2023 Finalists- Highways Awards 2023

Active Travel Scheme of the Year

Awarded to an organisation, highway authority or joint submission that has implemented a scheme with novel innovation and design, benefiting the community and the local environment.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

The £14m Liverpool Lime Street Project has transformed one of the busiest and most historic areas in Liverpool by creating a world-class gateway to Liverpool with “best in class” active travel provision. The radical scheme has reduced the number of trafficked lanes on Lime Street from six to two and reallocated the road space for active travel, placemaking, urban green-up and high-quality public realm. The public realm has been enhanced by using high-quality materials to create an accessible, pedestrian friendly environment. The finished scheme innovatively integrates modern transport infrastructure with high quality landscape architecture, public spaces and artwork, resulting in a more accessible and people focused environment, inclusive for all users. Central to the scheme are approximately 1km of new segregated cycle lanes, designed to the highest standards to seamlessly connect to a new strategic cycle network across the city. Additionally, the project includes a substantial 4,000m2 expansion of high-quality public realm, extending St. Georges Plateau and creating more space for events adjacent to the Grade 1 listed St. Georges Hall. Delivering impressively against five of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the scheme has put “a people and planet first” approach at the heart of the design process. Since opening, the extended plateau at St George’s Hall has successfully hosted a number of events including Remembrance Day and the annual Christmas Market. There has also been a notable increase cycling and pedestrian footfall in the area. Safety, air quality and inclusivity have also been improved. Embracing the council's "grey to green" aspirations, the scheme introduced 32 street trees, greening the cityscape, providing shade, and promoting mental health and well-being. These trees are part of a new sustainable urban drainage system that directs runoff through the tree root systems, effectively reducing flooding and enhancing water quality. Moreover, this system ensures the trees receive much-needed water, minimising maintenance requirements. The Lime Street Scheme showcases how harmonious integration of engineering and architecture can address the challenges facing society today, whilst always complimenting and valuing our local heritage.

Submission Summary

Ayrshire Roads Alliance, Sweco, Story Contracting and Streets UK worked in partnership to design and construct a new dedicated pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian underpass, avoiding the need to cross the A719 carriageway and allowing the connection of a local walking and cycling path to the strategic National Cycle Network (NCN 7). To build upon the community benefit the underpass brings, a sensory garden and biodiversity area were also installed, within an adjoining site, providing a healthier and attractive environment which can be enjoyed by all. ARA in partnership with South Ayrshire Council and East Ayrshire Council are committed to increasing walking and cycling trips throughout the region. This is mirrored in the active travel strategies recently published by the two authorities The strategies combined with an aspirational network of strategic active travel routes represent the ambition for the region. The improvements created by the new underpass and sensory garden are one of the first steps in the creation of this strategic vision. The project team have taken the scheme from inception to construction, striving for excellence, ensuring best practice, and have captured that needs of the potential users as well as insuring the local community’s buy-in. Throughout the construction phase of the scheme Story Contracting ensured that the materials used were sustainable and locally sourced and used their experience within the rail industry to gain reclaimed items from historic railway lines.

Submission Summary

The Burgess Hill Place and Connectivity Programme transforms Burgess Hill into a 21st century town by integrating a Growth programme with active travel connectivity, creating sustainable, inclusive communities based on the 20-minute neighbourhood concept. The new Walking and Cycling programme establishes the right conditions for all users, regardless of mobility, to choose active travel and promote physical and mental health and wellbeing. This embodies Mid Sussex District Council’s bold aspirations to promote sustainable economic growth, creating sustainable local employment opportunities, alongside residential and community facilities, whilst committing to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and reaching net zero by 2030. We worked closely with all the development partners, including MSDC, WSCC Highways and Public Rights of Way, Network Rail and East Sussex County Council to ensure the routes were properly managed during construction and the work met the highest standards. This included providing stakeholder management and site supervision to ensure the public were kept safe and fully informed while the works were completed. Working with delivery partners we also facilitated social value that included engaging with over 400 school children, providing 100 hours of local volunteering and wellbeing initiatives the creation of 50 bird and animal boxes by local community groups using recycled materials and a summer geocache trail for local children. The successful completion of this project has been truly remarkable; delivering an effective response to a complex set up within 18 months during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a total of 14km of new active travel opportunities provided to date. Otherwise inaccessible paths have now been linked, including those connecting to public transport hubs and employment areas. Of real importance has been the removal of barriers to provide the right conditions for all users, regardless of mobility, to choose active travel and promote physical and mental health and supporting the delivery of sustainable, inclusive communities. In addition, it has given vital insights for future programmes, demonstrating the power of collaboration between partners to progress shared goals while providing essential support through project management tools, expert advice and stakeholder engagement.

Submission Summary

Essex Pedal Power, a first-of its kind community-led, active travel project, was launched in 2021. The pilot scheme was a partnership between the Active Essex Local Delivery Pilot, Essex County Council, The Active Wellbeing Society, Tendring District Council, Sport England, Cycling UK, and local community groups. The £2.7 million initiative in Clacton and Jaywick has innovatively transformed local cycling infrastructure, provided over 760 free bikes to date, and reconnected a previously segregated community with employment, education opportunities, and each other. Research highlighted that the biggest barrier to cycling as a form of active travel is the inability to afford a quality bike. Jaywick, the UK’s most deprived town, had seen this barrier exasperated by the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and worsening deprivation. To improve transport connections and access to employment in the area, the project included upgrades to the existing National Cycle Network from Jaywick Sands to Clacton, as well as the construction of a new cycle route connection Clacton to the train station. These infrastructure transformations, together with the provision of free, quality bikes to residents, have increased mental and physical wellbeing, supported economic growth, and addressed a plethora of inequalities within the local community. The residents of Jaywick and Clacton have been given a chance to help themselves, where previously they felt trapped in deprived wards, with no means to improve their quality of life. Follow-up data has shown how residents have grabbed this opportunity with both hands, creating a thriving community of cyclists who are supporting each other to take advantage of the newly unlocked opportunities in the wider surrounding areas.

Submission Summary

The Gloucestershire Cycle Spine is a high quality cycle and walking route delivering the highest levels of compliance with LTN1/20 encouraging mode shift by significantly altering the character and behaviours along the entire corridor. Early stage results already show significant growth in cycle volumes along completed parts of the route alongside some reductions in casualties despite the fact that much of the project remains under construction. Key stakeholders such as Active Travel England and Sustrans are strong advocates of the scheme reflecting high funding allocations and positive feedback to self assessment evaluation. As work continues along the Spine we expect to see significant mode shift and further reductions in carbon emissions alongside public health benefits.

Submission Summary

The Manor Park Road scheme has provided a significant uplift to the public realm and improvements to the active travel environment on a route connecting the local community to the Elizabeth Line, Manor Park and Romford Road. By making Manor Park Road a better place for walking and cycling, the scheme forms a vital piece of the broader network of routes to access local and regional amenities by active travel modes. The street has been transforming into a showcase of high quality design, and provides a pleasing public realm for pedestrians and cyclists. Where Manor Park Road meets the busier Station Road, a new raised pedestrian crossing with granite setts demarcates the start of a cycle and pedestrian priority zone. The scheme’s most notable feature is its planting and greenery, which improves the look and feel of the street, provides drainage, enhances biodiversity, and reduces air pollution. The street is now much safer for active travel, with slower vehicle speeds, a narrower carriageway, and bollards to guide vehicles. Pavements have been widened, cycle parking has been added, and new bollard structures at the west end of the scheme demarcate the boundary of this distinctive zone. The effect of the scheme has been the creation of a calmer, more family-friendly environment that provides an ideal context for the Manor Park Community Garden, and provides a pedestrian and cycle-friendly link to key amenities such as the Elizabeth Line station and Romford Road for the local community.

Submission Summary

Waltham Forest declared a Climate Emergency in April 2019 and in response introduced a range of schemes to reduce carbon emissions in the borough, including an ambitious School Streets delivery Programme. School Streets are an initiative to improve air quality, make it easier and safer for residents to travel actively to school, and create safer, more pleasant environments. The programme involves turning the street(s) around a school into a pedestrian and cycle only zone at set times in the morning and afternoon. Restrictions typically last up to one hour (twice a day) and apply Monday to Friday during term time only. Alongside the vehicle restrictions a range of complementary behaviour change initiatives are available to the school community and residents including free cycle loans, cycle training, kick-scooter parking and bespoke route planning for parents and carers. Waltham Forest has introduced 22 highly successful School Street schemes leading to air quality improvements, reductions in vehicle movements near to schools, and a 10% modal shift to more pupils travelling actively.

Apprentice of the Year

Awarded to an individual working in the highways industry for the first time, who has made a considerable contribution in the workplace.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

Ellen joined AIUK in 2021 during the pandemic, having zero knowledge of our industry. Since then, Ellen has been involved in numerous schemes and has moved around various administrative, operational and commercial departments/teams to develop a strong understanding of the business and industry she now works in. All of her movements gave her insight into where operational processes could be made leaner and more efficient and she has never shied away from sharing knowledge of where improvements can be made. This has been invaluable to AIUK. She has streamlined our approach to management of projects by creating a system allowing Project Quantity Surveyors and Contract Managers to identify areas of good performance/improvement. She demonstrates exemplary commitment to improving performance. Ellen takes each task/challenge presented to her with vigour. She’s intuitive and meets challenges head on, seeking additional training/advice, as required in order to complete the tasks ahead of her, becoming more knowledgeable in the process and applying her skillset to whatever role or task is presented to her. Ellen continues to gain experience in various different roles and tasks and has proved to be an extremely adaptable, motivated and driven individual, proactively seeking knowledge by attending numerous courses, working with various different teams, and often, requesting additional tasks helping to contribute to her personal fulfilment, professional development and career advancement. Ellen did not let her lack of construction industry knowledge prevent her from being a core part of the team, and going forwards, the industry will benefit from the different approaches that Ellen takes to be able to solve problems, build meaningful relationships whilst continuing to grow her knowledge base . Ellen is proactive in progressing her skills in construction and is an asset to AIUK. If she continues at the same pace, with the same enthusiasm and detail to any given task, we believe she will progress forward in either AIUK or elsewhere in the industry.

Submission Summary

Olivia is an enthusiastic and highly motivated member of the Balfour Beatty’s Living Places team, she has thoroughly absorbed herself in learning about all aspects of the role of a quantity surveyor. Unafraid to voice her opinions or ask questions, and unfazed by any task assigned to her. Encouraged to become a part of the drive for more diversity and inclusivity, Oliver has worked tirelessly to help create a safe and open environment for flexible working, enabling the industry to tap into a new pool of talent. She has represented and promoted the construction sector and is keen to encourage the next generation to pursue a career in construction, including those hard-to-reach groups, and address diversity and inclusion issues faced across the industry. Her engagement with schools and colleges is challenging the perceptions of construction industry. Her implementation of a buddy scheme across Balfour Beatty’s Living Places for new apprentices, has helped ease the transition into their new roles, being beneficial for all the team especially the onboarding process and most importantly assisting in those first nerve wracking days of a new job. Olivia is part of a new generation of determined young women joining construction for the industry to be progressing forward.

Submission Summary

Katie Withers is in her second year of a Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeship with Northumbria University and works as a Road & Street Works Professional Assistant (Compliance) in the Highway Network Management Section (HNMS) of Durham County Council. Alongside her role in the Compliance team, Katie takes a keen interest in promoting the decarbonisation agenda as Strategic Highways Carbon Champion. Katie qualified as a dentist prior to commencing her apprenticeship and after practising for three years, she realised it wasn’t for her and made the brave decision to walk away and pursue a career in civil engineering. Her experience in a highly regulated environment has enabled her to apply professionalism, critical thinking and diligence in work area to the benefit of the organisation. I have promoted Katie by eight grades since she joined us two years ago due to her outstanding work and extraordinary level of commitment. I have been impressed by her dedication to finding solutions to problems within the HNMS and developing new and more efficient ways of working, as well as using her skills to help and support others, including other apprentices. Her work ethic and desire to go above and beyond to both raise professional standards amongst other engineers and students and contribute to addressing the climate emergency, whilst at the same time producing first-class academic work for her apprenticeship, has been exceptional. Katie won Apprentice of the Year at the Durham County Council Inspiring People Awards 2022. She was invited to meet the Secretary of State for Education to represent her cohort of degree apprentice students due to her outstanding academic results, excellent interpersonal skills and enthusiasm for the programme. Katie has an exciting future with the prospect of continuing to climb the management ladder at Durham County Council whilst specialising in her area of interest, sustainability in highways construction, after completed her degree. She is passionate about using her role as a public servant to make a difference to people’s lives and contribute to society. I am confident that with talented, motivated and committed young engineers like Katie, the industry has a bright future.

Submission Summary

Macy has shown tremendous enthusiasm, communication skills and initiative throughout the first few years of her apprenticeship. Starting during the pandemic she had the extra difficulty of learning about the job whilst much of the time was spent remote working. She has demonstrated diligence, organisation skills, and hard work to balance the considerable demands of an engineering degree course whilst completing her project work to a high standard during the rest of the week. She has quickly learnt lots of technical skills in delivering a variety of project work within our highways and bridges maintenance activities, in both design and operational areas, through the rotations that she has been on. Through this she has built strong relationships with colleagues at all levels throughout Oxfordshire Highways. Macy has always been keen to volunteer for other activities outside of her project and university work. Her leadership of the Graduate and Trainee Forum has been impressive, including leading peers who have more experience than her. It has been good to see how this experience has then increased her confidence and leadership skills. Macy has spoken at a number of recent STEM events with students – she has spoken exceptionally well about her apprenticeship and the opportunities it has given her. Through this work she is acting as an exceptional female role model to those considering engineering and construction as a career path. Her active role in Milestone’s social value work has been another key part of Macy’s nomination – she has made an outstanding contribution to our contract fundraising activities, as well as helping to lead our work with local Primary Schools to promote construction and road safety.

