Transcending Borders, Building Strengths: Where Collaboration Meets Innovation

The 2026 WASHTO Annual Conference will explore how partnerships drive progress, strengthen resilience, and inspire innovation across the transportation community. This year’s theme is partnership, emphasizing the power of connection, how we work together to solve challenges, shape the future workforce, and deliver better outcomes for the people and places we serve.

We invite proposals that highlight successful collaborations, innovative approaches, and lessons learned through partnerships at every level, within agencies, across state lines, with local governments, federal partners, private industry, academia, and community organizations. Sessions should demonstrate how partnerships transform challenges into opportunities, particularly in addressing evolving transportation, workforce, and societal needs.

Potential focus areas include, but are not limited to:

· Interagency and Interstate Collaboration: Innovative models of cooperation among state DOTs, MPOs, and federal partners to enhance mobility, safety, and infrastructure performance.

· Tourism and Event Coordination: Partnerships with destination and marketing organizations to manage transportation systems during major tourism surges and special events.

· Workforce Development and Retention: Collaborations that build the next-generation transportation workforce, promote employee well-being, foster relationships across generations, and encourage long-term retention.

· Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability: Joint efforts with public land managers, environmental agencies, and industry partners to protect natural resources while advancing transportation goals.

· Industry and Economic Partnerships: Partnerships with mining, logistics, and energy sectors to mitigate impacts on roadways, traffic, and the environment.

· Behavioral and Safety Research Partnerships: Collaborative efforts with universities, safety organizations, and behavioral researchers to understand and influence driver behavior and roadway safety trends.

· Post-COVID Collaboration and the Future of Work: Partnerships that address the evolving nature of work, hybrid teams, and operational resilience in the post-pandemic era.

 

Proposals should emphasize collaborative approaches, measurable impacts, and/or replicable models that other agencies can learn from or adopt.