The Joint Training & Certification Program has announced upcoming changes to the program for 2025, which includes updating certifications for HMA I (AASHTO T30 & CT105), and Soils & Aggregate (CT105), as well as providing an annual schedule for recertifications.

The JTCP, a collaborative effort between industry, agency and academia, has been in place to train and certify construction materials technicians, and thousands of industry and agency personnel have gone through the program since it launched in 2017. An advisory board, which includes CalAPA, helps guide program changes and updates.

On Dec. 13 the program announced the following changes to the Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA I) class:

AASHTO T 30 – Mechanical Analysis of Extracted Aggregate will be offered in the HMA I module in conjunction with modifications to Caltrans Standard Specifications. To accommodate this change, CT 105 – Calculations Pertaining to Gradations and Specific Gravities will be removed from HMA I. AASHTO T 30 will continue to be available outside of the JTCP to any technician with current HMA I or HMA II certification. CT 105 certification will be available outside of the JTCP without any specific prerequisites. For further details, please contact Caltrans Independent Assurance at IA.Service.Request@dot.ca.gov.

In addition, the following changes were announced for the Soils & Aggregate (S&A) Class:

CT 105 – Calculations Pertaining to Gradations and Specific Gravities is no longer a prerequisite test method within the S&A module and can be opted out of on exam day. Additionally, S&A training material is currently undergoing major improvements (completion expected in March 2025) and within that process, CT 105 will be removed from the program.  CT 105 certification will be available outside of the JTCP without any specific prerequisites. For further details, please contact Caltrans Independent Assurance at IA.Service.Request@dot.ca.gov.

Finally, the following announcements were made regarding the JTCP class schedule:

JTCP Recertification sessions will now be scheduled for the entire calendar year so technicians and laboratories can plan accordingly. The session schedule has been created on the basis of past recertification enrollment rates and estimated volume of eligible enrollees. Recertification sessions will be paired up where possible to offer the opportunity to recertify in two modules in one week.

To ensure recertification session are not repeatedly postponed, the JTCP has set two rules for enrollment and scheduling:

1.   If a recertification session does not reach adequate enrollment, the session will be cancelled rather than postponed. All enrollees will be directed to register in a regular session for the training module with extensions approved by Caltrans IA where appropriate.

2.   If a session reaches enrollment capacity, another session will not necessarily open. An eligible technician will not be offered an extension to the next recertification session and will need to enroll in a regular session. However, if a desired recert session is full, the eligible technician should contact CSULB-JTCP and request to be added to a waiting list. If the waiting list becomes long enough, CSULB will open another session.

Please direct questions related to JTCP certification to JTCP@dot.ca.gov. For questions related to session enrollment, please email JTCP@CSULB.edu. Additional information and guidance can be found at the Caltrans JTCP website HERE. The JTCP registration page, which is managed by California State University, Long Beach, is HERE. An article about the program that appeared in California Asphalt magazine, the Journal of the California Asphalt Pavement Association, is HERE.

A collaborative effort between CalAPA and the National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University resulted in NCAT's popular Airfield Asphalt Certification Class being held last week at the offices of CalAPA member G3 Quality in Cerritos.

The class, held Dec. 16-19, was conducted by NCAT instructors. The class is typically held at Auburn University in Alabama, but by special arrangement by CalAPA the equivalent class was held in Southern California, saving local attendees travel and lodging costs. All attendees passed last week's nationally recognized course, and earned a certificate that is required on many airfield projects.

The certification provided through the lectures and hands-on demonstrations will enable lab technicians to provide sampling and testing services on Department of Defense (DOD) airfield asphalt pavement projects. The Unified Facilities Guide Specification (UFGS) was created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), and the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) for DOD construction projects. In November 2020, an update to the asphalt paving sections of the UFGS added the requirement for certified quality control project team members. Contractor submittals now require certifications for asphalt paving inspectors, asphalt laboratory technicians, and quality control managers. Students who successfully complete this course and pass the exam will receive the certification that meets the UFGS requirements for the asphalt laboratory technician.

Military airfield specification requirements can be significantly different from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) projects. While the certification is not a requirement for work on FAA projects, the concepts and best practices are applicable to work on FAA projects.

Last week's class received high marks from attendees. CalAPA intends to offer the class again in California next year. For more information on NCAT's Airfield Asphalt Certification Program, click HERE. A past issue of CalAPA's California Asphalt magazine that focuses on the airfield market and FAA asphalt pavement specifications is on-line HERE.

