The winners of the 2025 DfT Special Recognition Awards were announced last night (1 October) at Strictly Highways, where more than 500 professionals from the highways and road infrastructure technology sector came together to celebrate innovation and achievement.
Now in their sixth year, the awards were established by the late Steve Berry OBE, former Head of Highways Maintenance, Innovation, and Resilience at DfT. They continue to honour his legacy by recognising individuals, organisations, and partnerships driving progress across the highways sector.
The 2025 winners are:
Best Use of Technology in the Highways and Transportation Sector (Sponsored by Polaris)
Winner – WJ Group and HAAS Alert – Improving Safety through Real-Time In-Car VMS.
Highly commended: Eurovia – Eliminating On-Site Collisions using Safety Shield AI human detection technology & Emergency Autobrake Assist.
Transport Technology Innovation (Sponsored by Multevo)
Winner – Vivacity – It shouldn’t have to cost a life to save a life: Transforming Road Safety with AI-Powered Near Miss Detection.
Highly commended: Aisin RoadTrace – formally selected as a connected vehicle data partner on the National Highways SPATS3 Framework.
Collaborative Partnership (between council(s) and supply chain) (Sponsored by Kiely Group)
Winner – Liverpool City Council – Highways Investment Programme (HIP) HIP1 and HIP2.
Highly commended: London Borough of Enfield – Enfield Town to Broxbourne Walking and Cycling Route.
Net Zero Project of the Year (Sponsored by Tarmac)
Winner – East Riding of Yorkshire Council – the Live Labs 2 – Decarbonising Streetlighting project.
Highly commended: Staffordshire County Council and Amey – Pioneering UK-first process that converts wet gully waste into British Standard 3882-certified topsoil, reused directly on local highways projects.
Highly commended – Multipave and Blackpool Council – Transforming road maintenance, preventing150 tonnes of CO₂ emissions and recycling 4,000 tonnes of materials by using Cold Recycled Bound Materials (CRBM).
Employer Initiative of the Year (Sponsored by Triopsis)
Winner – Wiltshire Council – Wellbeing and Inclusion Programme.
Highly commended – FM Conway – 30 by 30, a bold commitment to reach 30% female representation by 2030.
Highways Apprentice of the Year (Sponsored by Winvic)
Winner – Jess Banbury, Pre-Site Technician at Amey Staffordshire.
Highly commended – Hannah Black, Citisense.
Best of Britain (Sponsored by Gaist)
Winner – Manjit Singh, Principal Engineer Traffic Signals at City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.
Special Awards
In addition, two special awards were presented:
Matthew Eglinton – recognised for an outstanding contribution to innovation in the highways sector.
Susanne Ingham – recognised for an outstanding contribution to collaboration in the highways sector.
Special tribute was paid to Susanne, whose 30-year career in highways has transformed the sector and delivered measurable benefits to wider society, leaving a legacy of generosity, innovation, and lasting community impact.
Speaking after the ceremony, Charlotte Bromley, Head of Events at LCRIG, said:
“These awards are about celebrating the people and organisations who are pushing boundaries, driving innovation, and making a real difference in highways and road infrastructure technology. We are proud to honour their achievements and continue Steve Berry’s legacy of recognising excellence in our sector.”
The evening was hosted by Highways News co-owner Paul Hutton and supported by sponsors including Polaris, Multevo, Kiely Group, Tarmac, Triopsis, Winvic, and Gaist.
(Picture – LCRIG)
