Highways redesign in Liverpool's historic quarter wins prestigious “transport Oscar”

A radical redesign of a key junction in the heart of Liverpool’s historic Georgian Quarter has scooped a major ‘transport Oscar’.

Liverpool City Council and Huyton Asphalt have won Project of the Year (under £5 million) at the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) North West Awards 2025 for their work around Blackburne Place.

The accolade recognised the “outstanding collaboration” in delivering a project that contributed to community mobility and sustainable infrastructure within the region.

The Blackburne Place project involved crucial improvements designed to preserve the area’s unique character whilst improving the experience for pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users and vehicles.

Then judging panel praised the project for demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainability by utilising recycled asphalt planings, bio-materials, and electric plant vehicles, significantly reducing carbon emissions and supporting Liverpool’s net-zero ambitions.

The CIHT North West Awards recognise excellence in the highways, transportation, and infrastructure sector, highlighting projects that set the highest standards.

Liverpool City Council was also commended for two other highways projects by the awards judges – the ongoing Live Labs 2 project – a three-year, UK-wide £30 million programme funded by the Department for Transport that aims to decarbonise the local highway network, and the Catharine Street works delivered under the Active Travel programme for environmental/sustainability.

These works included Kiacrete, the UK’s first-ever permeable concrete solution, and funded by the Live Labs project.

As part of Liverpool’s multi-million-pound Highways Investment Programme, the project benefited from a streamlined procurement process and Liverpool City Council’s efficient, risk-based delivery approach.