The winners of the 2026 DfT Special Recognition Awards were announced at Strictly Highways on Wednesday 7 October, celebrating the people, partnerships and projects making an outstanding contribution to the highways and transportation sector.
Now in their seventh year, the awards were established by the late Steve Berry OBE, the Department for Transport’s former Head of Highways Maintenance, Innovation and Resilience. LCRIG is proud to continue hosting the awards on behalf of the Department for Transport, carrying forward Steve’s legacy, which continues to inspire excellence and progress within the sector.
This year saw a fantastic number of nominations across eight award categories, with an exceptionally high standard of submissions. With a strong field of nominees in each category, the judging panel faced the challenging task of carefully considering every entry before selecting this year’s finalists.
Being shortlisted from such a competitive field is an achievement in itself, and we would like to congratulate every individual, organisation and partnership recognised this year.
For 2026, the awards also welcomed a new category – the Outstanding Contribution, Private Sector Award, recognising individuals who have made a lasting and meaningful impact on the highways sector.
2026 Award Winners
Best Use of Technology in the Highways and Transportation Sector – Sponsored by Nu-Phalt Contracting
This award recognises an organisation or partnership that has successfully used technology to improve efficiency, enhance decision making or deliver better outcomes for highway authorities and road users.
Winner – AtkinsRéalis – National Highways Structures Moonshot using advanced technology to transform bridge inspections.
Highly Commended – Telent – RTIG Bus Priority Project.
The National Highways Structures Moonshot is a technology-led programme transforming how ageing highway structures are inspected, understood and managed.
Judges said: “This submission stood out technically. It combines advanced NDT, guided waves, AI processing and muon tomography with unusually rigorous physical validation. For an award specifically called Best Use of Technology, this reaches 10: the technology addresses conventional methods struggle to do, is validated rather than merely demonstrated, and is changing real asset-management practice.”
Collaborative Partnership (between council(s) and supply chain) – Sponsored by Heidelberg Materials
The Collaborative Partnership Award recognises outstanding partnerships, collaborations or joint initiatives significantly contributing to the advancement and improvement of the highways and transportation sector.
Winner – Derby City Council in collaboration with Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, Coventry City Council, Hull City Council and Cheshire East Council.
Highly Commended – Balfour Beatty Living Places in collaboration with Lincolnshire County Council, WSP and SWARCO.
Rethinking the School Run, Derby City Council’s School Streets and School Safe Haven partnership, tackles the daily chaos outside school gates by putting children’s safety, cleaner air and active travel at the centre of local streets.
Judges said: “This collaborative and innovative approach to rethinking the school run, puts children’s safety, cleaner air and active travel at the heart of the programme while also tackling congestion and improving the experience around school gates.”
Net Zero Project of the Year – Sponsored by Galliford Try
The Net Zero Project of the Year Award recognises an outstanding innovation project delivered by an organisation or partnership that has advanced decarbonisation in the sector through measurable contributions.
Winner – Heidelberg Materials in partnership with National Highways and WSP.
Highly Commended – ADEPT – Live Labs 2: Decarbonising local roads.
Heidelberg Materials UK, working with National Highways and WSP, delivered a low-carbon reinstatement of the A47 Acle Straight near Great Yarmouth, transforming a 10-mile pavement renewal into a carbon exemplar project. Instead of following the original 100mm SMA20 PMB binder specification, the team developed and secured approval for a 150mm evoBuild foamed asphalt solution, maximising reuse of the existing road and eliminating the need for virgin aggregate in the binder course.
Judges said: “This collaborative project, delivered an impressive14,500 tonnes of foamed asphalt with 93% recycled content, including 13,485 tonnes of recycled material and approximately 2,400 tonnes of tar-bound planings diverted from specialist landfill.”
Transport Technology Innovation – Sponsored by Winvic
The Transport Technology Innovation award recognises transformative innovations addressing the evolving demands and future challenges of the highways and transportation sector.
Winner – AtkinsRéalis – National Highways Structures Moonshot – using advanced technology to transform bridge inspections.
Highly Commended – WJ Group – Instacure – Introducing Instant-Curing UV Road Marking Technology to the UK Network.
The programme responds to risks associated with ageing post-tensioned and half-joint structures, where tendons, ducts, reinforcement and other hidden elements can deteriorate with little external warning.
Judges said: “This is a highly innovative application of advanced inspection technologies such as muon tomography, backed by rigorous validation and live-structure deployment.”
