Registration closes soon for a comprehensive technical workshop on Environmental Product Declarations, which will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 25 in Sacramento. Details and on-line registration is HERE.

The daylong program, which includes refreshments and lunch, brings together various perspectives and expertise from California and across the nation on the topic that has relevance for the asphalt pavement industry as well as local, state and federal public works officials. A detailed agenda of the day's speakers and topics is HERE.

For more information on the program, contact CalAPA's Brandon Milar, P.E., at (916) 791-5044.

The great thing about the asphalt pavement industry in California is that it really is like an extended family, with people connecting and reconnecting like travelers on a smooth asphalt highway.

Take, for example, Andrew Onoja, of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency in Abuja, Nigeria. A longtime reader of the California Asphalt Insider newsletter, he holds the distinction of traveling the greatest distance to a CalAPA event -- twice. He attended the Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference in Sacramento last year, and previously attended a Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference in Ontario (he is pictured at right, speaking with John Harvey of the UC Pavement Research Center (left) as Ian Broddrick with Alta Vista Solutions listens in). A story and photos from last year's Fall Conference was featured in the CalAPA magazine HERE. A registered civil engineer who oversees quality control for his agency, Onoja recently sent us a photo of him proudly showing off his CalAPA Yeti coffee mug. He tells us he likes California and hopes to make it his permanent home some day. For those who would like to drop him a line, his e-mail address is: elandyin@gmail.com .

Another couple of well-known figures stopped by the CalAPA offices last week: Dr. Jorge Sousa and former Arizona DOT official George Way, who are both associated with the Rubberized Asphalt Foundation. The organization puts on an international conference every three years to highlight the latest research, new products and best practices in the field. CalAPA's technical workshop, "Where the Rubber Meets the Road," held earlier this year in Sacramento (which also had attendees from Australia), was among the topics of conversation. A CalAPA magazine writeup of that event is HERE.

Finally, Caltrans State Materials Engineer Tim Greutert delivered brief welcoming remarks at the Caltrans-industry Joint Training & Certification Program Advisory Council meeting held Friday in Sacramento. The program continues to receive high marks for effectiveness and collaboration, which was highlighted in the most recent issue of CalAPA's association magazine, which is on-line HERE. The article features a visit to the campus of Cal State Long Beach by Assemblyman Tri Ta, D-Long Beach. The connections between roads, jobs, the California economy and our quality of life are unmistakable.

Perhaps, as a Disneyland ride reminds us, "It's a Small World After All."

Ever since California's Kevin McCarthy was ousted by his fellow Republicans on Oct. 3, the U.S. House of Representatives has been without a leader and, as a consequence, unable to conduct business. McCarthy last week called the situation "embarrassing."

Meanwhile, McCarthy's name remains over the door to the Speaker's Office. After a cooling off period over the weekend, the GOP caucus is expected to meet again this week to sort through several candidates to replace McCarthy. A mid-November deadline looms to keep paying the federal government's bills, not to mention two international wars that require America's attention, yet it's anyone's guess how this gridlock will play out.

Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan sought the speaker's gavel last week but failed to muster enough votes from his own party in three rounds of voting, doing worse each time, and was forced to withdraw his name following a secret-ballot vote. Generally, among the California House delegation, the public votes fell along party lines, with a couple of exceptions. U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-CA, voted initially for McCarthy in a show of support for his fellow Republican from California, but later fell in line for Jordan in later votes.

In another voting quirk, a Texas Congressman, Rep. Jake Ellzey, cast his speaker votes for California Republican Rep. Mike Garcia, who was not a declared candidate. Garcia's office confirmed to CalAPA that Garcia was not seeking the office, and that Ellzey was a former "wingman" in the military who was voting for a fellow veteran.

The disorder in Washington begs the question: would an asphalt paving crew work this way? Imagine if, at the start of the job, the crew could not agree who would be on the roller, or on the back of the paving machine, or behind a shovel or lute? What if there was no communication with the plant, or the truck drivers? It would be mad chaos, and the project would suffer as a result. Perhaps our elected officials in Washington could take a few lessons in teamwork from people who actually work for a living.

