Roadways has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Construction News Awards 2026 for Project of the Year (under £20m) for the A26 Beddingham and A259 Winchelsea highway schemes.
This recognition reflects a collaborative delivery with National Highways, Jacobs, WSP, Nynas and Surrey Highway Laboratories, and marks further industry acknowledgement of a standards-compliant, lower-risk and cost-effective approach to highway construction in the UK.
Delivering within standards — reducing cost, risk and carbon in highway construction
The A26 and A259 schemes demonstrate how the operative Specification for Highway Works (SHW) can be applied more intelligently to deliver lower-cost, lower-risk and lower-carbon highways without changing specification, design intent or accountability.
At the core of the project was the use of Cold bitumen emulsion based asphalt as a binder and base solution (AC20 / AC32 replacement), delivered fully in line with the operative Specification for Highway Works — including legacy Clause 948 or equivalent provisions in the updated 2025 MCHW.
This approach enabled:
• Lower production and delivery cost compared to traditional hot mix asphalt
• Reduced commercial risk by removing temperature dependency and associated programme constraints
• Consistent quality through controlled, ex-situ production and laboratory testing
• Reduced haulage, logistics and construction impact through local recycled materials
The material uses 100% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) combined with a controlled bitumen emulsion system, delivering reliable performance while reducing reliance on primary aggregates and heat-based processes.Proven delivery at scale on the Strategic Road Network
The A26 and A259 schemes form part of a growing body of work demonstrating that cold asphalt and recycled materials can be delivered at scale on the Strategic Road Network (SRN).
This is not a change in standards — but a more effective use of them.
The same approach has already been validated through multiple award-winning schemes, including large-scale road recycling programmes delivering:
• Significant waste diversion from landfill
• Reduced demand for virgin aggregates
• Longer asset life compared to traditional resurfacing approaches
These outcomes are achieved while maintaining full compliance with UK highways standards and preserving client accountability.
A collaborative delivery model combining technical and material expertise
This shortlisting reflects a genuinely integrated delivery model, combining:
• National Highways – governance, standards and network oversight
• Jacobs and WSP – expertise in design, engineering and compliance with highways standards
• Nynas – specialist bitumen expertise supporting high-performance emulsion systems
• Surrey Highway Laboratories – independent testing, validation and assurance
Roadways – principal contractor with full self-delivery, materials production and programme control
Together, this demonstrates how aligning design, materials and delivery around standards compliance, risk reduction and commercial performance can produce better outcomes for clients and road users.
60 years of highways delivery — focused on practical, compliant solutions
In its 60th year, Roadways continues to focus on delivering infrastructure that is:
• Fully compliant with the operative Specification for Highway Works
• Lower risk to deliver and manage commercially
• More cost certain for clients and procurement teams
• More sustainable as a result of better engineering, not higher risk innovation
This recognition from Construction News reinforces a consistent position in UK infrastructure delivery: Better highways can be delivered today — using existing standards, applied properly.
Tom Simmons, Senior Delivery Manager – South East, National Highways, commented:
“Roadways showed that cold recycled asphalt can be the sensible default for road base and binder on the SRN — standards-compliant, lower risk and commercially robust — when delivered by a contractor with the governance and self-delivery capability to control outcomes.”
“On the A259 and A26, Roadways demonstrated that cold recycled bitumen emulsion based asphalt can be deployed as a fully standards-compliant, like-for-like alternative to traditional base and binder on the SRN, without changing design intent or accountability. What stood out was the reduction in delivery and commercial risk — no temperature dependency, fewer logistics constraints, and strong cost certainty — with industry-leading carbon savings.
This was only possible because Roadways combined National Highways–experienced governance with full self-delivery and in-house production, allowing technical discussions, change management, quality, programme and assurance to be controlled end-to-end.”
Roadways – Highways & Civil Engineering Contractor (South East UK)
For civil engineering, surfacing, cold asphalt supply or recycled aggregates in the South East, contact Roadways
📍 Woodside Depot, Polegate Road, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 3PG
📞 01323 848 822
Roadways the right way — delivering lower-risk, standards-compliant infrastructure for over 60 years.