Submission Summary

Joe, a degree apprentice at Ringway Jacobs has completed his fourth year at Liverpool John Moores University, gaining expertise in designing and overseeing the construction of various structures. In addition to his role as a Technician for the Bridges and Structures Team, Joe has supported the Asset Management team and has also mentored apprentices. He was involved in the design and construction of the contracts first ultra-low carbon producing scheme on Marthall Lane bridge. The project achieved innovative green goals, including the use of an Instagrid battery pack and a hybrid hydrogen and solar powered welfare unit. Joe successfully led a contract-wide presentation on these successful innovations. Throughout his apprenticeship, Joe has worked in multiple areas of the contract, gaining a wealth of experience and knowledge in highways. He actively participates in discussions to overcome challenges and mentors new employees. Joe went above and beyond by volunteering for the winter out of hours emergency response service, taking on the role of Duty Inspector. He worked all hours of the night, assessed risks, and took appropriate actions to ensure highway safety, liaising with various stakeholders. Joe has consistently performed well in his academic training and pursued additional courses to enhance his skills. He has embraced new working methods and demonstrated a willingness to learn management skills by training office-based apprentices. Despite facing obstacles, such as his mother's cancer diagnosis, Joe managed to maintain his progress as an engineer. He effectively balanced his daily work, out-of-hours responsibilities, and academic commitments, delivering quality work on time. He also overcame challenges associated with changing working dynamics and increased responsibilities in his new role. Joe brings dynamism and competence to various aspects of the structures team, including asset management, design, and construction. His passion for promoting engineering and apprenticeships contributes to the industry's growth and attracts young talent. Joe’s contributions include his work on innovative projects, mentoring apprentices, taking on emergency response duties, and actively promoting engineering. His dedication, adaptability, and commitment to learning have positively impacted the team, employer, and industry.

Submission Summary

In what still remains a predominantly male orientated business, Katie is an exemplar to all. Her raison d’etre is always to look at how she can create better outcomes for her projects, communities and the landscape surrounding us. As well as delivering technical excellence, Katie should be applauded for the additional roles she delivers, including ‘Charity Champion’, ‘Environmental Champion’, and ‘STEM Ambassador’, the latter which benefits engineering significantly, especially through Katie’s focus on those from traditionally underrepresented groups such as males and females from minority backgrounds. Katie represents everything that is great about our industry, WSP and our Local Government business. She is passionate, caring, insightful and always delivers on her promises. Katie is helping change the face of our industry, she has a very bright future ahead as a leader and is a wonderful example to others as to how important it is to use your own experiences to lift others to achieve their potential.

Submission Summary

Matthew’s apprenticeship has significantly benefited the Local Government Hertford team by enhancing expertise, upgrading internal skill sets, promoting knowledge sharing, improving problem-solving capabilities, fostering collaboration, increasing efficiency, and inspiring professional development. Matthew’s drive and determination to be a role model to his colleagues and future talent it is extraordinary. From his STEM activities to organising virtual work experience weeks to giving up his Friday evenings to the Combined Cadet Force at his old school, aiding with training, leadership development, and knowledge-sharing sessions, all while working towards his Army officer commission has proven this. He is a keen communicator, networking with his peers and fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment, supporting the WSP wellbeing culture. Matthew has consistently shown the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and contribute innovative ideas that have positively impacted project outcomes and colleagues’ development. His rapid progression in so many different areas of the business has developed his engineering and business knowledge. His adaptability and attitude to each task have enabled him to deal with problems quickly and effectively while learning on the job from other engineers. Matthew has exemplified a positive attitude toward the learning process, approaching each learning opportunity with enthusiasm and a genuine eagerness to acquire new skills. He consistently displayed an elevated level of engagement, actively participating in discussions, asking thoughtful questions, and seeking feedback to enhance his understanding and growth opportunities. As a STEM ambassador, Matthew has collaborated very closely with local schools to promote the world of engineering to the next generation of future talent through career fairs, work experience weeks in person and virtual, talks, and presentations in schools. He has proven the ability to take work on from other colleagues, and within a short space of time, move from requiring mentoring and feedback to completing work to a high standard. His aptitude for fast learning allows him to effortlessly grasp complex concepts and apply them effectively in his work. Matthew's positive mindset makes him an asset to the team, constantly pushing his boundaries and setting new standards for personal and professional growth.

Submission Summary

Patrick`s apprenticeship has significantly benefited the Local Government North Yorkshire team by enhancing expertise, upgrading internal skill set, promoting knowledge sharing, improving problem-solving capabilities, fostering collaboration, increasing efficiency, and inspiring professional development. Patrick`s drive and determination to be a role model to his colleagues and future talent it is extraordinary. He is a keen communicator, networking with his peers and fostering an inclusive and diverse work environment, supporting the WSP wellbeing culture. Patrick has consistently shown the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and contribute innovative ideas that have positively impacted project outcomes and colleagues’ development. His rapid progression in so many different areas of the business have developed his engineering and business knowledge. His adaptability and attitude to each task has enabled him to deal with problems quickly and effectively, while learning on the job from other engineers. Patrick has exemplified a positive attitude towards the learning process, approaching each learning opportunity with enthusiasm and a genuine eagerness to acquire new skills. He consistently displayed an elevated level of engagement, actively participating in discussions, asking thoughtful questions, and seeking feedback to enhance his understanding and growth opportunities.

Best Use of New Technology Award

Given to an organisation, highway authority or joint submission that has implemented a new technology to make significant improvements to the highways industry.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

Balfour Beatty have launched a transformational suite of digital and data tools, based the best and latest gaming technology, to transform service delivery across the highways sector. These tools are utilized in bespoke operational control hubs, providing staff with an eye catching, empowering focal point from which to support service improvement and delivery. Through in-house development of planning, project management and dashboarding products, based on gaming software and unique to the construction industry, Operational Control Hubs (OCHubs) have brought together expert people and innovative technology to create a new benchmark in data-driven highways maintenance. By providing a single point of visibility of data from previously unintegrated systems, OCHubs are empowering people to make real-time interventions and better decisions, delivering increased productivity, efficiency savings and continual improvements in services. By the end of June 2023, these tools were in use across 150 projects and 5 Operational Control Hubs were providing service level improvements to road users and customers across local authorities in the UK. Further OCHub deployments will take place later in 2023 and the benefits of the technology will be positively impacting an even greater number of road users in coming months.

Submission Summary

Our project, Digitising the A249 Road Network, has successfully leveraged innovative mobile mapping technology, high-definition (HD) imagery, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to revolutionize the management of the road infrastructure. By accurately digitising the physical assets of the A249 road network, we have created a comprehensive digital asset management system that has yielded remarkable results in terms of efficiency, cost savings, and improved road user experience. The main impact of our project over the past 12 months has been the transformation of asset management practices in the highways industry. We have eliminated the need for traffic management during data collection, significantly reducing disruptions and minimizing inconvenience to road users. Our streamlined surveying process using mobile mapping technology has saved time, reduced costs, and increased data collection efficiency. The accuracy and accessibility of our digitised data have empowered road authorities to make informed decisions and optimise resource allocation. By proactively planning and prioritizing maintenance activities, we have reduced reactive works and emergency repairs, resulting in substantial cost savings and enhanced road safety. Integrating our digital asset management system with GIS has enabled real-time monitoring of infrastructure conditions, facilitating timely interventions and ensuring the road network remains effective. Looking ahead, our project holds immense potential for the future of the highways industry. The digitised data can be leveraged for predictive maintenance and condition monitoring, enabling road authorities to anticipate issues and optimize infrastructure lifespan. Integrating emerging technologies like IoT and connected vehicles will enhance efficiency and safety. Additionally, the insights provided will support evidence-based decision-making, aid in planning for future development, and foster collaboration among stakeholders. Our project exemplifies the successful implementation of new technology to benefit road users and the community. The transformative impact on asset management, reduced disruptions, cost savings, and improved road safety demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach. Our project stands as a testament to the potential of innovative mobile mapping technology, HD imagery, and GIS in revolutionizing the management of road infrastructure, as well as illustrating the successful integration of technology, improved asset management, and the positive impact on road users and the community.

Submission Summary

Overall, the benefits that SoundCam brings as a new technology on the Strategic Road Network are numerous, with no known disadvantages or hidden costs as compared to traditional road surveying techniques. As much of the concrete roads network is nearing the end of its service life and requires repair or replacement, the use of SoundCam over the last 12 months has been most helpful in identifying our existing network’s condition across England. The fact that SoundCam can be used not only for our area of interest being concrete roads, albeit all types of existing and known road surfaces, shows that its full potential is yet to be realised. The analysis of sound frequencies to identify where and what types of defects is a breakthrough in surveying technique, as no other road network in the world has used this technology and certainly not for this scale of defect analysis. Cost savings are both internal within National Highways, and importantly to our customers that ultimately fund the road network. SoundCam will make defect analysis and preliminary design stages of major projects much more efficient than the traditional time-consuming methods of analysing the same defects, further saving costs and being a general efficient for the National Concrete Roads Programme. Road users, local communities to the noisier sections of motorways and A roads, as well as construction or site workers will all benefit from reduced noise levels on the network, as SoundCam helps realise where and which types of defects are present to help prioritise reconstruction and repair schemes. Prolonged exposure to noise levels above 70 dB is harmful to hearing, most so to construction or site workers that are near live, noisy traffic. Making the roads quieter, especially for concrete pavement at transverse joints, will help mitigate this. Traditional road surveying methods have used forces or signals to assess pavement health, such as FWD or 3D GPR. SoundCam introduces a new dimension of surveying technique of sound and visualising this, which is in its own league of accuracy and efficiency in sound monitoring and defect analysis.

Submission Summary

WJ Group, UK's leading road marking and safety company, presents their revolutionary technology, ThermoPrint, for the "Best Use of New Technology Award". Introduced to redefine road marking safety and efficiency, ThermoPrint is an automated, fully autonomous machine that effectively removes the hazardous, manual process of laying thermoplastic road markings by hand. This innovative technology shifts operatives from the carriageway to the safety of a vehicle cab, reducing the risks associated with working close to live traffic. ThermoPrint also enhances productivity, enabling quicker application of road markings without the need to set out before installation, reducing the time spent on site, and thus limiting disruption to road users and improving project timelines. Apart from safety and efficiency improvements, ThermoPrint elevates the performance of road markings. It delivers higher retro-reflectivity, improved visibility and uniformity in application. Also, its unique dotted line marking system enhances wet night performance by facilitating better water drainage, increasing visibility for road users. In its first year, ThermoPrint has been acclaimed industry-wide and used in multiple areas. We envision ThermoPrint as the future standard in road marking, enhancing safety, efficiency, and reducing costs while providing superior markings.

Submission Summary

This submission is a significant step forward in the automation of highways construction quality assurance. Transport Scotland released specifications in 2019 that mandated the use of electronic data monitoring during the process of asphalt installation. The specifications require materials delivery management technology to track asphalt lorries as they make their way to site, to automate the creation of laying records, and to reduce thermal segregation through improving material deposition efficiency. GPS, weather stations, infra-red temperature sensors and high-res thermal imaging cameras on the paver automate the collection of material delivery temperatures, environmental conditions, material deposition, and measurement of thermal segregation. The project team have worked over 4 years to introduce this technology to the Scottish road construction sector, significantly reducing the requirement for traditional materials testing whilst improving construction quality, site safety, increasing pavement life and reducing the cost of construction. Most significantly the team have developed a world-first method compaction specification which combines both paver and roller data to remove the requirement for using density gauges and will significantly reduce the requirement for destructive coring too. Whilst the benefits of this technology are having a great impact in Scotland, the approach to using technology demonstrated by the project team during asphalt construction can be applied to every highways scheme in the UK and beyond.

Environmental Sustainability Award

Given to an organisation, highway authority or partnership that demonstrated an outstanding contribution to environmental issues within a project.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

National Highways aims to achieve net zero for construction and maintenance activities by 2040. It is estimated that 77,300 tCO2e were produced using asphalt on the SRN in 2020. In order to meet NH’s net zero target there is a need to decarbonise asphalt. The embodied emissions associated with bitumen production is one of the key contributors to the carbon footprint of asphalt, representing >25% of the total carbon emissions. A recent low carbon technology which has the potential to reduce this is the use of biogenic binders. Bio-binders are produced from natural biogenic material which absorbs/stores CO2 throughout its life which is then ‘locked’ into the bio-binders and not released back into the atmosphere, even when the asphalt is recycled later, turning the road into a technical carbon sink. These innovative binders can reduce the embodied carbon footprint of bitumen by up to 250kgCO2e/t. To realise these benefits of this emerging technology, NH commissioned Atkins to undertake a research programme: Future Asphalt Surface Course Linking To NH Net Zero under SPaTS 2. In collaboration with Heidelberg Materials, two innovative low carbon asphalt containing polymer modified bitumen (PMB) bio-binders were installed on the A30 Cutteridge to Alphington scheme in February 2023 which is the first formal trial of its kind on the SRN. The trial included Nynas’s biogenic binder Nypol RE and Shell’s Cariphalte CarbonSink. The trialling of both products enables NH to fully understand the performance of this innovative technology and represented the first installation of PMB biogenic binders on the SRN in surface course materials. Comprehensive carbon footprint calculations undertaken have demonstrated the innovative bio-binder trial has delivered a potential carbon footprint saving of 15.27 kgCO2e/t relative to the control. This equates to a 22.9% reduction over lifecycle stages A1 “Raw material extraction & processing” to A3 “Manufacturing”. Based on the total production (1,200t) of bio-asphalt it is estimated that the A30 Cutteridge to Alphington scheme has delivered a potential saving of 18,324 kgCO2e. The site trial will continue to be monitored to realise the whole-life benefits of bio-binders and support the achievement of net zero targets.

