At the October 2026 edition of Asphaltica in Bologna, industry leaders, network operators, and institutions addressed the strategic priorities of road infrastructure maintenance, signage safety, and circular economy practices.
Organized by BolognaFiere in collaboration with SITEB (Italian Roads and Bitumen Association) in the new Hall 37, Asphaltica 2026 brought together 140 exhibitors across 9,800 square meters. Beyond the exhibition floor, the event served as a central platform for dialogue between companies, researchers, and public authorities on making road networks safer, more durable, and environmentally sustainable.
Strategic Dialogue Between Industry and Institutions
During the official sessions at the SITEB Agorà, representatives from BolognaFiere, SITEB, and the Emilia-Romagna Region underscored the critical role of modern road corridors for mobility, logistics, and territorial competitiveness.
„Road infrastructure is a strategic asset for the country’s competitiveness, for the mobility of people and goods, and for the quality of our territories. Today the challenge is not only to build new infrastructure, but to make existing infrastructure safer, more efficient, more sustainable and able to benefit from the opportunities offered by technological innovation,” noted Gianpiero Calzolari, President of BolognaFiere. „This is precisely the role we want to play: to create platforms where expertise, technologies and public policies can meet and turn into concrete development.”
Addressing the economic realities faced by contractors, Raffaella Donghi, President of SITEB, emphasized the need for long-term planning: „Rising costs of raw materials, energy and transport are putting companies under pressure. Continued investment in maintenance and in the safety of the network is therefore needed, accompanied by rules capable of guaranteeing the economic sustainability of the works and their quality and durability.”
Regional officials, including Emilia-Romagna Vice President Vincenzo Colla and Regional Councillor Irene Priolo, further highlighted the importance of combining infrastructure resilience and hydrogeological protection with material recovery and research.
The General Assembly of Road Construction and Road Safety
A centerpiece of the institutional agenda was the Stati Generali delle Costruzioni Stradali (General Assembly of Road Construction), opened by ANAS CEO Claudio Andrea Gemme. The debate brought together motorway concessionaires (AISCAT), the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, PIARC Italia, and the European Asphalt Pavement Association (EAPA) to examine planned maintenance strategies, investment frameworks, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies for asphalt pavements.
Road safety also took center stage with the preview presentation of the „Manuale per i segnali luminosi” (Manual for Light Signals) by Assosegnaletica (federated with Anima Confindustria), produced under the patronage of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The technical workshop outlined operational best practices for designing, installing, and managing variable message panels, flashing lights, and traffic light systems.
Live Demonstrations at the Sustainable Construction Site
Throughout the four-day exhibition, visitors attended live operational demonstrations at the Sustainable Construction Site (Cantiere Sostenibile), created in partnership with InFrastrade. The dedicated area showcased the full road rehabilitation cycle in line with circular economy principles and Italy’s Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM Strade), including:
- Subgrade stabilization and compaction using latest-generation machinery.
- Simulated laying of asphalt mixtures with a high content of reclaimed milled material.
- On-site materials testing via a mobile laboratory, electric line-marking equipment, and rapid localized pothole repair solutions.
These practical demonstrations, alongside discussions on AI-driven predictive maintenance and Smart Roads, illustrated how the sector is translating regulatory and environmental targets into everyday construction site efficiency.
Following the success in Bologna, the Asphaltica network will next convene in Rome for Asphaltica World on October 20–21, 2027, before returning to BolognaFiere for its full exhibition format in 2028. www.asphaltica.it
Partener Principal
MATEK Build Smart