All upcoming CalAPA training classes are listed on the CalAPA on-line event calendar HERE. For more information on CalAPA technical training classes, contact CalAPA Director of Technical Services, Brandon Milar, P.E, at (916) 791-5044.

Reimond Garcia has been named acting Office Chief for the Office of Asphalt Pavements to replace Cathrina Barros, who retired from Caltrans last week.

The internal announcement was made earlier this month by Caltrans State Pavement Engineer Tigi Thomas. A formal search for a permanent replacement will be conducted next year, Thomas told Asphalt Insider.

Garcia had 13 years experience in private industry as a consultant before being hired on at Caltrans in 2017. He joined Caltrans District 10 as a Project/Oversight Engineer in the Central Region Division of Project Development, playing a key role in the successful delivery of several high-profile projects, including the Ripon Bridge Rehabilitation, SR99/120 Interchange Improvements, and the Union Road Diverging Diamond Interchange.

In the fall of 2018, he relocated to District 3 as a Project Engineer in the North Region Division of Project Development, where he worked on a variety of complex roadway design projects. In early 2020, he briefly served as an Assistant HQ Program Advisor for the Drainage Program in HQ Maintenance in the Office of Stormwater and Environmental Compliance.

Garcia became part of the Pavement Program in the fall of 2020 as a Senior Pavement Engineer in the Office of Concrete Pavements. His responsibilities in that role included serving as an Executive Committee member for the National Road Research Alliance (NRRA), Chair of a Working Group for the Pavement and Materials Partnering Committee (PMPC) in the Materials & Quality Assurance Subtask Group, and previously serving as Acting Chair for the Pavement New Products Committee.

In addition, Garcia is a Task Order Manager for consultant contracts, serves as the Pavement Program HDM Coordinator, provides guidance to Districts throughout the state, and is the specification owner for Section 41 (Existing Concrete Pavement) and Section 42 (Groove and Grind Concrete). He also approves District non-standard special provisions (nSSPs) on an as-needed basis.

"To promote best practices and stay informed on the pulse of the industry, Reimond has provided multiple trainings across the state and attended pavement conferences nationwide," Thomas said in her announcement.

Garcia holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from California State University, Sacramento. He resides in Elk Grove with his wife and three children. He started his new job Dec. 9.

“I am excited to take on the acting role of Office Chief for the Office of Asphalt Pavements," Garcia told Asphalt Insider. "I look forward to collaborating with industry and public agency counterparts to advance innovative and sustainable asphalt pavement solutions, while also recognizing the significant progress the asphalt industry has made in recent years. Together, we can help ensure the continued excellence and resilience of California’s infrastructure system.”

A story about the retirement of Cathrina Barros from Caltrans appeared in the Dec. 16 issue of Asphalt Insider and can be viewed on-line HERE.

Congress narrowly avoided another shutdown of the federal government over the weekend, passing a stop-gap funding measure that was signed into law by President Biden Saturday night. The deal funds the government through March 14, among other provisions.

The action caps a tumultuous week in which a House bill to temporarily fund the government collapsed at the behest of President-elect Donald Trump, but other plans favored by the former president could not muster the votes needed in the House to pass. A final plan passed the House on a 366-34 vote, and was endorsed by the Senate on a 85-11 tally.

The tumult raised questions about the leadership of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, who is clinging to a narrow 220-215 majority and is scheduled to face a vote to keep his job on Jan. 3. Next year Republicans will control both the House and the Senate, as well as the White House. The chaos does not bode well for infrastructure advocates, who will be ramping up Capitol Hill engagement next year seeking a more lasting solution to the chronically underfunded Highway Trust Fund.



CalAPA offices will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 25 for the Christmas Day holiday. The offices will reopen on Thursday, Dec. 26 during normal business hours. A reminder that transactions may be conducted via the CalAPA website 24/7 at: www.calapa.net .



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

NOXIOUS: Injurious, destructive, objectionable, as noxious weeds or odors.

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.

PREPARING FOR ASPHALT DELIVERY: Ask yourself: Has a pre-paving meeting been held with

the paving foreman to inspect the sub-base? Have you checked the site for possible safety issues?

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.

POROUS PAVEMENTS: Product designed to allow water to move through the asphalt layer.

"One day is worth a thousand tomorrows."



– Benjamin Franklin

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.

Sincerely,

Russell W. Snyder, CAE

Executive Director

The California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®