Asia’s largest roads and highways platform to showcase
innovations, policy dialogue and industry excellence on July 8-9
Mumbai: India’s road infrastructure sector
is approaching a defining moment. After years of record highway construction,
the focus is shifting from building more roads to building better ones—roads
that are more durable, technology-enabled, sustainable and capable of
delivering greater lifecycle value.
These priorities will take centre stage at the 16th
RAHSTA Expo 2026 (Roads and Highways Sustainable Technologies &
Advancement), to be held on July 8-9, 2026, at the Jio World
Convention Centre, Mumbai.
Organised by ASAPP Info Global Group, in association
with the FIRST Construction Council, the 16th RAHSTA will build on these
discussions by bringing together the complete roads and highways ecosystem to
explore solutions for India's next phase of infrastructure development.
With the theme “Roads, Highways, Bridges & Tunnels –
Connecting Sustainably, Safely, Smartly,” the event will showcase how
innovation, digitalisation, advanced construction equipment, sustainable
materials and collaborative policymaking are reshaping the country’s transport
infrastructure.
At a time when India’s infrastructure ambitions are
accelerating under Vision 2047, the industry is also confronting new realities.
Contractors are becoming more selective, project financing models are evolving,
technology adoption is gathering pace, sustainability is becoming integral to
infrastructure development, and lifecycle performance is increasingly taking
precedence over lowest-cost construction.
These issues formed the basis of two high-level industry roundtable
discussions organised in the run-up to RAHSTA 2026, bringing together leading
contractors, infrastructure developers, equipment manufacturers, consultants,
technology providers and policymakers.
“What this has done is create a 360-degree attack. Materials,
equipment, labour, capital—everything is being affected simultaneously. Our
industry already works on very thin margins, and this has added another layer
of pressure,” said Pratap Padode, Founder, FIRST Construction Council,
while discussing the impact of rising global uncertainties on India’s road
construction sector. “How sustainable is road construction when input costs are
rising but bids are still falling? On one hand, negative bids show appetite. On
the other, they also indicate serious inherent risk in project execution,
quality and completion,” he added.
Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry (Retd.), Former Director General,
Border Roads Organisation and Chairman, RAHSTA Committee, cautioned that India’s infrastructure ambitions must be
supported by better procurement practices and long-term thinking. “The ‘easy’
highway projects are largely behind us. The future lies in technically
demanding projects across difficult terrains. Success will depend on stronger
collaboration between policymakers, contractors, financiers and technology
providers.”
Highlighting the growing importance of RAHSTA as a national
infrastructure platform, Deepak Kumar, IAS, Infrastructure & Industrial
Development Commissioner, Government of Uttar Pradesh, commented in a video
interview, “RAHSTA provides an excellent platform for states to showcase our
infrastructure progress and investment ecosystem. Uttar Pradesh has transformed
significantly over the past decade, backed by more than 34 investor-friendly
industrial policies, and platforms like RAHSTA help communicate these
developments to industry stakeholders from across the country.”
A comprehensive industry platform
RAHSTA Expo 2026 will showcase the latest innovations across
the entire roads and highways ecosystem, including road construction equipment,
earthmoving and paving machinery, bridge and tunnel technologies, intelligent
transport systems, road safety solutions, geosynthetics and advanced
construction materials, digital construction technologies, asset management and
maintenance solutions, and sustainable and green infrastructure technologies.
Leading companies exhibiting include Caterpillar, Tata
Hitachi, Volvo, LiuGong India, Electrotherm India, Kaushik Engineering Works,
Suntech Geotextile, Kataline Infra Products, Lysaght Taperline Poles, Alcolite
India Road Safety, Shakambhari Group, among several other national and
international exhibitors.
RAHSTA Conference
Running alongside the exhibition, the RAHSTA Conference
will feature thought leaders from government, industry, academia and
infrastructure institutions discussing the future of India’s road sector.
Among the distinguished speakers are Sanjay Sethi,
Additional Chief Secretary (Transport), Government of Maharashtra; Deepak
Kumar, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary & Infrastructure &
Industrial Development Commissioner, Government of Uttar Pradesh Bidur Kant
Jha, Director – New Technology for Highway Development, MoRTH; Dr Sanjay
Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA; Dr Brijesh Dixit, Managing
Director, Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation ,
Anilkumar Gaikwad, Vice Chairman & MD, MSRDC; Dr Brijesh Dixit,
MD, MSIDC; Sandeep Singh, MD, Tata Hitachi; Ajay Hans, Managing
Director, GHV Infra Projects, Bovin Kumar, CEO, Cube Highways; TR Rao,
Whole Time Director, PNC Infratech; to name a few.
Recognising excellence
The event will also host the RAHSTA Awards 2026, recognising
excellence across the roads and highways ecosystem. The awards will honour
outstanding achievements across 24 categories, covering road developers,
contractors, construction equipment manufacturers, technology innovators,
material suppliers, sustainability initiatives, smart mobility solutions and
project execution excellence.
The awards aim to recognise organisations and professionals
driving innovation, quality, safety and sustainability across India's rapidly
expanding road infrastructure sector.
Strong industry support
RAHSTA 2026 has received extensive support from industry
stakeholders.
Major sponsors include BKT Tires, Autodesk, Invest UP,
Monte Carlo, Electrotherm India, Tata Hitachi, SRMB, Balaji Loha, LiuGong
India, Shakambhari Group, Ammann, Maccaferri Infrastructure and UltraMax Steel.
The event is also supported by several industry bodies and
associations, including the Builders Association of India (BAI), Construction
Equipment Rental Association (CERA), Consulting Engineers Association of India
(CEAI), International Road Federation (IRF), CSIR-CRRI, CILT India, All India
Transporters Welfare Association, Hydraulic Trailer Owners Association (HTOA),
Gujarat Contractors Association, Bitumen Forum, Fluid Power Society of India,
Indian Institute of Material Management, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and
Waterways, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, Mumbai First, and other leading
organisations.
With participation expected from senior government
officials, infrastructure developers, EPC contractors, consultants, investors,
equipment manufacturers, technology providers and material suppliers, RAHSTA
2026 is expected to become one of the country’s most significant
knowledge-sharing and business networking platforms for the roads and highways
sector.
Event: RAHSTA Expo 2026
Date: July 8-9, 2026
Venue: Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai
Inquiries: Rohan 84240 82455
About
RAHSTA
RAHSTA (Roads and Highways Sustainable Technologies &
Advancement) is Asia's leading exhibition and conference dedicated to roads,
highways, bridges and tunnels. Organised by FIRST Construction Council in
association with ASAPP Info Global Group, the platform brings together
policymakers, infrastructure developers, contractors, consultants, technology
providers, equipment manufacturers and investors to accelerate innovation and sustainable
development in India's road infrastructure sector.
The 16th edition of this annual conference will
deliberate on topics including next-generation highways, digital construction,
road safety, sustainable materials, financing models, tunnel and bridge
construction, intelligent asset management, policy reforms and emerging
technologies.