WORCESTER, Mass. - This week, hundreds of people visited Worcester to map out the future of transportation in the state at MassDOT's annual Innovation Conference. 

This year's event was held at the DCU Center on Tuesday and Wednesday. The conference is held to highlight the latest in transportation tech, and it's grown considerably in the past few years. 

There was a focus on road safety, both for drivers and pedestrians. Speakers also highlighted how advances in construction have allowed crews to cut timelines down for bridge and road repairs. 

State Highway Administrator John Gulliver said it's also a good chance for the state and private sector to come together. 

“We have a lot of automated vehicles, a lot of electric vehicles, a lot of things related to climate this year, which of course transportation is a big, big part of," Gulliver said. "There’s a lot to take in and we’ve encouraged everybody who’s been here the last couple of days to really walk around, talk to each other, and see if there’s some opportunities they could apply to their everyday jobs.”

The annual conference started back in 2012 among MassDOT employees, but it's since grown to include local businesses and nonprofits.