presentation and possibly marked in the notes whether any aspects from the other main thematic blocks will be mentioned.
PIARC encourage participants to share their views on which solutions, requirements, equipment, and safety systems should become mandatory standards, which should remain optional, and which may prove economically unviable.
The extended abstract should have a length of maximum 1000 words and could also contain figures for better illustration. Abstract guidelines are available on www.piarc.org.
Once accepted for presentation at the conference, speakers will be expected to deliver a 15–20-minute talk accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation. The presentations and extended abstracts will be shared after the conference and available to download from the PIARC website.
Authors whose abstracts are not offered a presentation session may be offered a poster session to have the opportunity to present their topics and share their knowledge with the international tunnel community during the Conference in Cracow in October 2026
