Top 100 Construction Projects to Drive GBP 39bn of Work in 2026

Posted by Glenigan on 26th January 2026 -

Civil engineering is due to provide the greatest boost in value terms, with 29 of the Top 100 construction projects in 2026 worth a combined £23.8 billion. This includes the seven biggest schemes set to begin construction this year.

The largest scheme coming up in 2026 is the £10.2 billion tunnels and approaches work on the Lower Thames Crossing in Kent (Project ID: 91161081).

Infrastructure boom

The next five biggest schemes are all valued at £1 billion or more. Four are also infrastructure-related and focused on improving the road network.

The second section of the A5 Western Transport Corridor roads scheme in Northern Ireland, which has a value of £1.7 billion, is due to start early this year (Project ID: 09050276).

A public highways and public realm agreement in Westminster will begin in October and run until 2039, with potential expenditure of around £1.25 billion (Project ID: 25089949).

A £1.2 billion package of roadworks to support the Lower Thames Crossing should start this summer and is the fourth largest scheme in the pipeline in 2026 (Project ID: 22190541).

 Utility programme

The largest non-infrastructure scheme in the pipeline is Network Rail’s £1 billion Project Reach, which comprises the installation of trackside fibre optic cables alongside the rail system in London (Project ID: 21190978). Work should begin imminently.

There are a total of 10 utilities projects worth a total of £3.5 billion among this year’s Top 100 construction projects.

Two packages on the Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme for Marl Hill (Project ID: 19417883) and Swarther (Project ID: 21306096) are both valued at £483 million and will start in November and August, respectively.

 Office rebound

The office and commercial sector is showing signs of a major rebound, with 23 schemes in the latest Top 100 with a combined value of £6.3 billion. This compares to nine office and commercial schemes in the 2024 Top 100 worth a total of £1.6 billion.

The largest – and one of two office and commercial schemes in the Top 10 – is the £750 million Bidder Street Data Centre in Newham, East London, which is ranked eighth. Construction work should commence in April on this scheme, according to Glenigan’s industry research (Project ID: 22299265).

Ranked one place below in ninth is a major extension to the British Library, with Mace overseeing £700 million in construction work due to begin in June (Project ID: 15291949).

Housing boost

The housing sector provides the largest number of actual projects in the Top 100 construction projects, with 37 projects valued at £6.9 billion.

The private residential sector provides the bulk, with 26 schemes with a combined value of £4.8 billion. The largest – ranked in eleventh place – is a £577 million housing scheme at Marsh Wall in central London, where work should begin in February (Project ID: 14317547).

There are 11 social housing schemes in the Top 100 worth a total of £2.1 billion. The largest is the £400 million Fallowfield Campus student accommodation development in Manchester, where a start is expected in February (Project ID: 23180716).

Better times

With projects in the latest Top 100 construction projects in 2026 coming from 10 different sectors, all areas of the industry should be in for a better year in 2026.