Submission Summary

At the Mini Roads scheme at Everton Park, Liverpool, Cemex Rubbermix and Shell Bitumen CarbonSink formed a powerful partnership with a low carbon asphalt solution; helping Liverpool City Council to meet its decarbonisation commitments on the road to becoming Carbon Neutral by 2040. Funded by Liverpool City Council and British Cycling, the project ‘Mini-Roads’ successfully optimised an underused part of Everton Park, transforming it into Liverpool’s first purpose-built children’s learn-to-ride facility. Cemex’s ultimate goal was to support Liverpool City Council to make it easier to regenerate and maintain the urban space with lower carbon solutions. The end result culminated in the local authority and the supply chain delivering on one collective mission to maintain the quality and integrity of the space, whilst driving the circular economy to lower CO2e, reduce waste and create a cleaner, more sustainable environment. Cemex’s new Rubbermix Low Carbon Asphalt solution, produced with Shell Bitumen CarbonSink, is innovative shared vision to produce a new biogenic binder which locks carbon into asphalt, to create a technical carbon sink. World-class brands in their own fields of expertise and paving the way for future collaborations, Cemex and Shell Construction and Road, came together for the first time in the UK to deliver the groundbreaking carbon reduction regeneration project for Mini Roads. Cemex Rubbermix, with Shell Bitumen CarbonSink significantly reduced the overall CO2e for the project by almost 6.7 Tonnes. As a comparison, the average UK petrol car produced 170.5 grams of CO2e per Kilometre in 2022 (www.statista.com) so the saving at Everton Park is equivalent to over 39,000 petrol car kilometres. Mini Roads is now an important part of Liverpool City Council’s regeneration and sustainability story, providing a best practice casestudy for future collaborations, and setting the standard for a legacy to be proud of.

Submission Summary

ABOUT US Forest Traffic Services is a specialist provider of challenging, innovative, and bespoke Temporary Traffic Management (TTM) Solutions. As part of our CWF contract for National Highways, we were appointed to provide the TTM on the A38 Drainage Scheme in Chudleigh. Further project details and schematic drawings are provided in Attachment 2. ETYMOLOGY OF THE DIGITAL CARE INITIATIVE Having pioneered the ‘Home Safe and Well’ message with our ‘Destination Zero’ initiative in 2013, we continually strive to improve efficiency and safety. We envisioned the potential for an all-digital, fully-integrated, AI system that produced substantial safety and efficiency contributions. Our team formulated a proposal that made innovative use of new, existing, and cutting-edge technology in what we call our DIGITAL CARE INITIATIVE (DCI). Further details of the site team and the systems are provided on Pages 1-2 of Attachment 2. The DCI is a suite of leading-edge technology that we purpose to bespoke client solutions. What makes the DCI innovative— even though we used elements of existing technology— was that it had never been integrated and applied in this manner, nor had the concept been applied to any temporary works. The carbon reductions were also innovative in the hitherto ‘formulaic’ world of TTM systems. HOW WE DELIVERED EXCEPTIONAL ENIVRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY By changing both the scope of works and reducing environmental impact through innovative application of technology we removed the need for an on-site control room, all cabling, vehicle recovery, surplus marshals, and maintenance crews. When analysed the DCI element of the Scheme was carbon positive. There was zero waste and only renewable energy was used on site. Customer complaints were a fraction of those anticipated. It is our aspiration that our DCI initiative spearheads a new standard for achieving major safety, cost, and carbon savings in maintenance/reconstruction works. The DCI generated 308.1tCO2e measured savings, plus indirect other savings in the life cycle and circular economy. The scheme emissions were a net 114.7tCO2e CARBON NEGATIVE Evidentiary facts and figures are provided in Attachment 1.

Submission Summary

Last year we set ourselves the monumental task of becoming the first UK highways contractor to go fully carbon neutral across our entire business operations. Promise made; promise delivered. We are now certified carbon neutral in accordance with PAS 2060:2014 – the only recognised international standard for carbon neutrality. GWH believe net zero is a goal for the world and each individual has a role, by us monitoring monthly our carbon footprint whilst actively forecasting our footprint to allow prevention we are supporting this goal. The impact on the environment in the future is huge. GW Highways’ achievement of carbon neutrality is the culmination of more than two years of work from initial scoping, footprinting, carbon calculating and validation, to identifying and delivering carbon reduction in collaboration with customers and the supply chain, and beyond this securing offsetting opportunities. For GWH, carbon neutrality is the first major milestone in a longer decarbonisation plan that has already been mapped out. The ultimate goal is to achieve organisational net zero before 2050. As a PAS 2060-aligned business, we are committed to reducing emissions, monitoring progress through annual certification and using high quality carbon offsetting. We continue to set the standard within the Highways Sector, and we will share our journey with the industry to encourage others to reduce their carbon footprint. While we continue to reduce emissions from our activities, we support the immediate ambitions to accelerate net zero and have looked at the voluntary carbon market to mitigate our climate impact today. Until there is a clear strategy, we are doing this by offsetting our remaining emissions in a way that supports communities around the world and the global transformation of our economy. Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing global society. We all need to make every effort to reduce our carbon footprint as much as we can; GW Highways are proud to be leading the industry in this necessary change.

Submission Summary

On the M25 J10, we have undertaken an extensive exercise to rationalise our materials and reduce our fuel and energy use through better design, highly efficient compound set up and by specifying the best and most efficient diesel free plant to construct the scheme where it is available. By working with our strategic design partner Atkins, the projects main carbon hotspots were identified that could help to reduce the carbon baseline. We are also proactive in being ‘good neighbours’ to the general public and stakeholder groups in the area and as such have stringent methodologies and procedures in place to monitor air quality, noise and vibration and to maintain provision for non-motorised users along the networks of footpaths and bridleways. We are able to improve daily through the dedication and empowerment of all the project staff and supply chain in their own individual efforts to conserving and improving the environment in which the project finds itself.

Submission Summary

Milestone Infrastructure and Oxfordshire County Council both have ambitious carbon targets, which the project at North Oxford Corridor is striving to make significant contribution towards. The project identified early on that stakeholder engagement would be a significant factor in its success of reducing carbon emissions as far as practically possible as so set out to increase engagement to minimise the carbon spend to build the project. As the industry moves forward, new products become available and carbon efficient materials/processes are developed, its key that everyone involved with the projects is fully engaged with the carbon neutrality drive to improve the industry carbon outputs. Through baseline calculations, carbon workshops, stakeholder engagement events and the development and implementation of the bespoke carbon estimating tool, CEst, North Oxford Corridor project has shown how positive engagement can lead to significant carbon reduction. Recording carbon savings through the Design , ECI and ongoing construction phases of the scheme has created momentum in putting forward innovations and initiatives, with those involved recording the tangiable benefits for the local community. The increased engagement has resulted in a total of 2,388 tCO2e, which equates to a 37% reduction to date when compared to the project baseline. The projects construction lifecycle continues until the end of 2023 with continuous improvement in carbon spend being sought by the project team and stakeholders alike.

Submission Summary

A carbon counting tool has been created as a joint project between three companies: publicly-owned highways maintenance business NY Highways, technology company Connected Enviro Net and specialist environmental consultancy Pye Management. The carbon tool measures the amount of carbon used in road maintenance works and is believed to be a first for the highways industry, providing the information to local authorities’ highways departments and highways maintenance businesses to help them improve their carbon footprint. The project aims to revolutionise the carbon calculation and carbon reduction programmes within local highways authorities (LHAs), specifically measuring routine maintenance activities. Development of the carbon counting tool began when NY Highways noticed that despite there being numerous carbon counting tools being used in the industry, there was not one that was specific to maintenance activities and no consistent and accurate way to measure the GHG emissions for their routine maintenance works.

Submission Summary

For SRL, sustainability is fundamental to the business model; designed around the safe, long-term use of products. The hire business has been built around the foundations of the circular economy, a positive cycle which involves leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing products for as long as possible. To put it simply: RENTAL IS RECYCLING. From SRL’s 30 depot distribution network, which is unique in the sector, the team are able to facilitate a highly responsive customer service, as well as swift and environmentally sustainable delivery, but one of the key challenges faced by both SRL and our customers is battery exchanges. On any given day, around 50% of SRL’s operational workforce can be committed to fulfilling battery exchanges to temporary traffic signals – utilising a huge amount of resource, and that’s reflective of the wider traffic management sector. A true game-changer for the industry, circular-economy philosophies have been brought to life with SRL Solar PLUS®, launched in March 2023. SRL Solar PLUS® epitomises SRL’s vision for a greener future to traffic management, resulting in transformational battery exchanges processes for SRL and customers, alike. The result? A dramatic reduction from battery exchanges and a reduction of consumption of grid power. The potential carbon savings are huge. With intelligent telematics, SRL continue to push the boundaries of temporary traffic management, delivering new innovations which help to transform processes and systems, and keep them at the cutting-edge of carbon-reduction efforts in the industry. SRL is proudly at the cutting-edge of carbon-reduction-efforts in the industry. Awarded ISO 14001, SRL continue to invest towards the objective of becoming Net-zero, transforming the way it works by making continual improvements to pre-existing processes and systems, and investing in new product development.

Highway Partnership Award

Given to a partnership that has demonstrated a collaborative approach designed to benefit a scheme, the industry or the wider society.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

United in the shared goal to support National Highways' (NH) ambitious Net Zero 2030/2040/2050 plan and building on existing relationships, Heidelberg Materials, formally Hanson UK, Atkins, Shell, Nynas and the University of Nottingham (UoN) formed a partnership to decarbonise pavement surface course asphalt production. Asphalt is one of NH's most important and widely used material in construction and maintenance of the strategic road network (SRN). Several workshops were held, the first in November 2022 to explore options, technical challenge and develop collaborative solutions to provide the confidence required to lay a new SRN surface course material using the innovative low carbon asphalt. This included reviewing the risks and developing mitigations to enable NH to issue a ‘departure` from standard approval to allow the works to proceed. Having collaborated previously to deliver similar innovations successfully, trust between the team was already established and all parties were aligned and committed to achieving the same goal. As a result, open and honest conversations held were fundamental to the success of the trial. “These trials are part of our feasibility study and whole-life benefits analysis of emerging low carbon technologies.” Utilising partners' capabilities, leading experts from across various industries and by working together, the team developed two innovative low carbon asphalt products to enable the carbon footprint and performance to be directly compared and delivered a pioneering trial that has realised significant environmental results and benefits. “Collaboration between various industrial and academic parties has been key to the success of this innovative trial.” Undertaking significant collaborative planning, developing aligned programmes and sharing information, the pioneering trial was successfully delivered right first time in February 2023, a record three months compared to the conventional 12-month timeframe to implement innovation on the SRN. This is testament to all partners working together to achieve the same goal. Ultimately, the partnership is using its expertise and cross-sector knowledge to develop more environmentally sustainable solutions and support long-term decarbonation. This combined effort is helping NH meet sustainability criteria objectives and lessen the impact of climate change to support local environments, the SRN and reduce CO2.

Submission Summary

Beginning in 2003, the Dorset Highways Strategic Partnership (DHSP) has brought not only several benefits to Dorset Council and the users of the local road network, but also innovation to the highways industry with this partnership being the first private/public partnership of its kind in the UK. Together, Dorset Council and HeidelbergMaterials have worked according to the OneTeam ethos, where we work to a pre-agreed set of behaviours and to the common goal of ensuring “a high quality, value for money service…at the disposal of Dorset Council and all our customers”. A key factor in the success of the partnership has been the appointment of a HeidelbergMaterials Partnership Manager who works within the council’s offices and acts as the first point of contact for all activities. This has facilitated effective communication and streamlined decision-making, leading to improved efficiency and reduced costs. Reciprocal working has enabled both HeidelbergMaterials and Dorset Council to share best practices and improve the overall quality of the work, as well as offering financial benefits back to the council. In addition to reciprocal working, the partnership has delivered a number of benefits to Dorset Council, including: - Time: 99% of schemes started on time - Quality: Less than 1% remedial surfacing, 99% of material laid within specification - Safety: 13 consecutive years with zero RIDDOR incidents - Carbon: 126t CO2 saved through new materials selection since 2017 - Circular economy: 35,000t of recycled planings generated since 2017, including 7,000t of RAP put back into base and binder courses on the scheme Due to the success of the partnership, we have achieved extremely high satisfaction figures both with the local public (77% positive responses), and with Dorset Council (Third Term Renewal). The partnership model has now paved the way of a new and improved way of working for Dorset Council and will continue to offer and improve upon the benefits the council has enjoyed during the partnership for years to come.

