I’ve been watching the construction industry struggle with a challenge that grows more urgent every year. We are facing a dual crisis that could slow global development. On one side, the demand for major infrastructure projects keeps increasing. We need more tunnels, better transport networks, and stronger structures to support a growing population. On the other side, there is a shortage of the people needed to build them. Experienced workers and qualified inspectors are hard to find, which creates logistical problems and serious safety risks.
The growing challenge
This shortage is not a temporary blip. Over the past decade, the industry has seen an ageing workforce, fewer apprenticeships, and a lack of investment in training for new entrants. As the population grows and urban centres expand, this gap becomes more critical. Projects are becoming more complex and expensive. At the same time, the people who have the knowledge and skills to carry them out are retiring or leaving the industry. The result is a workforce stretched thin and projects increasingly vulnerable to delays and accidents.
Looking at the traditional approaches, it is clear that many processes are falling behind. Outdated networks and slow manual inspections are struggling to keep up with modern pressures. They cannot meet the growing demand, protect workers effectively, or maintain infrastructure reliably. Maintenance schedules are often reactive, responding to problems only after they appear. Communication between sites and management offices can be slow, with reports travelling by paper or email, leaving delays in identifying risks. If we want to keep people safe and our built environment strong, the industry has to adopt new methods and technologies.
Embracing innovation
One promising approach comes from a new generation of infrastructure powered by photonics-based, speed-of-light communications. These systems can help address the skills shortage and improve how construction sites are monitored and maintained. They allow vast amounts of data to travel instantly, giving project teams a much clearer picture of what is happening on site at any given moment. With these networks, inspections can be carried out remotely, maintenance can be predicted before failures occur, and safety risks can be addressed immediately.
The numbers make the urgency clear. According to the Health and Safety Executive, construction accounted for 28% of worker fatalities in the UK in 2024/25, with 35 deaths recorded. These figures reflect the real dangers people face every day.
Changing the way we build tunnels
Tunnel construction provides a clear example of where technology can make a difference. Traditionally, tunnels are demanding projects. Workers operate in confined spaces, often under shifting ground conditions, and rely on physically intensive methods. Inspections require staff to enter areas that may be difficult to access and potentially unsafe. Experienced personnel are increasingly scarce, which makes carrying out these tasks even harder.
Digital tools are starting to transform tunnel projects by tackling these long-standing challenges. Automating surveillance and inspection keeps workers away from hazardous areas while ensuring continuous oversight. Data collected from sensors and cameras can be analysed in real time, allowing teams to spot problems early and make decisions quickly. This not only improves safety but also helps maintain quality standards and reduces the likelihood of delays.
Remote monitoring has become essential for both construction and long-term maintenance. Systems installed during the build phase can continue to provide data long after a tunnel is operational. They can monitor structural integrity, track environmental conditions, and detect issues like water ingress or corrosion before they become serious problems. This allows maintenance to be planned rather than reactive, reducing downtime and extending the life of the infrastructure.
Data-driven construction
Data-driven management is becoming the norm, supported by high-capacity, low-latency networks. These networks allow large amounts of information to move instantly for analysis. Teams can identify potential risks before they become accidents and take action to prevent delays. For example, if a geological sensor detects instability ahead of an excavation, engineers can intervene immediately rather than waiting for a problem to emerge.
Continuous monitoring also allows projects to stay on schedule. With real-time updates from multiple sites, management can allocate resources efficiently, coordinate teams more effectively, and respond quickly to unexpected issues. Sites that once operated in isolation are now connected, allowing collaboration between offices, contractors, and field teams. This makes project delivery smoother and safer, giving teams the confidence that work is being carried out effectively.
The challenges in tunnel construction highlight why these innovations are so valuable. Confined spaces, heavy machinery, and unpredictable ground conditions make traditional approaches difficult to sustain. Digital tools reduce the reliance on human presence in high-risk areas and provide insights that would be impossible to achieve with manual methods alone.
Smarter inspections and maintenance
Some tunnel areas are difficult to access and require focused inspection. Mobile cameras and communication tools allow inspectors to assess these areas remotely, identifying cracks, leaks, or other structural concerns early. Inspections can then be targeted to the areas that need attention, reducing the burden on the network and lowering costs.
The benefits extend beyond the construction phase. Fibre optic networks and photonics systems installed early can be used for inspections, monitoring incidents, and checking for corrosion throughout the life of the tunnel. Preventative maintenance, accurate record-keeping, and real-time monitoring reduce costs and support sustainability while keeping the public safe.
Using the same infrastructure across different stages of a project improves efficiency and delivers real business value. The systems installed for construction can continue to provide insights during operations, allowing maintenance to be planned and executed with minimal disruption. This creates a more reliable, cost-effective approach than traditional methods and ensures that investments deliver long-term returns.
By embracing these methods, the sector can set a new standard for how infrastructure is built and maintained, ensuring that the next generation of tunnels, transport networks, and structures are safe, resilient, and built to last.
Continuous monitoring and safer work
The benefits extend beyond the construction phase. Fibre optic networks and photonics systems installed early can be used for inspections, monitoring incidents, and checking for corrosion throughout the life of the tunnel. Preventative maintenance, accurate record-keeping, and real-time monitoring reduce costs and support sustainability while keeping the public safe.
Using the same infrastructure across different stages of a project improves efficiency and delivers real business value. The systems installed for construction continue to provide insights during operations, allowing maintenance to be planned and carried out with minimal disruption. This creates a more reliable, cost-effective approach than traditional methods and ensures that investments deliver long-term returns.
Importantly, these systems also transform how safety is managed on site. Continuous monitoring allows teams to identify risks as they emerge, giving workers and inspectors the information they need to make decisions quickly and safely. By linking operational efficiency with real-time oversight, the technology ensures that safety is maintained at every stage, from construction to daily tunnel operations.
Katsutoshi Itoh
Katsutoshi Itoh is the Chair of the Use Case Working Group at the IOWN Global Forum and Corporate Distinguished Engineer, Head of Lund Technology Laboratory at Sony Corporation.
