Cory Binns returns to Caltrans today as Chief Deputy Director of the department. Binns is a familiar name to the asphalt industry, having served previously as deputy director for Maintenance & Operations and co-sponsor of the Pavement & Materials Partnering Committee. Most recently he was a retired annuitant director of construction and engineering for the San Diego Association of Governments.

His appointment was announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Jan. 13, and also via an internal e-mail sent last week by Catlrans Director Dina El-Tawansy.

"Binns dedicated more than 20 years of service to Caltrans from 1999 to 2023, holding several senior leadership roles including Deputy Director of Maintenance and Operations, District 11 Director, and Corridor Manager," El-Tawansy wrote in her Jan. 29 e-mail to Caltrans employees. "In these roles, he was responsible for statewide operational performance, district-level program delivery, and corridor-based planning and implementation. Earlier in his career, he held engineering and quality control positions in both the public and private sectors, including roles at West Coast General Corporation, Pountney and Associates, and Riverside County Flood Control."

"As chief deputy director," El-Tawansy added, "Binns will support the director in overseeing Caltrans’ statewide operations, advancing strategic priorities, and ensuring effective delivery of transportation programs that serve all Californians."

Binns was on hand in 2019 to present industry and agency representatives with a special award from Caltrans for the collaborative work done, under the auspices of the Pavement & Materials Partnering Committee, to update the department's pavement smoothness specifications. CalAPA hosted several meetings on the topic, and introduced information from other states that informed the deliberations on the new standard.

The official announcement by the Governor's Office on the appointment of Binns is HERE. The pavement smoothness specification effort was featured in the 2022 "Innovation" issue of the CalAPA association magazine, "California Asphalt," which can be accessed on-line HERE. A 2020 Asphalt Insider story on Binns being named Deputy Director for Maintenance & Operations is HERE.

California was well-represented last week at the National Asphalt Pavement Association Annual Meeting held in Scottsdale, Ariz. CalAPA member Reed Family Companies took home a prestigious Community Involvement Award, and former CalAPA Chair Jordan Reed with the Reed Family Companies, now a NAPA Board Member, chaired a meeting of NAPA's Western Regional Advisory Council.

CalAPA members participated in numerous committee meetings, providing the California perspective to inform deliberations on a wide range of topics, from technical to environmental to political. CalAPA Executive Director Russell Snyder, outgoing chairman of the State Asphalt Pavement Associations (SAPA), accepted a Distinguished Service Award from NAPA on behalf of the federation of 40 state asphalt pavement associations.

The multi-day meeting underscored the importance of asphalt industry unity and engagement in the face of a dynamic environment of change for the industry. CalAPA and its members work closely with NAPA and the Asphalt Institute on issues of common interest, and CalAPA contributes to pooled funds to advance research and market-share enhancing activities, as well as lobbying in Washington, D.C.

To learn more about NAPA, visit the association's website HERE. To learn more about SAPA, visit the organization's website HERE.

In an annual ritual to remind elected officials of the importance of investing and protecting California's vital roadway network in California, CalAPA will once again host its annual "Fly-in" to the state Capitol in Sacramento March 17-18.

Conducted by the association's advocates, Carpenter Garcia Sievers, named one of the top lobbying firms in Sacramento by the Sacramento Business Journal, the "Fly-in" will include appointments with members of the Legislature as well as lunchtime briefings and an exclusive dinner to be held at the historic Sutter Club a block from the Capitol dome. On-line registration for the event is HERE.

Highlights from last year's event include a meeting with Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Lori Wilson (pictured), who proudly displayed the "can" presented to her by CalAPA as a reminder to not to "kick the can down the road" on transportation funding. She is currently carrying a CalAPA-endorsed bill, AB1421, to lay the groundwork for transitioning California from declining fuel tax revenues devoted to roads to another system. The bill passed the Assembly on Jan. 29 on a 49-21 vote. It now faces consideration by the state Senate. Information on the bill is HERE.

