It has failed to come in on time and is still causing an eight-mile diversion but a Burton road scheme has won an award.
An access route to 2,000 planned new homes at Branston is still not complete, despite a planned finishing date of May 28.
It is now planned to finally open on Monday, June 25 after contractors said work was held up due to wet ground conditions.
But the scheme - officially known as Branston Locks' phase one - has been feted by the Institution of Civil Engineers.
The Institution's West Midlands Awards 2018, which took place at The ICC in Birmingham, announced Branston Locks' phase one as the winner of its medium projects category.
The project, being carried out for Staffordshire County Council by Amey Consulting, Amey Highways and Nurton Developments, provides access into the proposed 400-acre site.
When complete, the area will comprise of 2,500 homes, a 50-acre commercial site, primary and secondary schools, hotel and leisure facilities, a residential care home and additional community facilities.
The first phase of the project included the delivery of a new bridge over the Trent and Mersey Canal and a new pedestrian and cycle approach ramp link providing access from the village and canal towpath to the new highway bridge and road.
Phase one included 750 metres of new road (including two roundabouts), footpaths and cycleways, embankments, drainage, safety barriers, fencing, street lighting and road signage.
The judges particularly “liked the use of BIM (or Building Information Modelling which is a process for creating and managing information on a construction project across the project lifecycle) and the need for reduced maintenance.
Yvonne Aust, ICE West Midlands Chairman 2017-18 and special guest Brittany Harris, ICE Superhero Water Woman presented the awards at a dinner attended by over 270 guests.
Twenty nine project submissions from across the region were entered for the awards and were judged by a panel of chartered civil engineers, chaired by former ICE West Midlands Chairman, Mark Downes.
There were 11 category winners and six highly commended projects with one overall winner announced on the evening.
Ms Aust said: “I congratulate the winners of our 2018 awards and all entrants for their hard work and dedication, which often goes unseen by the general public.
“All of these are projects which showcase the diverse and innovative talent within our industry.
"This is an exciting time for industry growth and it is important for us to acknowledge celebrate the achievements of our civil engineers, not just from the present but also from the past in our 200th anniversary year.
"In highlighting our people and projects we will hopefully inspire the next generation to think about following an exciting and rewarding career in civil engineering.”
