The top awards ceremony in the highways sector will have a category permanently dedicated to the late Steve Berry OBE (pictured), as a testimony to his lasting impact and legacy.
The Steve Berry Highways Authority Innovation Award at the Highways Awards will be given to the authority that best demonstrates the qualities that made Mr Berry so admired across this industry - a dedication to innovation and adding value to the work we love.
Mr Berry was well-known for spearheading any number of key initiatives throughout his 31-year career at the Department for Transport, and in 2014 he won an OBE for 'services to local highways, innovation and resilience'.
His work saw him take a leading role in the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP), the Incentive Fund self-assessment process and improving winter service and resilience after the UK was hit with extreme weather over a decade ago as well as terrible flooding in recent years.
Highways editor Dominic Browne said: 'Like everyone in our sector the Highways team were heartbroken to hear about the loss of our friend Steve Berry. Steve supported our magazine and events for years and it was such a terrible shock to lose him so young.
'We are proud to dedicate our innovation award to Steve as a reminder of the incredible work he did to push this sector forward.
'I knew Steve for almost a decade and in that time he never let up on his restless desire to make improvements to our industry. It is not easy to try something new in any sector, and ours can be especially challenging, but Steve was never satisfied with doing what we have always done. Some of his initiatives were greeted with scepticism at first, but sooner or later the sector always came round to his ideas. Above all, he cared deeply about highways and our role in society, and that is why he made such a difference.
'Any authority that wins this award should be deeply proud, and ensure that they hold it as a standard to always live up to in the future.'
