AI and Digital Twins Take Center Stage at World’s Largest Transportation Forum

• 16 January 2026
• Construction Focus
• 979 Views

The future of how we move is being rewritten this week at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting. As 12,000 global leaders, policymakers, and engineers descend on the nation’s capital, the spotlight has shifted toward a powerful technological duo: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Twins.

At the heart of the conversation is Bentley Systems, the infrastructure engineering software giant. The company is demonstrating how “connected data” is no longer just a buzzword, but a vital tool for maintaining the world’s aging roads and bridges.

With transportation agencies facing chronic staffing shortages and tightening budgets, Bentley is showcasing innovations designed to do more with less. The standout highlight of the forum is Blyncsy, Bentley’s roadway analytics solution.

This technology turns everyday vehicles into mobile inspectors by crowdsourcing dash-cam imagery to monitor road conditions, using AI and machine learning to identify hazards, and providing coverage for rural areas that are often overlooked by manual inspections.

The technology is already proving its worth in the Pacific. The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation is currently utilizing the Blyncsy solution to scan state roads. By anonymizing and analyzing imagery, the program helps the DOT identify safety issues faster than ever before, ensuring that maintenance crews are deployed exactly where they are needed most.

Throughout the week, Bentley experts are leading sessions on everything from geotechnical engineering to transport modeling. The goal is clear: move high-level research into everyday practice.

As the forum continues, the focus remains on how digital twins—virtual replicas of physical assets—can help agencies predict failures before they happen, potentially saving billions in infrastructure costs and improving safety for millions of commuters.

• Digital Twin
• AI
• Bentley Systems
• Transportation Research Board