Top 100 Construction Projects to Drive £39bn of Work in 2026
Glenigan’s analysis of the 100 largest construction projects due to start in 2026 shows work spread across ten sectors, suggesting a better year for the industry as a whole.
Civil engineering accounts for the most value, with 29 projects worth a combined £23.8 billion, including the seven biggest schemes. Top of the list is the £10.2 billion tunnels and approaches package for the Lower Thames Crossing in Kent. The next five schemes are each worth £1 billion or more and are mostly road-related, including the £1.7 billion second section of Northern Ireland’s A5 Western Transport Corridor, a Westminster highways and public realm agreement worth around £1.25 billion running to 2039, and a £1.2 billion roads package supporting the Lower Thames Crossing.
The largest non-infrastructure scheme is Network Rail’s £1 billion Project Reach, installing trackside fibre optic cable in London. Ten utilities projects are worth £3.5 billion in total, including two £483 million packages on the Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme.
Office and commercial work is rebounding, with 23 schemes worth £6.3 billion compared with nine worth £1.6 billion in the 2024 list. The largest are the £750 million Bidder Street Data Centre in Newham and a £700 million extension to the British Library overseen by Mace.
Housing supplies the most projects: 37 schemes worth £6.9 billion. Private housing accounts for 26 of these (£4.8 billion), led by a £577 million scheme at Marsh Wall in London, while 11 social housing schemes total £2.1 billion, the largest being the £400 million Fallowfield Campus student accommodation in Manchester.