Submission Summary

Our collaborative approach to this project with both our supply chain partners and stakeholders has been key to achieving delivering a successful project. Creating a joint vision and shared objectives, we have broken the mould of how developers can work with stakeholders. The deep integration between client and supplier has redrawn the lines of responsibility and set a complex, high profile project up for success. Being open and operating a ‘no surprises’ approach helped the team develop new ways of working. This change in behaviour became key through the application to build the project. The views of each individual organisation were equally valid and we recognised that although there would be differences in opinion, discussing these differences were necessary and encouraged. This meant there were never any ‘nasty surprises’ in future decision making. We have a statutory duty to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the Cotswolds National Landscape. Our involvement with partners such as the Cotswolds Conservation Board, National Trust and Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, demonstrates that this can be achieved through positive partnerships, where we work through solutions together. With an open and honest approach to issues, risks, limitations and opportunities to deliver the best possible outcome for this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Submission Summary

When Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) and Milestone came to negotiate the final extension period to the Highways Maintenance Term Maintenance Contract (TMC), it was felt the existing evaluation criteria did not reflect the current needs and aspirations of both organisations. It was therefore jointly agreed to develop a contract mechanism based around Partnering and Collaboration to deliver improved value based on agreed objectives, success measures, targets and incentives. OCC and contractor Milestone Infrastructure Ltd therefore entered into a Framework Alliance Contract (FAC) in October 2021 for the final three years of the Highway Term Maintenance Contract. Through tender and direct award, the Alliance was strengthened to include subcontractors Aggregate Industries, Colas, Drayton Construction, Hazell and Jefferies, and MJ Titchmarsh. The Oxfordshire Highways Alliance brings together the Client, Contractor and Supply Chain, all aligned through a collaborative Partnering approach to deliver Improved efficiency savings, carbon reduction and added social value benefits. Key to the success of the Alliance was the development of 3 year forward programmes of work across the Surface Treatments workstreams supplied by OCC and development of bespoke processes covering Commercial Management and Change and Collaborative Planning to encourage a flexible and innovative approach to programme identification and delivery. To measure the success of the Alliance, a suite of delivery Key Performance Indicators were identified including specific requirements aligned to Carbon Reduction and Social Value. Since its introduction in 2021, the new Alliance has delivered against its objectives, increasing efficiencies whilst reducing carbon and adding to the social value of Oxfordshire’s community. The Alliance has outperformed against all contractual targets achieving an 8.5% cost saving equating to £1.028m and delivering two improvement projects targeting recycling and Defect delivery adding another £1.7m of savings. Delivering against a Caron Reduction Plan the Alliance has achieved a reduced annual carbon footprint of approximately 27% equating to a 3,706 tCO2e saving whilst maximising employment opportunities for vulnerable groups, raising money for local charities and completing community projects.

Submission Summary

Collaboration is the cornerstone of our team's success. Through open communication, shared knowledge, and mutual respect, we work together to achieve our goals and overcome challenges. By leveraging each other's strengths, we build on our collective expertise and continually improve our performance. Our collaborative efforts allow us to not only achieve our objectives but also foster a positive and productive team culture. We have a key role to play in driving change, unlocking economic growth, delivering a service that contributes to many modes of transport and active travel, whilst also strengthening social cohesion, whilst embracing new, sustainable ways of working.

Submission Summary

The Highway Partnership Award nomination is for the Supply Chain Safety Leadership Group (SCSLG), a coalition of over 15 supply chain companies including industry leaders, and a core group who worked on the Supervisor Training Programme including WJ Group, Balfour Beatty, and Graham Construction, in collaboration with National Highways and CIHT. The SCSLG's project aimed to enhance safety training and standards across the National Highways supply chain, with a focus on supervisors. The partnership developed the Supervisor Skills Level 1 programme, which comprises nine digitally accessible, bite-sized courses. The courses were created to bridge identified skills gaps and promote a culture of safety, which was measured by enrolment numbers, course completion rates, and post-training performance improvements. The training program is now industry-wide and endorsed by National Highways. Performance and financial benefits are tangible, with improved safety protocols and reduced training costs. Intangible benefits include a sense of shared responsibility and unity amongst the supply chain companies and a bolstered reputation for the sector. Challenges such as diverse company nature and course accessibility were overcome through comprehensive surveys and the creation of a flexible learning platform. The project also plans for future expansion by developing advanced-level courses. This partnership is projected to stimulate growth and safety in the highways sector, reinforcing the collective vision of everyone getting "home safe and well."

Submission Summary

In 2014, Westminster City Council (WCC) and FM Conway began a new partnership to manage, maintain and enhance public highway assets in the heart of London. As Service Provider, FM Conway operates as an extension of WCC, delivering programmes and projects from feasibility stage through to stakeholder consultation, detailed design, works on site and ongoing maintenance. The partnership is driven by our shared commitment to public safety, carbon reduction and ensuring the best use of public funds to enhance economic, environmental and social wellbeing in Westminster. Over the past nine years, our team has consistently exceeded the contractual performance measures and customer satisfaction targets, demonstrating consistent exceptional performance and continual improvement, alongside helping our partnership to cultivate a high degree of mutual trust and enhancing our shared capability. Thanks to our collaborative working environment we are focused on promoting innovation and proactively addressing the changing priorities of the Council and Westminster community. As the contract evolves, further objectives have been incorporated to reflect emerging priorities such as climate change adaptation, active transport and social value. Through our structured innovation process, we are able to leverage the combined knowledge, resources and investment of all partners, creating an environment that encourages ideas from all levels of the workforce. As a result, this partnership has seen key innovations integrated into the highways service including augmented reality and artificial intelligence applications, sensor technology for dynamic asset monitoring, low carbon projects, and electric vehicle charging solutions to facilitate the transition to zero emission vehicles. Over the past year our partnership’s success has been showcased on a global scale, with the eyes of the world watching historic events taking place in Westminster, including Her Majesty the Queen’s funeral and the subsequent royal coronation. Both events displayed an incredible feat of logistics that was made possible by high-level collaboration, partnership and support showcased between WCC, FM Conway and the wider partnership. Our partnership is now committed to developing our collaboration to continually improve service levels and address future challenges, with our success ensuring a long-term legacy for WCC and the community that extends beyond our contract.

Maintenance Efficiency Award

Given to a highway maintenance service that has developed and implemented a transformational approach to service delivery.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

Connect Plus and Connect Plus Services are transforming the way we plan and deliver work by introducing two new technologies which will reduce closures on the M25 by 20% each year. In 2021, 800+ projects were delivered over 4,200 closures on the M25, representing approximately 16% of the total national number of carriageway closures across England. The first technology, Optimatics, is an intelligent platform which will help to programme our work more effectively. It’s essentially an algorithm that analyses project data and combines it with an evolving set of business rules to work out the most efficient way for us to deliver our programme of works. The power of the optimisation process is that many millions of permutations of an annual delivery programme can be assessed in only a few minutes – a task that would be impossible to achieve through conventional planning methods. Used alongside our real-life engineering knowledge, this tool will enable us to explore the full range of options for planning and delivering work in the most efficient way. The second technology, Alchera, is a tool designed to help us maximise the output on every closure by identifying opportunities to safely extend the start and end times. By combining predicted traffic flows with real-time PayMech charges, Alchera will help planners decide whether it is safe and financially viable to extend working windows to complete more work in a single shift, thus avoiding a return visit to complete a project, or lowering the total number of closures required on a project. Implementation of these technologies will be delivered by the new Community Planning Hub; the team that has been formed from colleagues across Connect Plus Services, along with the framework contractors. Members of each organization have come together in a “virtual” team to run programme optimisations and collaboratively manage road space requirements. This represents a fundamental shift in the way road space is booked, and the way shifts are planned on the M25. The former approach of “first come, first served” is being replaced by bookings that are made centrally, based on the optimised programme.

Submission Summary

ABOUT US Forest Traffic Services is a specialist provider of challenging, innovative, and bespoke Temporary Traffic Management (TTM) Solutions. As part of our CWF contract for National Highways, we were appointed to provide the TTM on the A38 Drainage Scheme in Chudleigh. Further project details and schematic drawings are provided in Attachment 2. ETYMOLOGY OF THE DIGITAL CARE INITIATIVE Having pioneered the ‘Home Safe and Well’ message with our ‘Destination Zero’ initiative in 2013, we continually strive to improve efficiency and safety. We envisioned the potential for an all-digital, fully-integrated, AI system that produced substantial safety and efficiency contributions. Our team formulated a proposal that made innovative use of new, existing, and cutting-edge technology in what we call our DIGITAL CARE INITIATIVE (DCI). Further details of the site team and the systems are provided on Pages 1-2 of Attachment 2. The DCI is a suite of leading-edge technology that we purpose to bespoke client solutions. What makes the DCI innovative— even though we used elements of existing technology— was that it had never been integrated and applied in this manner, nor had the concept been applied to any temporary works. The DCI achieved efficiency savings in the hitherto ‘formulaic’ world of TTM systems, in addition to being net carbon negative. HOW WE DELIVERED MAINTENANCE EFFICIENCY The DCI delivered time, cost, and other efficiency benefits—in addition to consequential benefits to the efficiency of the operations, namely: Non-productive time was reduced as one full-time crew could be deployed to cover multiple maintenance tasks and a gang of marshals was removed. The DCI removed £811k of costs. The TTM was deployed 80% faster than traditional methods and required minimal maintenance visits and on environmental disturbance. Fewer maintenance visits were needed as the batteries were recharged in-situ by renewable sources. Any incidents, damage to the TTM, breakdowns, and incursions were notified to authorised people in a matter of seconds. Repairs were effected in minutes without relying on the hourly inspections. The impact on journey times was minimal Evidentiary facts and figures are provided in Attachment 1 and the main text.

Submission Summary

The highways industry faces several challenges that necessitate the adoption of innovative solutions, both from a safety and environmental perspective. The requirement to carry out routine maintenance checks on temporary traffic management works is one area where HRS felt there were opportunities to develop digital solutions which will move the industry to data-led, event-based maintenance and minimise the need for the required two-hourly routine maintenance checks. Following engagement with the industry, HRS has developed a new digital product, Intellitag®, a simple, digital device which attaches to road signs and creates a mapped digital twin of work sites which can be monitored remotely. Using Intellitag, TM Providers can - Minimise potential risk to the workforce by reducing or removing the need for regular maintenance checks - Streamline maintenance processes to free up resources for other critical tasks - eliminating 490 routine maintenance shifts (11.760 operative hours saved) on a 7- month scheme - Significantly reduce carbon emissions by minimising the number of visits to site - on the same 7 month scheme a reduction of 81.10t CO2e and on another 10 day scheme, a carbon footprint saving of 684.35Kg Intellitag® technology has been tried and tested on many schemes and has delivered operational efficiencies and carbon savings.

Submission Summary

Winning Team of the Year would be an incredible achievement for the MK Highways Team! We work together to a common goal “to improve our highway” with a culture of collaboration, openness, trust, positivity and respect and are proud of our achievements: - Customer and stakeholder commendations - Working with wider community groups - Enabling innovation and digital outcomes that reduce carbon - Value for money - Recycling & Biodiversity initiatives - Local employment including Apprentices/NEETS/Ex Forces - EDI initiatives - Upskilling and training opportunities With a vision to deliver an excellent service to our stakeholders in Milton Keynes, we are passionate that our team deserve the acknowledgment.

Major Project Award

Presented to the team responsible for the successful delivery of a major project with proven innovation, quantifiable impact and environmental consideration.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

The £160M St Patrick's regeneration site is a remarkable undertaking, characterised by innovation, collaboration, and positive impacts on both public and private stakeholders, and the community. Unlocking this potential is the £9.7M, 2.4km St Patrick's Link Road, which enhances active travel connections between north and south Ballymena, whilst providing a convenient alternative for motorists that avoids the town centre. In delivering this link on time and within budget, several innovative measures were implemented to achieve the redevelopment project’s goals. The impact of this new link on the travelling public has been substantial. The new road infrastructure has improved connectivity and accessibility, improving local journey time reliability. Commuters, residents, and visitors have experienced time and cost savings. Additionally, existing access to the Northern Regional College was connected onto the new link road, removing traffic from the surrounding residential area, restoring a sense of place to the local community. In summary, the St Patrick's Link Road project stands as a testament to innovation, collaboration, and positive impacts. Through its integrated project delivery team, flood mitigation measures, geotechnical solutions, and stakeholder engagement, the project successfully achieved its goals while prioritising sustainability, community well-being, and environmental stewardship. “Thanks to Amey and the whole project team for their contribution over a number of years on the design and delivery of St Patrick’s Link Road in Ballymena. The project required significant engagement with clients and key stakeholders. This has always been carried out positively with a focus on seeking out high quality yet cost-effective solutions. The construction team fully embraced the sustainability requirements of the project, with robust attention to environmental considerations and a pro-active approach to maximising social value. This included providing opportunities to a number of graduates and apprentices and employment to people furthest from the labour market as well as significant time invested in the promotion of civil engineering and STEM to local schools and community groups. I am particularly pleased with the alignment and visual impact of the new road, which maximises the potential of the adjacent development land and complements the surrounding landscape.” Colin Hutchinson, Director of Development, DfI.

Submission Summary

Constructed in 1986, the Gade Valley Viaduct was the final link in the M25 London orbital motorway. It is a continuous 11 span structure, approximately 440 meters long, carrying dual 4-lane carriageways of the M25 between junctions 20 and 21. It is composed of twin decks of eight steel box girders topped with a concrete slab, and spans over the West Cost Mainline, Grand Union Canal, River Gade and a local authority road. Although the bridge was only 30 years old, a structural assessment carried out in 2016 revealed concerns partly attributed to an increase in traffic loads from previous widening works. We soon realised that to overcome these many and varied issues, the project required an innovative approach, that went beyond the tried and tested to deliver industry first, cutting edge solutions. An extensive programme of work was undertaken between 2016 and December 2022, to strengthen and repair the existing structure. This approach has cemented this project’s status as an industry-leading model for delivery against all the odds. From the scale of and constraints on physical work undertaken, to the social value impact and the industry shifting work on wellbeing, Gade became a place to not just be better, but to be our best together.

Submission Summary

The M11 Junction 7A scheme combined two emerging in-development schemes into one. Both Essex County Council (ECC) and National Highways (NH) came together in a cooperative and highly collaborative way to agree a single solution for further development – a new M11 Junction 7A. This comprised a grade separated junction with a single span bridge over the M11, dumbbell roundabouts and a link road joining the M11 with the B183 Gilden Way. A joint approach by key stakeholders produced a scheme that has addressed a longstanding road network issue, facilitated growth and created better connectivity for residents, businesses and visitors.