Employer Initiative of the Year – Sponsored by Triopsis
This award recognises an outstanding initiative that has demonstrably contributed to employee retention and/or encouraged new employees to join the sector, while potentially delivering wider social value.
Winner – Colchester Council – Beyond the Uniform: Transforming Employee Wellbeing, Retention and Recruitment Through Behaviour Change.
Highly Commended – CORMAC – Academy Programme.
Colchester Council were unable to attend the ceremony in person to collect the award.
Beyond the Uniform is an employer-led initiative from Colchester City Council and the North Essex Parking Partnership, created to improve wellbeing, retention and recruitment by tackling abuse towards Civil Enforcement Officers at its source: public perception. Developed in response to employee feedback and delivered in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council, the campaign set out to humanise frontline officers, challenge misconceptions and encourage more respectful behaviour from the public.
Judges said: “This entry measured the thing it set out to change. Abuse towards Civil Enforcement Officers fell 73% against the previous year, with a published evaluation report behind the figure, 375 residents engaged directly and reach of 246,000 people.”
Highways Apprentice of the Year – Sponsored by RMS
The Highways Apprentice of the Year Award celebrates outstanding apprentices who have made significant contributions and had a positive impact on their course, workplace or the wider highways sector during their apprenticeship.
Winner – Chris Maude – CORMAC.
Highly Commended – Brandon Jones – Rochdale Borough Council.
During Storm Goretti, one of the most severe weather events to affect Cornwall in decades, apprentice Chris Maude delivered outstanding frontline leadership. Operating as Duty Area Coordinator for South East Cornwall during red‑level wind warnings and gusts of up to 99mph, Chris managed extreme call volumes, coordinated emergency responses to widespread tree falls and flooding, and safeguarded the public and critical transport links. His calm decision‑making, innovation and commitment to safety had an immediate, real‑time impact during exceptionally hazardous conditions.
Judges said: “Chris delivers excellent frontline leadership in extreme circumstances, beyond expectations of an apprentice. During Storm Goretti, he operated as a Duty Area Coordinator under red weather warnings, managing emergency response, risk, public communications, and crew deployment. Crucially, this is not just “performance under pressure” and evidence accelerated learning, decision-making maturity, and operational leadership developed in real time.”
Outstanding Contribution, Private Sector Award – Sponsored by Multevo
New for 2026, this award celebrates an exceptional individual working in the private sector who has made a lasting and meaningful impact on the highways sector, recognising those who consistently go above and beyond their role to improve outcomes, strengthen collaboration, drive innovation and make a significant contribution to the wider highways sector.
Winner – Seema Flower
Seema Flower, through her work with Blind Ambition, has been an inspiration and a breath of fresh air to the street works industry. Her knowledge, insight and practical guidance have been invaluable to HAUC (UK), Street Works UK (SWUK), the Joint Authorities Group (JAG), contractors and professionals across the sector.
Judges said: “Seema is an inspirational advocate and passionate disability rights champion and through her work with Blind Ambition, she has been a powerful voice for positive change in the sector.”
Best of Britain – Sponsored by Kiely Group
This award, named in honour of Will Britain, the founder of LCRIG, celebrates a public sector individual working on the officer or manager side of a local authority who has gone above and beyond to engage with their local community, improve local services, change local perceptions or play a key part in the sector.
Winner – Perry Hazell
Perry Hazell is a public-sector engineering leader who has gone far beyond his role at the London Borough of Southwark to create opportunities for young people and communities. Through Project Light Ville and Pathways into Lighting, Perry has personally developed a growing national STEM and work-experience programme connecting councils, schools, University Technical Colleges, professional institutions and employers.
Judges said: “Perry has made an exceptional contribution beyond his local authority role in connecting young people, communities, councils and the wider infrastructure industry, creating and delivering a programme of STEM engagement, work experience, volunteering and sector collaboration.”
Special Award
In addition to the DfT Special Recognition Awards, a special award was presented to Sandra Sewell, Head of Strategic Account Management at the Government Commercial Agency. Sandra has worked closely with LCRIG over the years and was instrumental in establishing the LCRIG Innovation Procurement System (IPS). As Sandra prepares to leave the GCA for pastures new, we would like to thank her for her contribution and wish her all the very best for the future.
Congratulations
We extend our congratulations to all this year’s winners, highly commended entries and shortlisted nominees. A special thank you to the Department for Transport, our judging panel, award sponsors and partners, and to everyone who joined us at Strictly Highways to celebrate the achievements of the highways sector.
Book your place at Strictly Highways 2027 here.