As the voice of the asphalt pavement industry in California since 1953, CalAPA periodically receives technical inquiries, which we are happy to answer. These days, however, we are getting some help, thanks to Artificial Intelligence.

You'll recall that the National Asphalt Pavement Association, a CalAPA partner, rolled out its AI-powered knowledge-sharing tool, "Hey NAPA," that draws from decades of credible research and technical reports for our industry. A previous Asphalt Insider story on "Hey NAPA" is HERE.

Last week we got an inquiry from a city inspector (a regular Asphalt Insider reader) about seal coat curing times and thermoplastic stripling so we thought we would put "Hey NAPA" to the test. Here was the question that was posed, "How soon after applying a seal coat can I apply thermoplastic striping?"

And here was the AI-generated answer: "Thermoplastic striping can be applied on a seal-coated asphalt surface once the seal coat has fully cured. The curing time can vary depending on the specific type of seal coat used, the thickness of the application, and the weather conditions at the time of application. Generally, seal coats require at least 24 to 48 hours to cure under optimal conditions. However, it's crucial to check the seal coat manufacturer's instructions for the recommended curing time. The surface should be completely dry and free of any loose material before applying the thermoplastic striping. It's also recommended to use a primer or tack coat specifically designed for thermoplastic applications to ensure good adhesion between the thermoplastic and the seal coated surface. Remember, applying thermoplastic striping too soon after a seal coat application can result in poor adhesion and premature failure of the marking. Always ensure the seal coat is fully cured before proceeding with the striping."

A pretty good answer, backed by links to various citations available from the exhaustive NAPA repository of technical reports. Humans consulted on this question added some additional guidance: consult the information from the thermoplastic striping manufacturer for recommendations on the conditions under which the product should be applied.

While no one represents that any AI-powered tool is the be-all, end-all to answer a technical question, the "Hey NAPA" tool, in our opinion, comes as close as any we have seen to providing a good head start on an inquiry, particularly when a human expert is not immediately available. As has been said, AI may not be coming for your job, but someone who uses AI just might. You can learn more about the "Hey NAPA" tool HERE.

Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other term commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.

SEAL COAT: A thin asphalt surface treatment used to waterproof and improve the texture of an asphalt wearing surface. Depending on the purpose, seal coats may or may not be covered with aggregate. The main types of seal coats are aggregate seals, fog seals, emulsion slurry seals, and sand seals.

Each week we highlight a key point or best practice of interest to asphalt paving crews, inspectors and others working in the field. We welcome suggestions. More tips can be found in our "Asphalt Parking Lot Construction Checklist" HERE. Information on the CalAPA "Quality Paving Certificate" program is HERE.

SITE PREPARATION: If overlaying an existing or milled surface, has the surface been cleaned/swept and given a full "tack coat" (a bonding agent between the two surfaces)? What is the specified coverage rate for the prime/tack coat? Is the application uniform? Has the material been given enough time to "break" (evaporate the water)?

Each week we highlight a term that is specific to climate-change issues related to the asphalt pavement industry. This feature is intended to raise awareness of the asphalt industry's climate-change initiatives and the specialized terminology that goes with them. More information on "The Road Forward" asphalt industry climate initiative can be found HERE.

INTERNATIONAL ROUGHNESS INDEX: Mathematical measurement of road's smoothness 1997 treaty where nations detailed emission reduction targets for first time.

"You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist."

– Indira Gandhi

We hope you enjoy CalAPA's Asphalt Insider newsletter. We are committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information on technical issues, regulation, news, analysis, events and trends in California that is of interest to the asphalt pavement industry and our various agency partners. To subscribe to the newsletter, click HERE. For comments, questions or to suggest a story idea, click HERE.

Sincerely,

Russell W. Snyder, CAE

Executive Director

California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®