Submission Summary

Milestone Infrastructure has delivered civils projects on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) since 2014. Through ECI, Milestone staff embed within our client’s team structures, to create a ‘One Project’ ethos that promotes collaboration through a shared understanding and ownership of project objectives. Milestone Infrastructure are the Principal Contractor and Principal designer on the £17m North Oxford Corridor (NOC) project, which is a collaboratively developed highways improvement scheme between Milestone Infrastructure and Oxfordshire County Council (OCC). The concept of scheme is to promote the use of public transport and non-motorised transport through the construction of a bus lane and significant improvements to cycling and walking facilities along the arterial route into Oxford city centre from the North. The North Oxford Corridor project had some extremely ambitious funding targets for delivery from the outset, however the collaborative approach between Milestone Infrastructure and Oxfordshire County Council on this project throughout, Design, ECI and Construction has resulted in the project progressing from feasibility design to nearing completion within 30 months. This added to achieving excellent carbon reduction when compared to project baseline (37% reduction), and value engineering recorded in excess of £8m in value demonstrates how early engagement, strong management and open communication on challenges can deliver large scale successful and challenging schemes.

Submission Summary

In September 2022, SMP Alliance completed successful delivery of the the Stopped Vehicle Detection (SVD) Retrofit programme on all lane running (ALR) motorways. Not only did the Alliance SVD Retrofit Team and its suppliers deliver the programme six months ahead of original scheduled completion date, they delivered it on budget with zero lost time incidents and zero service strikes. On top of that the team achieved carbon savings of 24% against a target of 3%, avoided diverting over 2.75 million customer journeys away from the motorway network while improving productivity by over 30%.

Submission Summary

The Strand Aldwych project has successfully delivered London's largest new public space for a decade, with the area on its way to becoming a global creative and cultural quarter, and international beacon for creativity, enterprise and learning. This project has helped transform what was a polluted, traffic-dominated gyratory into a pedestrian-focused destination with strong links to the surrounding districts. Thanks to the newly enhanced public realm, the area now balances the need for an inclusive local community with a world class quality of place, ease of movement and improved levels of safety and security at its core. It's a testament to the creativity, ambition, drive and professionalism of Westminster City Council and its key partners FM Conway, WSP, Norman Rourke Pryme, and LDA Designs. Ultimately, the project has created an inspirational, safe, and secure destination that offers a place for workers, students, visitors and residents thanks to the following significant key features: • The peninsularisation of the Aldwych Gyratory, with a functioning two-way street on the periphery - this has widened footways and added new crossings on desire lines, reduced street clutter and implemented a new intuitive bus infrastructure. • A new pedestrian and cycle zone with increased cycle parking and improved cycle and pedestrian safety at junctions. • New seating and resting areas with trees for shade, making this busy throughfare that links the City with Westminster a place to relax for the first time in recent history. • Improvements to wayfinding, which encourages visitors to walk and explore the wider area. • The introduction of significant greenery with year-round colour as well as support for biodiversity. • New environmental measures, including supporting pollinators. • Adding a cultural focus - the area will now act as a platform for a revolving round of new and exciting artists’ commissions to be changed throughout the year.

Submission Summary

S278 works were required for Birmingham City Council, comprising A38 highways, roundabout, cycleway and footbridge construction, drainage installation and multiple utility diversions; designed to facilitate access to client IM Properties’ new 37-hectare employment park near Sutton Coldfield, which will include a 500,000 sq ft Amazon facility, and negate traffic congestion in the area. The scheme has met its aims: · providing safe vehicle access to Peddimore Employment Park · relieving future pressure on the A38. · providing pedestrians and cyclists with connections into Minworth over the A38 and on to the Birmingham and Fazeley canal An embargo on works was announced during Early Contractor Involvement to coincide with the Commonwealth Games being held in Birmingham. Therefore, Winvic worked flexibly and advanced the programme of works to ahead of the embargo to ensure scheme completion dates could be achieved. A 24/7 contraflow solution was also to enable a larger working area, which mean the programme could be delivered faster. The A38 is a busy dual carriageway, close to J5 M6, so avoiding daytime road closures was crucial to keeping traffic flowing across the north-east Birmingham area. Works were designed and constructed to take place off-line to avoid road closures. The carriageway was only fully closed to traffic for 5 nights over the 40-week programme to undertake surfacing works and for one weekend for the bridge installation, when the road also opened 12 hours earlier than planned. The design, methodology and construction programme for the 60-metre span, steel arch footbridge over the A38 was designed to meet numerous constraints, including BCC’s requirements to achieve a complex welded connection design. The bridge was designed to be manufactured off-site in three deck sections and three arch sections and erected in an adjacent offline area. Different installation methods were explored through extensive workshops which considered space, location, structure weight constraints, cost and public disruption. The Self-Propelled Modular Transporters option was selected. Far-reaching, long-lasting social value outcomes were also delivered to people in deprived areas; the collaborative approach encompassing almost 90 partners across local authorities, contractors, charities and training and education providers supported extensive training, employment and community projects.

Michael Conway MBE Community Leaders Award

In honour of Michael Conway and his extraordinary commitment to better serve local communities through outstanding civil and highway engineering, this award is given in recognition of those highways workers who have shown outstanding dedication to, delivery of, and leadership in community values.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

David does it all! David has raised the standards, the expectations and the outcomes of infrastructure improvements in relation to sustainability, road safety, community engagement and design. There are have been times over the past 6 years where there has always been an easy option around skipping on one of the aforementioned elements that make a project go from great to simply good but David has never once waivered from demanding the best in everything. David's passion for the community in which he works is infectious, relentless and powerful. He proactively looks for new innovative ways to bring the community together in the delivery process of all the projects he delivers. David has also shown over his career that he doesn't accept excuses or problems as always a negative but more of a challenge with a potential solution and predominantly a positive outcome. David has developed from an officer within a team to a leading light in the local community, affecting policy and strategy change, delivery mechanisms, improvements to sustainability and the development of circular economy. David, is a pleasure to work with. His dedication to his profession and his commitment to excellence are truly inspiring. He always makes time to communicate and is open to new ideas and suggestions. David's attention to detail and willingness to go above and beyond for his community are just a few of the many reasons why he is so highly regarded in the industry. Like Michael Conway, David does not simply see his job as a job, it's an opportunity to leave a legacy of lasting change, opportunity and positivity for a community he works and lives in.

Submission Summary

Hannah exemplifies the strong social value leaders that every organisation needs in order to create and deliver long-term social value and tangible change. Leading from the front, Hannah immerses herself in communities and plans social value initiatives based on an in-depth insight into the wants and needs of those who will benefit. The importance of lasting-legacy does not elude Hannah, and in most instances she continues to work with communities well after we complete projects. Alone, Hannah would be able deliver community projects dependent on her own time and resources. However, she understands that by helping others in the team appreciate the importance and potential impact of delivering for communities, she can reach many more people and communities to deliver positive outcomes. Coaching and supporting team members is therefore an integral part of what she does and accounts for a large proportion of the social value that she has helped deliver. Hannah has been the driving force of Civils South’s presence within the wider social value network to enact far greater and longer-lasting change. She sits on several working groups – collaborating with peers to represent and deliver on social value outcomes for clients and communities. Hannah is a respected member of the team who actively shares her knowledge – upskilling and inspiring co-workers across the business for the good of the business. She is committed to continuous improvement and leads on facilitating learning opportunities with colleagues to enhance the effectiveness of future initiatives. She has a solid foundation of knowledge and experience, leads her team to navigate complexities, tailors interventions to community needs, and ultimately maximises the positive impact of our social value work. Within the current economic climate, it is essential that businesses do all that they can to support and enrich the communities they are working in, and Hannah continually goes the extra mile to achieve this. It is clear that she deeply cares about people and communities and uses social value as the vehicle to channel this. Her leadership and passion have embedded social value as ‘the way we do things’ in the South.

Submission Summary

Neil Farley is an inspiring individual who has made an impact through his contributions to Ringway Jacobs, the construction industry, and the local community. Neil's commitment to sustainability and education is evident through the traffic signal upgrade scheme on Dunwoody Way in Crewe. Rather than discarding old traffic signal poles and push buttons, Neil ensured their reuse and worked closely with a nearby nursery. This innovative initiative involved installing a pretend crossing, providing young children with an opportunity to develop road safety awareness from an early age.  During a range of schemes and projects, Neil also implemented many sustainable practices such as the recycling of materials, the use of solar panels, electric plant and equipment, all resulting in the decrease of the company’s carbon footprint. Neil's creativity and passion for giving back to the community have also led to opportunities for charitable contributions. During footway improvement works on Beam Street in Nantwich, Neil organised a virtual charity bike ride in support of 'The Lighthouse Club,' raising over £1,200 for the mental health charity. This event demonstrated Neil's organisational skills, his support for the local community, and it raised awareness about mental health issues in the construction industry.  Neil also worked hard to gain accreditation for the Beam Street site by applying for the 'Considerate Constructors' scheme, where the site was awarded the prestigious 'Performance Level Excellent' certification.  Neil's dedication to environmental responsibility, colleague support, and community engagement contributed to the success in obtaining this award. Neil's impact goes beyond the projects he undertakes. He has consistently demonstrated a genuine concern for the well-being and development of apprentices and young learners, equipping them with valuable knowledge and skills for success in the industry. His engaging teaching style and mentoring approach have inspired individuals to pursue careers in engineering and construction.  Through his commitment to sustainability, education, and community engagement, Neil has proven himself to be an exceptional individual who embodies the values of the Michael Conway commitment to great people and great work. His contributions have left a lasting impression and serve as an inspiration to others in the industry. 

Health and Wellbeing Award

This recognises organisations that have demonstrated their commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of their staff and/or the wider community.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

A Disability Confident Leader & the first in its sector to achieve the Clear Assured Gold Standard, Atkins is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where differing views, experiences and opinions foster productivity, creativity and innovation for the benefit of the highways industry. Fundamental to Atkins ED&I strategy #Differentmakesadifference are nine staff networks. Supporting colleagues with disabilities and health conditions, the Enable network is creating a psychologically safe environment where employees feel supported and able to be open about their disabilities or medical conditions, including those not visible. Enable's two-pronged approach provides support to employees with disabilities and medical conditions together with raising awareness to tackle unconscious bias, inaccurate assumptions and societal prejudices and empowering allies to deliver change that is meaningful and sustainable. The network communicates with, informs and provides practical support to its 585 members through numerous initiatives including a Yammer community, webinars, vlogs, panel events, peer community call groups, buddy system and directing to, and presenting on, tools, resources and policies. To better appreciate why some colleagues choose not to disclose their disability or medical condition, Enable recently published the findings from an anonymous staff disclosure survey. The findings will inform interventions and improvements. Other key Enable initiatives include: • Being a driving force in Atkins' policies modernisation to ensure inclusivity, enabling individuals to thrive professionally • Liaising with Atkins' global benefits team seeking to add mobility aids and accessible bikes and cars, among others, to the current list of employee benefits • Collaborating with Atkins' Access and Inclusive Design Consultancy and internal corporate real estate audit teams to ensure projects and the organisation's own buildings are inclusive and accessible • Working with The Together Trust to create a STEM outreach proposal for SEN schools • Staging events for International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2022; being repeated in 2023 • Challenging Philip Hoare, Atkins President and the network's global sponsor, to experience how someone with accessibility needs travels on public transport; the video and post shared on LinkedIn has received more than 4,500 views • Establishing a cross-industry disability group, comprising clients, contractors, consultants and institutions.

Submission Summary

FM Conway’s Big Ten in 10 is our 10-year strategy, designed to prioritise the most significant health, safety and wellbeing risks to our business, striving for their elimination, to ensure that everyone goes home safe each day. This unique approach addresses the fundamental principles of health and safety, prioritising the ten biggest risks facing our business, by providing sustainable controls using elimination or engineering control by 2030. Upon reviewing historical incident data, it was discovered that a high consequence accident was still possible, even when all existing key performance indicators were met. A comprehensive risk profiling analysis was then conducted across our business, with operational teams identifying what they perceived to be the biggest risk to life and serious harm in their daily work activities. This allowed us to understand what the early signs looked like, and how to identify them as precursors to an incident occurring. By referencing our data against industry-wide data, a new approach to health and safety was created, that focusses only on high consequence harm emanating from ten specific big risk activities. Now that the risks had been identified, we could start focussing on the solution. The current use of the hierarchy of controls relies too heavily on PPE, looking at behaviours, and instruction. The Big Ten in 10’s approach requires an unrelenting focus on elimination, substitution, and engineering control. These safety critical controls are in place for each of our big risks, which creates an environment where people can fail safely, and go home safe each day. These controls take full advantage of digital and technological advances, providing a high level of physical, electrical, and mechanical protection. Live big risk reporting measures for any potential weak spots that can lead to harm, and provides an overview of the big risk across our divisions, enabling all parts of the business to see and respond to rising trends before an accident occurs, and track improvement across the company. Using these predictive assessment tools and applying the hierarchy of control unrelentingly to find fail-safe solutions, we have transformed our health and safety approach for the better.

Submission Summary

Since the conception of the first Talk More campaign in 2018, Highway Traffic Management have been on a journey to ensure that mental health and wellbeing is prioritised and embedded within their culture as an essential part of health and wellbeing for their workforce. Following the initial campaign, HTM updated their company values and manifesto in 2021 to include mental health, the first step in ensuring that mental health and wellbeing is an important pillar within their business model and that it is a priority for all employees. It is further supported in the company’s wider Health and Safety principles, with HTM’s HSE Manager, Matt Higgs commenting: “The first of our Safety Never Stops principles is ‘Be fit and ready for work’ and this means that our operatives start their shift in the right frame of mind, just as much as it is important to have the right kit.” The Talk More campaign has grown from an initial campaign, to an initiative that is now a part of the DNA of the business with an updated campaign for 2023, a growing number of Talk More members, Talk More ‘Talk Cards’ to Talk More Roadshows to engage with employees for mental health awareness week. Over the last four years, HTM have completed Mind’s Workplace Wellbeing Index, initially scoring Bronze ‘Achieving Change’, retaining the Silver ‘Achieving Impact’ award for the past 3 years. For 2023, the report found that 57% of employees at HTM have experienced poor mental health in their lives, with the award underpinning the progress the company has made in instilling a positive mental health and wellbeing culture. The business has incorporated mental health and wellbeing within its objectives for the 22-23 business year, currently exceeding the aim of 10% of the workforce to hold the mental health first aid qualification, to be continued for each business year. “We know that the more we encourage openness around the topic of mental health, the more likely we are to make an impact. And if we help even just one person, then that is a success” commented HTM’s MD, Greg Baldwin.