To learn more about CalAPA's road-focused advocacy on behalf of the asphalt pavement industry in California, click HERE.

CalAPA asphalt training classes will take place Feb. 11 in West Sacramento, and March 10-11 in Pomona in conjunction with the Asphalt Conference & Expo.

CalAPA's popular "Asphalt Pavement 101" class, taught by Roger Smith, will take place from 8 a.m. to noon at CalAPA's offices, 1550 Harbor Blvd., Suite 120 in West Sacramento. There is ample free parking on site. The class covers all aspect of asphalt pavements, from planning, design, construction, inspection and acceptance. The instructor is a former senior materials engineer for Caltrans, regional engineer for the Asphalt Institute, as well as former executive director of CalAPA. Space is limited to early registration must be completed on-line HERE.

Smith will reprise the class on March 10 in Pomona as part of the Asphalt Conference & Expo taking place at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center. The class time is 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and includes lunch.

A new offering, "Pavement Management Strategies," will be held at the same location on March 11 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will be taught by noted pavement preservation expert Scott Dmytrow of Pavement ACES and provide an overview of tools and strategies to maximize resources to effectively maintain pavement infrastructure. The class will cover real-world examples of how agencies have utilized these tools to improve overall network quality.

To register for the Pomona training classes, click HERE.

All attendees to CalAPA technical training classes receive valuable resource guides and a certificate of completion suitable for framing. To learn more about CalAPA's technical training offerings, click HERE.

CalAPA is pleased to welcome its newest associate member, Dragon Material Transport, Inc.

Based in Fresno, Dragon Material Transport is a trucking company specializing in material supply and hauling of asphalt, dirt, rock and oil. The company's fleet of supers and bottom-dumps work in the Central Valley. The oil tankers haul hot liquid asphalt throughout the state.

The company is women-owned and for over 30 years has partnered with top material supply sources to deliver to construction sites and road and highway projects.

For more information, visit the company website HERE, or contact Brandon Bradford at (559) 490-6877.

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

LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS (LCCA): An economic assessment of an item, system, or facility and competing design alternatives considering all significant costs of ownership over the economic life, expressed in terms of equivalent dollars. A method of determination of the cost of the pavement to the road owner over its design life. 

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.

COMPACTION: Check pavement temperature before compaction begins. Don't rely solely on an infrared temperature gauge. Have a probe thermometer on hand to check the internal temperature of the mat. The ability to achieve proper compaction requires a mat temperature of 175 degrees or greater. Do not let roller operators park equipment on the fresh mat while compaction is ongoing.

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. A recent CalAPA magazine story on the topic is HERE.

RECYCLED ASPHALT SHINGLES: Reprocessed shingles containing a stiff binder and aggregate fines.

Editor's Note: As a convenience to our readers, Asphalt Insider reports the most current Caltrans "Statewide Crude Oil Price Index" posting. The department posts this monthly on its public website HERE. The index is used to calculate payment adjustments for paving asphalt under special provisions section "Payment Adjustments for Price Index Fluctuations" in those projects containing the section. The department posts the index on or about the first business day of the month using the daily Brent crude oil prices from the previous month as reported by Business Insider. Inquiries about the index should be directed to Caltrans at: Oil.Index@dot.ca.gov .

January 2026: $331.5 ($/ton)

"The secret of joy in work is contained in one word: excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it."

– Pearl S. Buck

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, people, events and trends in California that is of interest to the asphalt pavement industry and our various agency partners. Please note: This publication is 100% human-produced with 100% original content, and is only possible due to the generous support of CalAPA members. To subscribe to the newsletter, click HERE. For comments, questions or to suggest a story idea, click HERE. We are committed to promptly notifying our readers of any errors in this publication. Please click on the comment link above to alert the editor of any errors or omissions.

Sincerely,

Russell W. Snyder, CAE

Executive Director

The California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®