It was transportation day in Sacramento last Tuesday as the California Transportation Foundation held its 21st annual Transportation Forum, immediately followed by a special hearing of the state Senate Transportation Committee on SB1.

The back-to-back events held Feb. 11 underscored the close scrutiny being placed on SB1, the "Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017" that raised fuel taxes and fees to generate more than $5 billion per year to fix roads, bridges and other aging transportation infrastructure.

The consensus opinion shared by many speakers and those who

	State Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Beall (right) conducts a SB1 hearing Feb. 11 in Sacramento.

testified at the Capitol was that the state would be in dire straits if SB1 had not passed, or was repealed in a failed ballot measure in 2018. Still, there was broad agreement that state and local governments were not doing enough to publicize the transportation improvements under construction or recently completed because of the new funding.

 New Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin, on the job just over three months, also emphasized the department's commitment to delivering SB1 dollars quickly and efficiently. He also made reference to pavement research being conducted in the state that will benefit Caltrans, and referenced long-life pavement strategies. Caltrans is currently building a Long-life Asphalt Pavement project on Interstate 5 in Sacramento, a joint-venture of CalAPA members Granite Construction and Teichert Inc. A previous Asphalt Insider story about that project is HERE.

During the Q&A session led by Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, who was the author of SB1, a question was raised about the "framework" recently released by the U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee for a five-year, $760 billion

	New Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin speaks at the CTF transportation forum Feb. 11 in Sacramento.

infrastructure bill. Kim, a former FHWA official, commented that "there's a lot to like in the House framework" and that there is "a lot of synergy" with SB1. Beall said he and others would urge the House T&I Committee to hold a field hearing on the bill in California. More information on the T&I Framework is HERE.

Numerous CalAPA members were in attendance last week when the Association of Modified Asphalt Producers held their 21st annual conference in Rancho Mirage.

The AMAP conference and workshop brings together industry leaders and technology experts to discuss successful modified

	CalAPA Regional Director Bill Knopf (left) and CalAPA member Scott Dmytrow, senior vice president of business development for Prism Worldwide, catch up at Prism's booth at the AMAP conference last week in Rancho Mirage.

asphalt projects as well as advances and changes in technology and industry needs. Prior to the Conference, AMAP conducted its highly regarded Modified Asphalt Workshop.

 

CalAPA Technical Director Brandon Milar conducted a conference presentation titled, "Building Roads in the Wild West," relaying his experience with changing specifications, construction standards and test methods in use at the state and local level.  

 

For the first time, the association streamed video of the various conference presentations, which can be viewed HERE. For more information about AMAP, visit their website HERE. The 2021 AMAP conference and workshop will take place Jan. 12-14 in Houston, Texas. 

 

Special to Asphalt Insider 

In an effort to streamline the approval process for roadway materials, Caltrans has implemented the use of pre-qualification programs. These programs include job mix formula (JMF) verifications, Independent Assurance (IA) tester certification and laboratory accreditation, Material Plant Quality Program (MPQP) approval, and aggregate material approvals, all of which can be done prior to award of construction contracts. Construction projects can be unpredictable, making coordination of required approvals difficult. By waiting until projects are awarded and suppliers identified, valuable time is lost in getting the JMFs, laboratories, testers, plants, and aggregates approved. The pre-qualification programs provide the opportunity to jump-start this process, which is intended to reduce costs, delays, and disputes during construction. The following programs are currently being offered by Caltrans:

 

Job Mix Formula Pre-qualification Program (JMF-PP)

The JMF-PP provides paving contractors with JMFs that have been verified by Caltrans before the award of construction contracts. Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) suppliers submit a TL-3900, JMF Submittal form, to JMF(dot)Submittals(at)dot(dot)ca(dot)gov and then enters necessary HMA design test data in the Data Interchange for Materials Engineering (DIME) HERE. Once the submittal is reviewed for completeness, the assigned Caltrans laboratory coordinates collection of material samples and performs the JMF verification. If the JMF is verified, the HMA supplier receives a compl

	The Caltrans-industry Joint Training & Certification Program was featured in the 2019 Quality issue of CalAPA"s California Asphalt magazine.

eted CEM 3513, Caltrans Hot Mix Asphalt Verification form, valid for 12 months. This program is managed by Caltrans Division of Engineering Services (DES), Materials Engineering and Testing Services (METS). Additional details on the JMF-PP can be found HERE.

 

Independent Assurance (IA) Service Request

The IA Service Request provides laboratory accreditations and technician certifications statewide, excluding those certificationsthat are covered under the Joint Training and Certification Program (JTCP). Details on the JTCP certifications can be found HERE. To request IA services, a laboratory submits a completed Laboratory Accreditation Request Form (TL-0118) or Technician Certification Request Form (TL-0120) along with all required documents to the IA Service Request Coordinator at:  

 

IA(dot)Service(dot)Request(at)dot(dot)ca(dot)gov

 

Once a request is received, it is assigned to an IA staff who will review the documents and coordinate the laboratory accreditation or technician certification. IA staff are dispatched regionally in the order in which completed submittals are received. The Statewide Independent Assurance Database (SIAD) found HERE will be updated with laboratory accreditation and/or tester certification information. This program is managed by Caltrans DES, METS. Additional information on the IA Service Request can be found HERE.

 

Material Plant Quality Program (MPQP)

The MPQP provides approval for material plants that produce materials for public construction projects such as HMA batch and continuous plants, asphalt rubber binder plants, and Portland

	The DeSilva Gates Aggregates facility in Sunol.

cement concrete batch plants. To obtain plant certification, contact the appropriate Caltrans district weights and measures coordinator. An appointment needs to be scheduled at least two weeks prior to the requested date. Priority will go to those plants producing materials for a Caltrans project. The MPQP manual can be found HERE. This program is managed by Caltrans Division of Construction. Additional information on the MPQP can be found HERE.

 

Aggregate Pre-qualification Program (APP)

The APP provides contractors the ability to submit aggregate for quality assurance testing by Caltrans before the award of construction contracts. Aggregate producers submit quality control data onto DIME for review by the APP administrator. The APP Administrator will review the submitted package for technical content and after review, request a split sample of material to be shipped to a Department Laboratory. Accepted material will be placed on the Aggregate Pre-qualification Program Material List for up to one year. The APP Material list can be found HERE. This program is managed by Caltrans DES, METS. Additional APP details can be found HERE.

 

Editor's Note: The above article was provided by Caltrans. In the e-mail addresses above, the "." was replaced by "(dot)" and the "@" was replaced by "(at)" to deter malicious spam software.

SUBSOIL: Is the base layer/subsoil firm and unyielding under the pressure of repeated construction trucks? Is the soil dry enough to support heavy construction? Can the soil hold its shape under loaded trucks? If the site is wet, postpone until the site is sufficiently dry and can be proof rolled and uniform stability is obtained.  

 

"I t's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."