Submission Summary

I am nominating our group as LoWEG has grown since November 2022. We have a huge member base and we are providing a vital space for our members to learn, grow and be supported by each other. We are working on how we can encourage more women and girls into the highways industry. We give our members the information and support that they need to challenge unacceptable behaviour such as sexism in the workplace. We held a huge event for International Women in Engineering Day on 22nd June 2023. The event was a huge success, we had almost 50 attendees for the in-person event and heard from three speakers about their journeys of working in the highways industry. Our LinkedIn page is private (for members only), but please request access as we would love you to see the work we are doing!

Submission Summary

One of the cornerstones of our health and wellbeing initiatives is our robust Wellbeing Group. We have designed a wide range of activities and programmes that cater to the diverse needs and interests of our employees. Through our tireless efforts, we have embarked on a transformative journey that has empowered individuals, shattered barriers, and created an environment of inclusivity and acceptance. Our commitment to promoting wellbeing and diversity has not only enriched the lives of countless individuals but has also laid the foundation for a brighter and more compassionate future. LG will build on the success to date by pushing partnerships with Pearn Kandola to complement our internal Inclusive Leadership training, support and promote our allyship for the LGBTQ+ community, continuous sponsorship of BPIC and AfBE groups, work closely with our early career professionals to understand future needs, invest significantly in training, return-to-work coaching and reverse-mentoring programmes. In 2022 WSP achieved Stonewall Silver Employer status for our inclusive work environments. Creating an inclusive community goes hand in hand with promoting wellbeing and embracing diversity. Through our efforts in building an inclusive community, we have fostered unity, provided education and outreach, engaged with underrepresented groups, and collaborated for social impact. We firmly believe that by nurturing an inclusive community, we are contributing to a more equitable and compassionate society. As we submit our entry, we thank our staff and colleagues who have worked diligently to improve wellbeing, break down barriers, and create a sense of belonging for all. In a rapidly changing world, the pursuit of wellbeing and the celebration of diversity have become paramount in building harmonious communities and nurturing thriving individuals. This award entry submission serves as a testament to the profound impact that fostering wellbeing and embracing diversity can have on society.

Product of the Year

Awarded to the organisation that has brought a product or service to the market that has initiated a significant change or 'paradigm shift' in the way the sector works.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

The M25 network is one of the busiest roads in Europe, and one of the UK's most strategically important road infrastructure systems, supporting more than 200,000 journeys daily. Connect Plus (CP) has a 30-year contract to operate and manage the M25 on behalf of National Highways. Together with its strategic supply chain partner Connect Plus Services (CPS), is committed to making journeys safer, smoother and more reliable. As part of the network management obligations, CP and CPS are responsible for 315 lane-km of exposed concrete pavement, which presents particular maintenance challenges - specifically the road/tyre noise created from exposed concrete pavements which adversely impacts customer perception. It is widely accepted that current concrete re-texturing techniques to improve this characteristic have a relatively short treatment life, and asphalt overlays are either not feasible due to headroom constraints or subject to reflective cracking over time. These challenges are not unique to the M25, with concrete surfacing present on 4% of the Strategic Road Network (SRN). There is therefore the need for a new approach for reducing the road/tyre noise for concrete pavements whilst maintaining durability, efficiency and safety of the network. To overcome this challenge, CP, CPS & Atkins initiated global research, leading to the installation of the innovative Next Generation Concrete Surfacing (NGCS) to reduce road/tyre noise generated from driving on concrete pavements. In November 2021, NGCS was successfully installed on 1.8 lane km of the M1 motorway by Milestone Infrastructure in collaboration with RoadGrip. This represented the first ever installation in the UK. Significant learning was gained regarding the operational installation which was collaboratively shared across the industry. The noise benefits of the trial were immediately noticeable. The innovative technique has positively influenced society and stakeholders by reducing the road/tyre noise by -8dB (equivalent to the lowest noise asphalt surfacing), reduced carbon footprint by 30% and improved skid resistance by 70%. The team has raised the profile of the innovative technique to support wider adoption. The research was presented at 2022 Britpave Conference and is due to be presented at the upcoming PIARC XXVIIth World Road Congress.

Submission Summary

An Enhanced Mobile Carriageway Closure (EMCC) is a new technique which has been accepted by National Highways and has been described as a "game-changer" by TM providers, operators and contractors across the industry. It is delivery technique which traffic management providers can use to create traffic-free environments for short periods of time to support more agile, efficient and safer delivery methods. It's key benefits include: • Making works safer using digital incursion warning and mitigation technology • Creating efficiencies by providing guaranteed start times and longer working windows (28 shifts, approx. 50hrs on just one resurfacing scheme) • Environmental benefits (carbon savings of 47.6 tonnes per carriageway per night on a single scheme through the elimination of diversion routes • Significantly less delays to the road user journey The EMCC technique has been developed through innovation and collaboration between Chevron TM, HRS and Costain.

Submission Summary

The HAUC (Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee) App ( https://app.hauc-uk.org.uk/" ) is the ultimate health and safety guide designed specifically for the Highway and Utility industry, revolutionising safety protocols and ensuring the well-being of workers in these high-risk sectors, as well as other road users. This groundbreaking app provides a comprehensive and user-friendly platform for navigating the complex guidance of the industry, effectively minimising risks and preventing accidents. With easy accessibility and up-to-date information, The HAUC App serves as an indispensable tool for supervisors, engineers, field workers, and office-based personnel. One of the app’s standout features is its focus on vulnerable road users, including wheelchair users, visually impaired individuals, and those who are deaf or hard of hearing. By prioritising the needs of these individuals, the app promotes awareness and provides essential guidance on working with society in mind. Whether you’re involved in traffic management, setting up sites, or require guidance specific to vulnerable road users, The HAUC App offers tailored content that addresses industry-specific hazards. The app goes beyond static guidelines by incorporating interactive checklists, real-time notifications, and step-by-step guidance. This empowers users to make informed decisions and take proactive measures to protect themselves and others on the road. The HAUC App ensures that users have the necessary tools at their fingertips to navigate the complexities of their roles and enhance workplace safety. With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive content, The HAUC App is a free resource that is easily accessible to all industry professionals. By providing essential guidelines, up-to-date regulations, and best practices, the app equips users with the knowledge they need to confidently navigate their work environments. In summary, The HAUC App has become an indispensable product in the Highway and Utility industry, offering a revolutionary approach to health and safety. It provides tailored guidance, prioritises the needs of vulnerable road users, and empowers users with interactive features. Experience enhanced workplace safety and make informed decisions with The HAUC App, your go-to resource for navigating the complexities of the industry.

Submission Summary

HALO™ Rubberpave by Huyton Asphalt is an exceptional product that has revolutionised the highways industry with its sustainable and innovative approach. This cutting-edge rubber-modified asphalt showcases the company's commitment to safety, environmental responsibility, and industry leadership. With HALO™ Rubberpave, Huyton Asphalt has transformed the way asphalt is made and laid. By incorporating Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and repurposing end-of-life tyres, the product offers substantial environmental benefits. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions, conserves natural resources, and promotes the principles of the circular economy. The carbon savings achieved through this innovative solution are impressive, making a significant contribution to mitigating climate change. In addition to its environmental advantages, HALO™ Rubberpave prioritizes safety. The product enhances skid resistance and maintains reliable performance, ensuring safer road conditions for both drivers and construction workers. Lower fume exposure during installation creates a healthier working environment, demonstrating Huyton Asphalt's dedication to occupational safety. Huyton Asphalt's relentless pursuit of innovation and overcoming challenges sets them apart as industry trailblazers. They were early adopters of warm mix asphalt, pioneering its use before it became an industry standard. Moreover, Huyton Asphalt has delivered the first rubberised network on the National Highways and in Liverpool, showcasing their unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries and implementing sustainable solutions. As an SME, Huyton Asphalt has faced the challenge of convincing clients to embrace change and adopt rubberised asphalt. Nevertheless, their perseverance and substantial investment in research and development have solidified their position as pioneers in the field. HALO™ Rubberpave's British Board of Agrément (BBA) approval further emphasises its quality and credibility. The environmental and safety benefits, technical innovations, and industry contributions of HALO™ Rubberpave position Huyton Asphalt as a deserving finalist and industry leader. Their commitment to sustainability demonstrated through their actions and results, serves as an example of best practice for the highways industry. In summary, HALO™ Rubberpave is a game-changing product that enhances safety, reduces carbon emissions, conserves resources, and drives sustainable practices. Huyton Asphalt's dedication to innovation, overcoming challenges, and commitment to a greener future make them a frontrunner for this prestigious award.

Submission Summary

The National Highways A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool scheme has significant secant piled walls providing earth retention and foundation support for bridge abutments and wing walls. These piles needed to be reduced to required level ahead of capping beam construction. Working collaboratively with Flannery, we trialled an innovative product, Brextor, a pile milling attachment new to the UK & Ireland market from Switzerland in 2022. Over the years, a range of methods for pile cropping have been introduced to the market, including hydraulic pile croppers, drill and bursting, and more recently chemical bursting and hydro-demolition in conjunction with vac-excavation. These methods have pros and cons but the many pros of Brextor show it’s potential to transform this construction operation. Safety: Brextor removes large numbers of operatives previously required to complete manual breaking operations, resulting in occupational health are people plant interfaces risk reduction. Using excavators, ladders and access scaffolds are no longer required, and slips, trips and falls from height can be negated or significantly reduced. Quality: the milling process removes fracture forces and gives reassurance that pile integrity remains high. Saving on pile concrete and reinforcement repairs. Programme: historically it’s difficult to allocate programme durations to pile preparation. Largely due to the multitude of potential problems encountered. Brextor aims to put science behind the operation, enabling robust planning. Cost: success of any methodology cannot be judged in isolation from cost. Brextor can yield 100% machine utilisation with increased productivity and reduced attendances providing further savings. We were looking for a solution to our health and safety challenges and in Brextor we found it. We removed 183 days of HAVs exposure from manual pile breaking activities and our people have been removed from exposure to noise and dust associated with these manual breaking activities. Not only did our trial provide the H&S benefits we wanted but it provided programme and quality benefits, with a 66% reduction in the pile breaking activity duration making this an economic success, with carbon and people health and wellbeing benefits.

Submission Summary

Lanes Group plc’s digital highways drainage service has transformed the way the company delivers high quality survey and inspection services to the UK’s highways contractors. The company is working in partnership with WinCan to use the latest scanning technology, including the CleverScan chamber inspection system, to make the inspection of highway drainage assets faster, more accurate and safer. This is combined with advanced drainage software, supplied by WinCan, that allows the transmission of huge volumes of survey data via the cloud to a new dedicated highways survey processing centre, opened in 2022 in Manchester. The result, is faster, more bespoke and more integrated survey services for both highways contractors and National Highways, a significant improvement of safety for its teams, and other site workers, and a sustainable approach to service delivery that can be developed further over time.

Submission Summary

Last year, SRL became the first company to supply the construction sector with a mobile, automated haul-route crossing system, designed to keep highway and construction traffic flowing smoothly, efficiently, and safely. Haul Route PLUS was developed in response to a request by Chevron, for use on Costain’s £330m A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross upgrade project in Cornwall for Cornwall County Council and National Highways, stipulating that security barriers were a scheme prerequisite. HR+ incorporates temporary traffic signals operating to timings that respond to the real-time flow of construction vehicles, rather than preset timings, to accommodate the slowest-moving plant, increasing efficiency and reducing carbon emissions caused by idling vehicles. Users of Haul Route PLUS benefit from unparalleled benefits: • Improved safety for workers- Haul Route PLUS removes the need for an operator to be stationed close to a busy public highway, in the path of dangerous HGVs. • Improved safety for road users - An “extendable all-red facility” ensures barriers stay open until plant is safely across the highway, ensuring that moving plant vehicles are not caught in the central area. • Reduced disruption – Haul Route PLUS prioritises the public road. The signals only go to red if haul route is required, and only when there’s a gap in the traffic or the max timer has been reached. • Increased flexibility and reduced costs- Haul Route PLUS facilitates swift and easy installation and minimises the costs and restrictions incurred by cabling. This is a huge benefit and enables the crossing to be relocated as works progress. • Increased sustainability –Deployed with solar-powered signals, with Haul Route PLUS battery exchanges are eliminated. A huge PLUS for all sites, especially long-term construction sites like HS2. • Improved communication - Mobile VMS are integral to the new solution, providing agile, bespoke messaging to road users. HR+ keeps SRL at the cutting edge of technological innovation and was developed to save National Highways, local authorities, contractors and traffic management companies time and expense, to reduce the environmental impact of works, and to make negotiating works easier for the public.

Road Safety Scheme of the Year

Given to an organisation, highway authority or joint submission that has delivered a reduction in road casualties through project work or made a significant advance in our approach to or understanding of road safety.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

Braking into the Future Award winning technology and Innovation for the Automotive Market Keeping you safe at all times.

