The Digital Shift: Experts Explore Tech’s Impact on Construction’s Future

With the backdrop of a rapidly changing industry, Roads & Bridges is hosting a panel of industry experts at CONEXPO/CON-AGG to discuss the future through the lens of technology, strategy and innovation. 

Roads & Bridges’ Senior Managing Editor Gavin Jenkins will be joined by Ed Shappell, WSB’s vice president of strategy-technology; Kevin Garcia, Trimble’s general manager of civil specialty solutions and Aaron Chamberlin, U.S. HEEP’s Area 4 Director at our booth in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Grand Lobby — GL20803 — at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4.

The trio will share their predictions for how the industry will evolve as advancements in technology and data become further incorporated into every level of construction — and what that evolution means for the workforce and business models. 

The Digital Jobsite 

Jobsites are becoming increasingly connected through data-sharing, digital tools and shared workflows. With these advancements comes greater responsibility across both the public and private sectors. Teams must prioritize interoperability to ensure data is accessible to all project partners while maintaining strong data privacy standards. On Wednesday, panelists will explore how those responsibilities translate to real-world operations. 

Technology and the Real World  

Technology alone cannot replicate the jobsite in a digital environment. It takes people to translate real-world project needs into effective digital solutions. The panel will discuss the role technology plays in workforce development as new tools are implemented, and what it takes to ensure the next generation of workers can keep pace in an evolving industry.   

Technology and the Bottom Line  

While technology adoption continues to expand across the industry, the panel will also examine its financial impact. With a growing pool of digital solutions available, agencies and contractors must evaluate which tools best meet their needs — and how quickly they can be implemented, adopt by the workforce and deliver measurable returns. 

The roads and bridge construction industry is at a pivotal moment, and success hinges on the ability to adapt to the digital landscape to expand workforce capabilities, modernize project delivery and streamline communication. Our panel of experts will shed some light to make the road ahead less hazy.