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.

Councillor Dan Barrington, Cabinet Member for Transport and Connectivity, said:- “This award validates our commitment to high-quality, sustainable infrastructure and underscores the power of strong partnerships. Working with Huyton Asphalt we've created tangible benefits for our communities, from improved mobility to significant local economic opportunities. This project truly embodies our vision for a thriving, net-zero City.”

A spokesperson for Huyton Asphalt Civils said:- “The Blackburne Place project stands as an excellent example of how we continually deliver successful schemes for Liverpool that are sustainable, safe, and innovative. Through the use of sustainable processes and the industry-1st HALO FastPave single-layer asphalt solution, this project achieved significant carbon savings by cutting material use, construction time, and emissions, showcasing another prime example of our #TimeForChange commitment. We're incredibly proud of this recognition at the CIHT North West Awards. It is testament to the creativity, collaboration, and teamwork that went into delivering a project which leaves a lasting positive impact for 1 of the City's most historic locations.”

Liverpool City Council was also commended for 2 other highways projects by the awards judges – the ongoing Live Labs 2 project - a 3-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.