Submission Summary

Airbar from NuVech safety solutions is the world’s first vehicle mounted retractable safety device that helps save lives. It is the only vehicle mounted system that actively acts to change cyclists' behaviour and keeps them out of the danger zone. AirBars deploy automatically at under 15mph when the left turn indicator is activated and create a highly effective visible alert to cyclists - or other VRUs. Cyclists see the AirBars as an improved left turn alert and wait behind the vehicle where the driver can see them in the rear-view mirror.

Submission Summary

Transport Scotland, in collaboration with BEAR Scotland, Professor Alex Stedmon, The Road Safety Trust, and the WJ Group, implemented an innovative safety project called Perceptual Rider Information for Maximising Expertise and Enjoyment (PRIME). This project aimed to reduce the disproportionately high rate of casualties among motorcyclists in Scotland, who, despite accounting for just 2.2% of registered vehicles, represented 8% of all road casualties. The initiative's innovative solution targeted left hand bends where motorcyclists were highly vulnerable. The PRIME project aims to reduce the risk to motorcyclists by introducing a novel approach - 'gateway' road markings and signs - based on perceptual psychology to guide motorcyclists through bends. These measures were designed to subconsciously influence the riders to adopt safer speeds, positions, and braking habits, thereby reducing the risk of collisions. The PRIME project faced several challenges, the primary among them being the uncertainty of how effective these theoretical concepts would prove in real-world scenarios. As the first project of its kind, there was no precedent to draw upon. Extensive testing and observation were necessary to validate its effectiveness. The team observed and analysed 32,000 motorcyclists to validate the effect of the new road markings and managed the complex logistics of implementing the design at 22 different sites. The PRIME project has since proven its effectiveness, as no motorcycle collisions have been recorded at the trial sites post-implementation. This success has led to substantial improvements in road safety, impacting not only motorcyclists but all road users. The project’s value for money has been substantial, with an impressive return on investment particularly in relation to the cost of accidents avoided. In addition to this, the PRIME model has the potential to be replicated globally, potentially saving many lives. In conclusion, the PRIME project represents a highly effective, cost-efficient intervention that significantly improved road safety in Scotland and has the potential to play a crucial role in future global motorcyclist road safety initiatives.

Site Safety Initiative Award

Presented to an organisation, highway authority or joint submission that has implemented a new initiative, development or scheme to reduce or raise awareness of the dangers facing personnel while working in the highways environment.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

In January 2023, Balfour Beatty launched an industry changing set of tools which enhance the setting to work procedures and simplify the safety messaging given to all staff, each day. Our Construction Ready Discussion (CRD) process, supported by the What 3 Things (W3T) campaign has already delivered fantastic results in the first half of 2023 with over 1.5million hours worked, without a lost time injury in Balfour Beatty Living Places alone. What 3 Things aims to simplify the safety messaging and break down the 10 fatal risks into smaller, more addressable actions. When put into action, these actions will significantly reduce the likelihood of a serious incident taking place. Our CRD process encourages and empowers our supervisors to truly inspire our teams and supports all members of the team to engage in more discussion based briefings. All staff are required to confirm that the team are "construction ready" before any works can take place and the team constantly challenged and reassess the risks of the operations they are delivering. When combined, CRDs and W3T provide a simple, effective and truly transformational suite of tools that have already shown their effectiveness in promoting a genuine Zero Harm environment. These tools are now being rolled out across all Balfour Beatty staff and business units, including our supply chain and delivery partners.

Submission Summary

The HAUC (Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee) App (https://app.hauc-uk.org.uk/) is the ultimate health and safety guide designed specifically for the Highway and Utility industry, revolutionising safety protocols and ensuring the well-being of workers in these high-risk sectors, as well as other road users. This groundbreaking app provides a comprehensive and user-friendly platform for navigating the complex guidance of the industry, effectively minimising risks and preventing accidents. With easy accessibility and up-to-date information, The HAUC App serves as an indispensable tool for supervisors, engineers, field workers, and office-based personnel. One of the app’s standout features is its focus on vulnerable road users, including wheelchair users, visually impaired individuals, and those who are deaf or hard of hearing. By prioritising the needs of these individuals, the app promotes awareness and provides essential guidance on working with society in mind. Whether you’re involved in traffic management, setting up sites, or require guidance specific to vulnerable road users, The HAUC App offers tailored content that addresses industry-specific hazards. The app goes beyond static guidelines on safety by incorporating interactive checklists, real-time notifications, and step-by-step guidance. This empowers users to make informed decisions and take proactive measures to protect themselves and others on the road. The HAUC App ensures that users have the necessary tools at their fingertips to navigate the complexities of their roles and enhance workplace safety. With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive content, The HAUC App is a free resource that is easily accessible to all industry professionals. By providing essential guidelines, up-to-date regulations, and best practices, the app equips users with the knowledge they need to confidently and safely navigate their work environments. In summary, The HAUC App has become an indispensable product in the Highway and Utility industry, offering a revolutionary approach to health and safety. It provides tailored guidance, prioritises the needs of vulnerable road users, and empowers users with interactive features. Experience enhanced workplace safety and make informed decisions with The HAUC App, your go-to resource for navigating the complexities of the industry.

Submission Summary

A traditional point of work risk assessment (POWRA) will take an operative, on average, 20 minutes to complete effectively. Usually paper-based, the traditional method is not sustainable or efficient. Furthermore, a traditional POWRA is only the perception of the one person that is assessing a site. We sought a solution to digitise our risk assessments and provide remote visibility of work undertaken on our sites. FYLD uses video analytics and AI to help operatives and managers identify and record hazards and control measures that they see in their work environment. This is a radical step change in improving the quality of risk assessments, reducing the task by 17 minutes. Operatives can assess and amend the video risk assessment (VRA) before it is shared with a remote manager for their review and input. The result is a high-quality VRA completed in a shorter time that more than one person can have sight of. We trialled the app for three months on our National Highways Area 13 contract with 110 users. It was so successful, it has now become business as usual for the last 18 months. In January 2022 when we began using FYLD, our Area 13 accident frequency rate (AFR) stood at 0.25. Today, it stands at 0.00. Using FYLD has been a key part of this success. The overall Kier corporate AFR is currently stands at 0.04. FYLD is the only purpose-built digital point of work risk assessment tool for the field work sector and offers an easy-to-use interface, simple data collection and communication features. It also has a powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine which uses predictive technology to improve safety and productivity. The system is set up to replicate social media. All employees involved in a job can be added to it to chat, video call and collaborate on challenges. The digital app has eradicated any paper processes. We have saved 302,412kgCO2e with managers remotely feeding back on the VRA instead of physically travelling an average 50-mile round trip to each site.

Submission Summary

“Creating Safety” was launched by Milestone’s Oxfordshire Highways contract under the umbrella of Milestone’s “It Starts with Me” cultural safety programme. We needed to do something different as our LTAR was stuck stubbornly in double figures. The concept was to promote more positive H&S actions rather than the traditional reactive H&S practices and culture. This was supported by the book “From Accidents to Zero” by Andrew Sharman, president of the Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH). Developed to maximise workforce involvement through the 4 E’s of Empower, Enable, Engage and Encourage across our teams, our supervisors were identified as the key drivers of H&S culture and therefore the focus of the initiative. A supervisor generated Creating Safety Action Plan captured current concerns and frustrations with 13 specific actions recorded for resolution. Creating Safety empowered our supervisors to own these actions with 13 Action Group containing 3 to 4 supervisors, a lead supervisor and a leadership team member acting as Champion. 121 mentoring, formal and informal training was introduced to offer full support to our supervisors as part of the initiative. The main focus being on promoting softer skills around engagement. The objective was to create a safe environment for our supervisors to act independently, empowered to solve the issues raised through increased and sustained engagement with our workforce and managers. Fully encouraged by their mentors and better enabled through focussed training. Culture is not easily measured but we can see continued progress from our ongoing Engagement Survey results comparing the last 2 years in Oxfordshire: I feel safe at work 91% (9% neutral) +14%, I work in a great team +11%, I have the right opportunity to learn & grow +19%, my company support my health & wellbeing +17%. It also “feels” different, we have high reporting numbers, our staff are not afraid to speak up. Since the launch of our Creating Safety initiative, we have an 87% reduction in lost time injuries over 3 years and a 100% reduction in the last 12 months.

Steve Berry Highways Authority Innovation Award

This award is named in honour and memory of the late Steve Berry and will be given to the authority that best demonstrated how its innovation has allowed it to deliver measurable and sustainable benefits to the community.

Sponsored by

Submission Summary

Project LEO (Local Energy Oxfordshire) is a £40 million Smart Local Energy System Demonstrator project, part funded through the “Prospering from the Energy Revolution Fund” through UKRI. It comprises 9 core partners each operating across the energy ecosystem. Regarded as one of the UK’s most ambitious, wide-ranging and innovative energy trials, the aim of Project LEO is to accelerate the UK’s transition to a zero-carbon energy system. Project LEO comprises a range of trials across Oxfordshire to build a broad range of reliable evidence of the technological, market and social conditions needed for a greener, more flexible, and fair electricity system - including the use of enhanced mapping tools. The LEO-LAEP+ map visualises a baseline of the current Oxfordshire energy system and opportunities to decarbonise. This includes gas network data, electricity network capacity, Distribution Future Energy Scenarios as well as data provided for the project by Energeo Ltd and the Energy Systems Catapult. The data in LEO-LAEP+ is being used to: Identify deployment opportunities for low carbon technologies, including EV charge points and heat pumps. Inform long-term energy strategies and plans.

Submission Summary

Cumbria Road Harm Index is an innovative, analytical tool that utilises culminative partnership data through the use of a 5 year Evidence Base. This creates Road harm hotspots around the county which partner agencies are able to apply problem solving initiatives to reduce harm on a particular stretch of road or location. Road Harm Index was founded by officers in Cumbria Constabulary after they studied for an evidence base policing short course at Cambridge University, sponsored by Assistant Chief Constable Blackwell. The Road Harm Index is a shared product, which has no financial cost to demonstrate where to deploy multi-agency resources to. This new approach can be shared between Police Forces and Partner Agencies using a mapping tool to identify where the highest harm areas on our roads are. The initiative will identify: Road Harm Collision hot spots, Review collision statistics using a 5 year evidence based approach, Identify appropriate changes to road layouts to ensure public safety, Reduce collisions in hot spots by utilising appropriate police resources to be involved in targeting offenders / offences. The initiative is in the early stages and the success will be reported on at Digital Data and Technology conferences throughout the year, in association with Cambridge University.

Submission Summary

The 4th Hub at Clepington Road has been Dundee’s first opportunity to bring to life their findings into the accessibility and equity of charging. The hub consist of 4 x 50kW and 1 x 150kW charging units, accessible bays, a renewable drinking water solution, solar canopies and a shared battery storage set up. The Council believes that to deliver equitable access to EV charging infrastructure all EV bays should be designed to be as accessible as possible. The design is ground-breaking in its approach to accessibility, and we believe that it goes further than any other hub in the UK in terms of ensuring accessibility. The features have been designed in consultation with disabled people, charities and manufacturers, ensuring that accessibility has been considered at all points. An exciting addition to the site to improve the experience of the users is the integration of the Bluewater a water purification system that captures rainwater from the canopies and turns into premium drinking water for the hub and local citizens. We believe that this project is an innovative and ground breaking EV installation that brings together, renewable energy solutions, EV charging with a unique and important focus on accessibility.

Submission Summary

A carbon counting tool has been created as a joint project between three companies: publicly-owned highways maintenance business NY Highways, technology company Connected Enviro Net and specialist environmental consultancy Pye Management. The carbon tool measures the amount of carbon used in road maintenance works and is believed to be a first for the highways industry, providing the information to local authorities’ highways departments and highways maintenance businesses to help them improve their carbon footprint. The project aims to revolutionise the carbon calculation and carbon reduction programmes within local highways authorities (LHAs), specifically measuring routine maintenance activities. Development of the carbon counting tool began when NY Highways noticed that despite there being numerous carbon counting tools being used in the industry, there was not one that was specific to maintenance activities and no consistent and accurate way to measure the GHG emissions for their routine maintenance works.

Submission Summary

The recent reconstruction project on Marthall Lane in Ollerton was a result of a road traffic collision (RTC) and is a testament to the commitment to innovation, collaboration, and environmental responsibility at Ringway Jacobs. In line with efforts to minimise carbon emissions, the only CO₂ produced was through the delivery of plant and materials. To achieve this, an all-electric fleet and plant site was implemented, setting a high standard for future industry schemes. Collaborating closely with the community and the partners played a pivotal role in the success of the project, delivering positive outcomes. As part of ongoing efforts to support Cheshire East Council's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2025, the Ringway Jacobs Cheshire East contract's first ultra-low carbon site at Marthall Lane was established. The focus on carbon emissions reduction led the employment of an all-electric fleet, plant, and a hydrogen welfare unit, serving as a model for future projects in the industry. By working closely with manufacturers, technology providers, and various supply chain partners, assured the accomplishment of this ultra-low carbon site. An additional measure implemented to reduce the environmental impact was the recycling of materials from previous schemes. This included reusing items such as scaffolding encapsulation, FSC certified timber, and 550 matching bricks. By utilising existing materials, it reduced the reliance on supply chain partners and further diminished the carbon footprint. The success of this project not only lies in its positive outcomes but also in the inspiration it instilled in the staff to prioritise sustainability. By setting a precedence for excellence within the organisation, a culture of sustainability has been fostered and encouraged the adoption of greener practices. This project serves as a shining example of successful innovation, paving the way for a greener and more sustainable future in the highways sector. The scheme on Marthall Lane showcases dedication to innovation, collaboration, and environmental responsibility saving over 2.3 tonnes of CO2. The collaborative efforts with the community and supply chain partners, along with the recycling of materials, contributed to the project's overall success and implementation of such innovations for future schemes.

Team of the Year

This award goes to a team of employees who have undertaken exceptional work within the public or private sector to improve/sustain the outputs or efforts of their organisation, over and above their general working activities.

