How can we maintain and develop Sweden’s road network in a sustainable, long-term way in a changing climate? This was a key question addressed at the first major results conference organised by the KCV road technology centre. The centre’s research projects range from bio-based asphalt and the recycling of road construction materials to AI-based road condition assessment, automated and electrified transport, and the future of road maintenance.
The Road Technology Competence Centre (KCV, or Kompetenscentrum Vägteknik)) aims to ensure a long-term supply of knowledge and expertise in road technology to help address the challenges facing Sweden’s ageing road network, including increased transport volumes and the impacts of climate change. In autumn 2026, the Swedish Transport Administration’s ten-year research initiative on road infrastructure, launched in 2023, held its first major results conference. The aim was to present findings from completed and ongoing projects and provide opportunities for discussion and the exchange of experience between researchers and industry representatives.
“KCV has reached its first major milestone with this results conference. Presenting findings from both completed and ongoing projects, while creating opportunities for networking and dialogue between researchers, road authorities and industry, is important for advancing knowledge and expertise in the field,” says Joacim Lundberg, Director of the Road Technology Competence Centre and Senior Lecturer in Transport and Roads at Lund University’s Faculty of Engineering (LTH).
Holger Wallbaum, Assistant Head of Department, for Research, at ACE, and a member of the KCV board, emphasises that research and innovation are needed alongside the maintenance of today’s road network.
“If Sweden is to maintain robust and reliable infrastructure, simply maintaining our roads is not enough. We must also invest in research and innovation to develop the next generation of road infrastructure and modernise the existing system,” says Holger Wallbaum.
For the Swedish Transport Administration, the investment in KCV is, among other things, about ensuring a long-term supply of the expertise needed to manage and develop Sweden’s road network.
“The Swedish Transport Administration faces major challenges in the coming years when it comes to maintaining and developing the road network in a sustainable, long-term way. Development is therefore essential, and KCV will play an important role through its research and by making knowledge accessible to the industry,” says Robert Karlsson, the Swedish Transport Administration’s contact person for KCV.
From asphalt and recycling to AI
Eight research projects within the Road Technology Competence Centre:
Jelke Dijkstra from ACE/Chalmers
A research project using data assimilation and machine learning to improve road condition assessment. By combining advanced models with measurement data, the aim is to interpret road conditions with increasing accuracy and in near real time.Kun Gao from ACE/Chalmers
The MATARI research project explores how automated and electrified vehicles may change the loads and wear experienced by road networks. The researchers are developing models to assess the new demands these developments may place on road infrastructure and its maintenance.Thomas Lundberg from VTI
Research into how ground-penetrating radar and laser-based measurements of road surface structure can be used to assess the homogeneity of newly laid asphalt. The results show, among other things, that the two measurement methods provide different types of information and need to be used separately depending on the type of pavement.Sigurdur Erlingsson from VTI
Developing methods for using road surface data to improve VTI’s model for road wear caused by studded tyres. Modern measurement technology makes it possible to collect data across entire traffic lanes at normal driving speeds. In the longer term, this could provide faster and less expensive data for modelling, among other things, the wear caused by studded tyres.Aakriti Mohanty from KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Research into how lignin, a natural polymer found in the cell walls of plants, can be used to develop more bio-based asphalt. One aim is to replace some of the fossil-based, petroleum-derived binder currently used in asphalt.Valeri Petkov from Luleå University of Technology
The Grusfabriken research project investigates how excavated soil and rock materials can be reused as aggregate in road construction. Automated quality assurance and more efficient logistics could make it possible to reuse larger quantities of material, thereby reducing both resource consumption and climate impact.Jiqing Zhu from VTI
A research project seeking safer alternatives to methylene chloride, a toxic solvent used in laboratory analyses of asphalt. The project has identified several promising alternatives and demonstrated that supercritical carbon dioxide can dissolve bitumen. This approach will now be investigated further.Johan Casselgren from Luleå University of Technology
Research into the digital monitoring of winter road maintenance. By combining friction data from connected vehicles with, among other things, weather data and information about winter maintenance operations, the researchers aim to explore how the quality and effectiveness of winter road maintenance can be monitored more effectively.
The Road Technology Competence Centre (KCV) aims to ensure a long-term supply of knowledge and expertise in road technology in Sweden. Long-term funding from the Swedish Transport Administration provides the conditions for research, recruitment and investment in the equipment needed to develop robust and sustainable road infrastructure.
Partners
Lund University’s Faculty of Engineering (LTH) and Chalmers University of Technology jointly host the Road Technology Competence Centre. Its partners are Chalmers University of Technology, TU Delft, Ecoloop, Linköping University, Luleå University of Technology, Lund University, Lund University’s Faculty of Engineering (LTH), Ramboll, RISE, Skanska and VTI.