13 March 2026 | Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Held during Intertraffic Amsterdam 2026 (10–13 March 2026), the ERF–ENBF Joint Tour took place on 10 and 11 March, offering participants a unique opportunity to explore innovation directly on the exhibition floor.
Organised by the European Union Road Federation in cooperation with European Noise Barrier Federation, and with the support of the International Road Federation, the tour guided participants directly to exhibitors’ stands, where ERF member companies showcased their latest technologies and solutions.
The involvement of IRF also reflects the ongoing unification process between ERF and IRF, marking an important step towards stronger global cooperation and alignment across the road sector.
A Tour Focused on Key Industry Challenges
Across the two days, the tour provided a clear snapshot of how the road sector is evolving in response to major challenges such as decarbonisation, circular economy, and enhanced safety performance.
What made the experience particularly valuable was its format: participants were able to engage directly with experts at each stand, discussing real-world applications and gaining practical insights into how new solutions can be implemented. This direct interaction ensured that conversations were not only informative, but also highly relevant to current industry needs.
Key Highlights from the Tour
Rethinking Noise Barriers for a Low-Carbon Future
The presentation by Sealed Air (Whisper®) focused on the decarbonisation of noise barrier walls, with particular attention to embodied carbon—now recognised as the main source of emissions for such infrastructure.
Speakers highlighted how Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Green Public Procurement, and evolving regulations are reshaping market expectations. The key takeaway was that sustainability must be embedded at the design stage. By reducing material use, simplifying structures, enabling recyclability, and extending lifespan, innovative acoustic panels can significantly reduce carbon footprints while maintaining high performance.
Making Sustainability Measurable
DELTABLOC and UNICMI provided a comprehensive overview of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and their growing importance in European construction.
Based on lifecycle assessment methodologies, EPDs deliver transparent and comparable environmental data. The session explained how they are increasingly used across procurement processes—from technical specifications to award criteria—supporting more informed and carbon-conscious decision-making.
The speakers also highlighted ongoing efforts to harmonise methodologies across product categories, particularly for noise barriers and road restraint systems, ensuring consistency and fairness across the market.
Faster, Smarter Foundations
GroundPlug® presented its steel foundation systems, focusing on efficiency, adaptability, and sustainability.
The systems are designed for rapid installation, reducing project delays and disruptions. At the same time, they support circular economy principles, as components can be easily removed, reused, and recycled. This approach directly addresses growing industry demands for lower carbon materials and more flexible construction solutions.
Transparent Barriers with Long-Term Performance
Polyvantis showcased its PLEXIGLAS® Soundstop transparent noise barrier systems, combining acoustic performance with durability and design flexibility.
With over 90% transparency, these solutions provide both functional and aesthetic benefits, making them suitable for a wide range of environments. Their long-term durability—supported by a 30-year guarantee against yellowing—was demonstrated through extensive testing and real-life applications. The presentation also underlined compliance with European standards and the recyclability of materials, contributing to sustainability objectives.
Improving Safety Through Better Design
GDTech focused on crash analysis for road restraint systems, with particular attention to complex configurations such as curved junctions.
Using advanced simulation and testing techniques, the presentation showed how safety performance can be improved by better reflecting real-world conditions. The findings highlighted that innovative, non-standard configurations can significantly reduce impact severity, contributing to safer infrastructure design.
Testing, Inspection and Certification for Road Safety Systems
CSI S.p.A. (IMQ Group) presented its comprehensive testing, inspection, certification, and engineering services supporting road safety infrastructure. The session highlighted full-scale crash testing capabilities in line with major international standards, including EN 1317, as well as the organisation’s role as a Notified Body for CE marking of road restraint systems and related products. A key focus was on innovative methodologies to assess the forces transmitted from barriers to bridge decks, addressing limitations of traditional theoretical and experimental approaches. CSI showcased advanced solutions using strain gauges and calibrated measurement systems, offering a more cost-effective and reliable way to evaluate real impact conditions. These developments contribute to more accurate infrastructure design, particularly for bridges and complex installations, while ensuring compliance with European standards.
Circular Noise Barriers from End-of-Life Tyres : Turning Waste into Infrastructure
Hatko introduced a solution that addresses two major environmental challenges simultaneously: waste tyres and traffic noise.
By transforming end-of-life tyres into noise barrier materials, the system delivers strong acoustic performance with a low carbon footprint. This approach illustrates how circular economy principles can be effectively applied in road infrastructure, turning waste into a valuable resource.
Safer Solutions for Bridges and Tunnels
REBLOC presented its EN 1317-compliant precast concrete barriers, specifically designed for high-risk environments such as bridges and tunnels.
These areas present unique challenges, including limited space, restricted access, and the inability to anchor systems into the ground. REBLOC’s barriers, tested across containment levels from T3 to H4b, provide scalable protection for both passenger vehicles and heavy goods vehicles.
Their compact footprint makes them ideal for space-constrained environments, while freestanding designs preserve the integrity of bridge structures. In tunnels, rapid installation and minimal space requirements help reduce operational disruption. A proprietary coupling system—requiring no loose components—further enables quick deployment and removal, improving efficiency and worker safety.
Combining Safety and Sustainability
Tertu presented its hybrid wood and steel vehicle restraint systems, highlighting the use of sustainably sourced materials such as Douglas fir.
These systems combine environmental benefits with high safety performance and are fully recyclable. The presentation also stressed the importance of certified transitions between barrier systems, which are essential to ensure continuity and reliability in real-world road conditions.
One Message, Many Solutions
Across all presentations, a consistent message emerged:
sustainability must go hand in hand with safety and performance.
The solutions showcased demonstrated that reducing environmental impact—through material innovation, lifecycle optimisation, and circular design—is not only achievable, but already being implemented across the sector.
At the same time, evolving European regulatory frameworks—particularly in relation to lifecycle assessment, carbon accounting, and procurement—are accelerating this transition and shaping the future of infrastructure development.
Strengthening Collaboration Across the Sector
Beyond the technologies presented, the ERF–ENBF Joint Tour highlighted the importance of collaboration and knowledge exchange.
By guiding participants directly to exhibitors’ stands, the tour created a highly interactive environment that encouraged open dialogue between industry players, researchers, and policymakers.
As the road sector continues to evolve in response to climate, safety, and mobility challenges, initiatives such as this tour play a crucial role in bridging innovation and implementation—supporting the development of safer, more sustainable, and more resilient road networks.