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Submission Summary

After just six years, Agilysis has emerged as a passionate, mission-orientated team who are making a difference to road safety in the UK and internationally. Driven by a deeply ingrained culture which values community, trust and collaboration, the team has broken down silos, established high-performance practices and harnessed technology to rapidly increase productivity. This environment has enabled the team to produce tools used widely across the sector, deliver a huge array of webinars, conferences and professional development, support many leading NGOs (in Britain and abroad) and develop innovative technologies that are the state-of-the-art globally.

Submission Summary

This A66 represents one of the largest and most important transport network investments in the north of England in a generation. The A66 is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project involving the improvement of over 36km of road through both urban and environmentally significant rural areas. The programme for delivery was extremely challenging and delivered the pathfinder “Project Speed” Government Initiative. Our integrated team (of over 640 staff at the projects peak) worked collaboratively as one entity to successfully deliver Preliminary Design and the DCO on time and within budget. This included successfully submitting a DCO and completing full public examination as well as appointing and integrating three Design and Build Contractors that will deliver the project. Our data-driven, metric-focused approach ensured we measured progress, defined our approach, and continually improved. This vision helped to cultivate a working environment based on fairness, respect, and merit, embracing difference and enabling everyone to flourish. Ultimately the team produced and submitted the DCO application in June 2022 that was accepted by the Examining Authority. Careful coordination between client, multidisciplinary design team and legal counsel was required to produce and review an application encompassing over 34,201 pages. Over 900 documents were produced during DCO examination and the team represented the project at 50 hours of hearings, explaining our proposals to the Examining Authority. The DCO process was successfully completed in May 2023 with a final decision scheduled for November 2023. The safety and wellbeing of our team was our paramount and embodied everything we did on the project. Our wellbeing champions implemented wellbeing initiatives such as, inclusion moments, drop-in sessions and webinars. We used an innovative digital system (FormScore) to track team wellbeing on an ongoing basis, particularly around deadlines and key milestones. The intent and passion shown by the team to work as one, have cascaded into the detailed design and pre-construction stage where key members of the team will transition in to a technical assurance role providing continuity and consistency to aid the delivery partners as they pick up the baton on to deliver this vital piece of infrastructure.

Submission Summary

The National Highways Regional Investment Programme – South West Region (RIP SW) is a £2bn programme of upgrade projects in the South West of England, which is designed to deliver part of the wider National Highways’ Road Investment Strategy. The work undertaken by the programme from tip to tail of the South West team to progress engagement, collaborative working and partnering with external organisations has resulted in significant achievements within the year in retention, skills and professional development in the team along with project and programme delivery all of which deserve to be recognised for its outstanding achievements.

Submission Summary

From the outset of any new project, one of our key objectives is to immerse ourselves in and learn all about the community that we are working within. This helps ensure that our social value plan will create lasting benefits and the iPort project is a clear demonstration that with the passion to make a difference, widespread social value can be created on any scale. Our bespoke social value plan identified deprivation, priority groups and health & wellbeing as the priority areas in Doncaster where our efforts would have the most impact. We dedicated time and effort upfront with the client and community to ensure that the plan created long-lasting benefits for the identified areas. This approach resulted in us no longer being seen as “just a construction company” but a team who have built relationships to become part of the community and who utilise their skills and resources to make a real difference. Our work has seen us partner with charity organisations, schools, social enterprises, local subcontractors and residents to embed the legacy we aimed to create. Often, the needs of the community fall outside our standard working hours and the team has gone above and beyond to accommodate this, led by our dedicated Public Liaison officer. Our aim is to leave a lasting legacy wherever we work and with the iPort bridge bus link scheme we have achieved just that. Small actions that come from a place of truly caring add up to make a big difference.

Submission Summary

Team LCRIG's mission is to make the case for local roads through collaboration, innovation, skills and net zero for the highways community and our members. We do this by providing a unique platform for members to engage, providing a vital link between central and local government, supply chain and the wider highways community to ensure ongoing improvements in the highways sector. As a Community Interest Company, and a very small team, we thrive on working together and also with all our sector partners, whether they are from the public or private sector. Team work is in our DNA at LCRIG and efficient utilisation of resources and identifying individual team member's skills and strengths has played a key part in our exponential growth - examples include; delivery of high quality industry events, development of the Innovation Procurement System, development of LCRIG Skills, delivery of webinars, increase in membership, newsletter subscribers and social media following. Regular team building sessions are carried out which provide motivation and improve team dynamics. Our most recent session, June 23 was 'Communications, Team Dynamics & Motivation'. These sessions help us to work efficiently as a team. LCRIG continue to drive forward collaboration and innovation by bringing the industry together. It is only by doing this that you can make change happen and we continue to make the case for local roads.

Submission Summary

The January 2022 Department for Transport response to the Transport Select Committee (TSC) Report on The Rollout and Safety of Smart Motorways featured a £900m commitment to make further safety enhancements to existing All Lane Running (ALR) motorways to help drivers feel safe and confident. This includes £390m to install 150 additional Emergency Areas (EAs) on the ALR network so drivers have even more places to stop in an emergency. SMP Alliance has been entrusted with the responsibility to design and deliver a vast majority of the hugely important, highly visible and immensely challenging National Emergency Area Retrofit (NEAR) programme. The Alliance has drawn upon the breadth and depth of its seven partners to establish a best-in-class, multi-disciplinary collaborative team made up of people from all member organisations. This highly diverse and dedicated NEAR team features a core of over 100 colleagues, supported by extended works teams and suppliers. Crucially, the team includes members previously involved in other Alliance schemes, including the Stopped Vehicle Detection (SVD) Retrofit programme, which was delivered safely, on budget and six months ahead of the original schedule with minimal disruption to road users. The ability to draw upon this experience and expertise, while simultaneously leveraging contemporary best practice and embedding learnings from other works, has been key to the programme being on site and delivering within just 18 months of the DfT’s response to the TSC report.

Winter Service and Climate Resilience Award

Given to an organisation, highway authority or partnership that best demonstrates excellence in winter service, climate resilience, extreme weather mitigation and adaptation or climate impact and recovery.

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Submission Summary

East Riding of Yorkshire Council are responsible for the maintenance of over 3500km of carriageway, of which 1955 km are on the winter treatment network. • Precautionary Network - approximately 38% (1,405km) • Secondary Network - approximately 15% (550km) In recent years, there has been a continued drive to maintain the exemplary service standards which East Riding residents and businesses expect and rely on. Following a review of Winter Service provision, the council opted to deliver for the 22/23 winter season an increased level of treatment to the Secondary Network. Previously the Secondary Network was treated, subject to available resources, when freezing conditions were forecast beyond midday. As part of this review the trigger point for a treatment delivery on the Secondary Network was changed to 08:00 from midday. To ensure treatment delivery was robust, effective and efficient, a change of delivery method was developed. This new methodology considering the following: • Rationalisation of existing treatment networks • Increasing spreader delivery range • Optimised treatment route production • Ensuring drivers hours compliance Extensive work was undertaken to rationalise and optimise the existing Secondary Network in line with NWSRG guidance. Key parameters were set for the optimisation including maximum treatment time based on driver hours and maximum spread rate for the vehicles. This revised network was then routed as an extension to the Precautionary Network to create a Concurrent Network. This new network allowed regular treatment delivery prior to the morning peak traffic flows. Resilience of the service under severe weather conditions for repeat treatments has not been compromised as we are still able to deliver the network treatments separately. Optimisation of our winter service treatment route design provided the potential for significant efficiency savings with reduced mileage/ CO2 emissions over treating both networks separately. ERYC Winter services have seen improved public perception in the service, with a reduction in the number of complaints and service delivery enquiries received. Additionally, by developing a new methodology, Winter Services have underpinned service delivery ensuring a value for money provision across the county which can now be repeated for future winter seasons.

Submission Summary

The borough recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and that responsibility for flood management falls to a number of different agencies. In Waltham Forest, the council is responsible for maintaining gullies, while Thames Water manages the sewers. The Environment Agency provides oversight on policy and funding. In 2021/22, Waltham Forest worked closely with the Thames Water-commissioned London Flood Review. The report concluded that there is no single solution to London's flooding problems, and that a multi-layered approach is needed. This includes governance, funding, evidence, communication, and strategic planning. Waltham Forest is committed to bringing this forward with tangible improvements. In the past 12 months, three major SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems) schemes have been built, reducing flood risk to over 1,000 properties. These schemes also improve biodiversity. The council is also working with the most affected communities to help build their flood resilience. This includes working with the National Flood Forum and providing a range of flood protection measures through its standalone trading company, ServiceStore. These measures range from anti-flood air bricks to backwater valves and are available to homeowners and renters alike. Waltham Forest is committed to working with its partners to tackle surface water flooding. By taking a multi-layered approach, the borough is confident that it can reduce the risk of flooding and protect its residents.

Submission Summary

Transport Scotland continue to collaborate and support winter service best practice on a local, national and world level through our current relationships with Local Authorities, SCOTS (Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland), the National Winter Service Research Group (NWSRG) and PIARC (World Road Association), as well as taking part in the European Winter Service Sub-Group which includes specialists from Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands (and National Highways). Our research and development played an important part in our policy decisions and ensured continued improvement with our industry partners.

Lifetime Achievement Award

There is no shortlist for the Lifetime Achievement Award. The recipient will be announced on the night.

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Judges Special Merit Award

Every finalist is on the shortlist for the Judges’ Special Merit Award. The winner will be announced on the night.

2023 Finalists

Active Travel Scheme of the Year

Sponsored by

Amey Consulting (working with Liverpool City Council, BCA Landscape HA Civils) For the Liverpool Lime Street Scheme

Submission Summary

Ayrshire Roads Alliance (working with Story Contracting, Sweco UK and Streets UK) For the A719 Dunure Road Underpass and Sensory Garden

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CJ Founds Associates (working with Mid Sussex District Council, West Sussex County Council, Highways and Public Rights of Way, Network Rail and East Sussex County Council) For the Burgess Hill Place and Connectivity Programme

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Essex County Council (working with Tendring District Council, Active Essex, Essex Highways, Ringway Jacobs and partners, and The Active Wellbeing Society) For Essex Pedal Power

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Gloucestershire County Council (working with Atkins, Knights Brown, Montel, Alun Griffiths and Colas) For the Gloucestershire Cycle Spine

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London Borough of Newham (working with TfL, Hochtief, Kenson Highways and Project Centre) For the Manor Park Road – Elizabeth Line-related public realm improvements

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London Borough of Newham (working with TfL, Hochtief, Kenson Highways and Project Centre) For Waltham Forest's School Streets Programme

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Apprentice of the Year

Sponsored by

Ellen Richardson - Aggregate Industries UK Limited

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Olivia Naylor - Balfour Beatty Plc

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Katie Withers - Durham County Council

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Macy Richards - Milestone Infrastructure Limited

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Joseph Gaskell - Ringway Jacobs

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Katie McQuade - WSP

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Matthew Turner - WSP

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Patrick Stockwell - WSP

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Best Use of New Technology Award

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Balfour Beatty (working with Southampton City Council) For Digitising project delivery in the highways environment

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FM Conway (working with Catsurveys Ltd and map16) For Digitising the A249 Road Network

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National Highways (working with Acoustic Camera UK Ltd) For SoundCam

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WJ Group For ThermoPrint: Revolutionising the Road Marking Sector

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Highway Data System (working with WSP, Transport Scotland, BEAR Scotland, Amey, Breedon Contracting, Aggregate Industries, Tarmac Contracting) For Electronic Data Monitoring During Highway Construction: Automating On-Site Quality Assurance Through Sensors, GPS, Lasers, and Software.

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Environmental Sustainability Award

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Atkins (working with National Highways, Heidelberg Materials (formerly Hanson), Atkins, Shell, Nynas and University of Nottingham) Net Zero Asphalt Surfacing - Innovative Bio-Binder Trials on the Strategic Road Network

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Cemex (working with Shell Construction and Road) For Low Carbon Asphalt Solution at ‘Mini Roads’, Community Cycling Facility, Everton Park

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Forest Traffic Services, National Highways and Milestone (working with Mobile VMS, Clearway Solutions and HRS) For Digital Care Initiative (DCI) as deployed on A38 Chudleigh Drainage Scheme

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GW Highways For Carbon Neutral Now

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M25 J10 Integrated Delivery Team (National Highways, Balfour Betty, Atkins, Expanded, Chevron Bouygues and Andrews) For M25 J10

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Milestone Infrastructure (working with Oxfordshire County Council) For North Oxford Corridor Decarbonisation

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NY Highways & Connected Enviro Net (working with Pye Management) For Carbon Counting Tool

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SRL Traffic Systems For SRL Solar PLUS®

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Highway Partnership Award

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Atkins (working with Heidelberg Materials (formerly Hanson), Atkins, National Highways, Shell, Nynas and University of Nottingham) Net Zero Asphalt Surfacing - Innovative Bio-Binder Trials on the Strategic Road Network

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Dorset Council and Heidelberg Materials For Dorset Highways Strategic Partnership

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National Highways (working with Kier Highways, RPS Group, VolkerFitzpatric, Arup and Tony Gee) For A417 Missing Link

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Oxfordshire County Council (working with Milestone Infrastructure, Aggregate Industries, Colas, Drayton Construction, Hazel and Jeffries, and MJ Titchmarsh) For Oxfordshire Highway Alliance

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Ringway Infrastructure Ltd (working with Milton Keynes City Council) For MK Highways

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Supply Chain Safety Leadership Group (working with WJ Group, Balfour Beatty, Graham Construction, National Highways and the CIHT) For Collaborative Excellence to Deliver Industry Standard Supervisor Training

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Westminster City Council and FM Conway For A Collaborative Approach to a Fairer Westminster