A CalAPA-backed bill to that would improve safety in highway work zones was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The bill, AB390, authored by Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City (pictured earlier this year at a CalAPA event), was given final approval by the Legislature on July 10. The governor signed the bill into law on July 28.

The bill would require highway drivers approaching stationary vehicles to move into an adjacent lane, or if impracticable, to slow to a prudent speed, and imposes fines for violators. The bill includes in the scope of stopped vehicles, public works vehicles and private contractors, such as our members that may be employed by those public works agencies. CalAPA advocated for language to be inserted into the bill to extend those safety provisions to contractors' vehicles.

"AB390 is a common-sense bill that aligns California with 24 other states and the District of Columbia that require highway drivers approaching stationary vehicles to move into an adjacent lane, or if impracticable, to slow to a prudent speed," CalAPA said of the bill in a May 27 support letter. Highway work-zone safety is one of the asphalt pavement industry's top priorities.

The new law will take effect on Jan. 1. The full text of the bill is HERE.

The Legislature is currently on a Summer recess that runs through Aug. 18, but CalAPA's Capitol lobbyists remain busy tracking various bills in Sacramento that the association has taken positions on. To learn more about CalAPA's advocacy program, click HERE.

The Pew Research Foundation, a think tank, released a report examining how states allocate money for transportation improvements, including fixing roads. The report finds that California's system of reporting, while detailed, likely masks a much larger gap in what it will take to address a deterioriating system.

Caltrans representatives were interviewed as part of the report, department officials confirmed. The department has taken issue with such reports in the past because they are difficult make strong state-by-state comparisons given California's vast and complex system, different reporting criteria, and the demands placed on the system by the heaviest traffic volumes anywhere in the country.

The overall finding of the report is that states are falling short of the money needed to keep pace with their deteriorating road networks, and the cost of allowing that situation to continue will have dire consequences. This issue is universal across most states (see commentary elsewhere in this issue).

"Many states and localities struggle to make the investments necessary to preserve and maintain their transportation systems, a situation that in turn threatens economic development, the safety of millions of drivers and residents, and the long-term sustainability of public budgets," the report states. To read the full report, click HERE.

The report provides a glimpse into the byzantine world of Transportation Asset Management Plans (TAMPs), which lay out the condition of a state DOT's assets, including pavements, and maps out what projects will be needed to address the deterioration. More information about the Caltrans TAMP is HERE. The latest copy of the department's proposed update to its State Highway System Management Plan is HERE. The 10-year Strategic Management Plan projects California's total needs for its assets is valued at $111.8 billion, with available or projected funding only covering about 63% of that total.

In years past, the state's Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) was primarily focused on the repair of roads and bridges, but recently it has been expanded to include a myriad of other assets, such as culverts, signage, traffic-management systems and the like. The California State Transportation Agency's "Climate Action Plan for Transportation Investments" (CAPTI) expands the competition even farther, calling for investments to address environmental concerns, equity and climate change. In practice, that translates to more competition for finite tax dollars.

The Pew report notes that California's asset management system is detailed, but also excludes local assets that are a large portion of the overall system.

"This limited scope means that although TAMPs offer valuable insights into NHS (National Highway System) assets, they fail to provide a full picture of state transportation networks and infrastructure performance and needs."

In other words, the overall need is likely much greater. As noted elsewhere in this issue, good roads cost money and bad roads cost more.

The years-long campaign by environmentalists to get people out of their cars in California may be finally drawing to a close, in of all places transit-heavy San Francisco. At least that's the assessment of a local publication, The San Francisco Standard, which recently weighed in on the subject with the following eye-popping headline: "San Francisco is a car city now. Sorry." That article is HERE.

It seems that once again people are voting with their feet (firmly planted on the gas pedal) when it comes to what mode of transportation they favor. And those modes are likely to be traveling on asphalt pavements. Sorry.

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

HOT IN-PLACE RECYCLING (HIR): A process which involves softening of the existing asphalt surface with heat, mechanically removing the surface material, mixing the material with a recycling or rejuvenating agent, adding virgin asphalt and aggregate to the material (if required), and then returning the material to the pavement. 

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.

ASPHALT MIXTURE: Ask yourself: Is this the correct mix type for the project and the layer you are constructing? Verify that the truck delivery ticket matches the approved mix design.

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.

CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT: Measurement unit used to standardize climate impacts of greenhouse gases.

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 .

August 2025: $375.2 ($/ton)

"Cynicism destroys everything."



– Barry Diller

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. 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)®