Tunnel operations & safety on the agenda in Krakow
This week (September/ October 2026), the World Road Association (PIARC) brought together members of Technical Committee 4.4 on Tunnel Operations for a week dedicated to knowledge sharing, collaboration and the exchange of best practices in road tunnel operations and safety.
The meetings took place in the historic city of Krakow, Poland, as part of a full week dedicated to road tunnels and tunnel safety. A key highlight was the PIARC International Conference on Road Tunnel Operations and Safety, where the Technical Committee presented its latest reports, findings, and ongoing work to an international audience.
The third edition of the conference was organised in collaboration with the Polish General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) and the PIARC National Committee in Poland (Polish Road Congress). Building on the success of previous editions, the conference once again provided an important international platform for discussion, knowledge exchange, and the sharing of experience on road tunnel operations, safety, practices, and policies.
To coincide with the meetings and conference in Krakow, PIARC also launched its Tunnels Thematic Week, placing a special focus on the organisation’s extensive work in the field of road tunnels.
Throughout the week, PIARC highlighted technical reports, online resources, ongoing projects, and the work of its international expert committees. Dedicated content was also shared through PIARC’s communication and social media channels, helping make its knowledge and resources on tunnel operations and safety more accessible to the wider international tunnel community.
Bringing together the Technical Committee meetings, the international conference, and the Tunnels Thematic Week created a valuable platform for exchanging experience, presenting new knowledge, and strengthening cooperation across countries and organisations. It also provided an opportunity to showcase the breadth of PIARC’s work and the important role that international collaboration plays in addressing both today’s challenges and the future development of safe, resilient, and sustainable road tunnels.
During the PIARC Technical Committee meetings, experts from around the world come together to discuss how road tunnels can become safer, more sustainable, more resilient, and better prepared for emerging mobility trends and new technologies.
The committee’s work is organised through dedicated working groups and task forces, each focusing on key topics and challenges within road tunnel operations. Their work results in technical reports, briefing notes and recommendations covering areas such as tunnel resilience, maintenance and operational practices, active modes of transport, and the implications of new propulsion and vehicle technologies.
An important part of this work is learning from practical experience. The working groups conduct case studies, collect examples of good practice and gather knowledge from tunnel owners, operators and experts across different countries. This provides valuable insight into how common challenges are addressed under different regulatory, operational and technical conditions.
The findings contribute directly to the continuous development of the PIARC Road Tunnels Manual and to PIARC’s broader international knowledge base. By bringing together experience from across the global tunnel community, the committee helps transform practical lessons and emerging knowledge into guidance that can support safer, more efficient and more sustainable road tunnel operations worldwide.
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