A special innovation-focused issue of CalAPA's official association magazine, California Asphalt, is arriving in mailboxes across the state this week. An interactive on-line version of the issue can be viewed HERE.

The cover story is an in-depth look at the collaborative, multi-year effort between Caltrans and the construction industry, spearheaded by CalAPA, to develop a new pavement smoothness specification. The issue also features an exclusive Q&A-style interview with noted transportation authority, Dr. James E. Moore III of the University of Southern California. This month's member profile is of longtime CalAPA paving contractor member, California Paving & Grading.

In its 25th year, California Asphalt magazine features exclusive insight on issues and trends that impact the asphalt pavement industry in California. An archive of past issues of the magazine can be found HERE. For advertising inquiries, contact Kerry Hoover with Construction Marketing Services at (909) 772-3121.

When I started out as a newspaper reporter right out of college in the 1980s, for a time I was assigned to the "cop beat," covering crime, fires, disasters and all other manner of mayhem in the Los Angeles area. Drug and gang wars were raging, so there was no shortage of bad news to impart to readers. Often times, when I interviewed family and friends of victims, it was not lost on me that I was probably talking to them during the worst day of their lives.

When I left journalism in 1991 to join the California Department of Transportation as a Public Information Officer, I thought I left that unpleasant duty behind. I couldn't have been more wrong. I soon learned of the perils faced by workers conducting construction and maintenance on the state highway system, where seemingly every other driver is in a hurry and not paying attention. As one of my duties was producing the employee newsletter for District 7 (Los Angeles and Ventura Counties) I found myself reporting too often about lives cut short on our highways. As I have stated in this publication numerous times over the years, "Everyone wants good roads, but they're not worth dying for."

In 1992 I was called out to the scene of the death of a contractor employee on a freeway project that was part of the massive 17-mile Century Freeway that was then under construction. Minutes after the coroner's van took the worker's body away, I got a call from the office: There's been a bad crash on the Pomona Freeway and Caltrans maintenance workers were involved. By the time I got there, during afternoon rush-hour, TV helicopters were circulating overhead, capturing images of first-responders combing through the obliterated vehicles below. As I stood a few feet away from the lifeless body of maintenance worker Jerry Alcala, my cell phone rang. It was one of the members of his family. his brother-in-law as I recall. They saw the live news coverage on TV and knew that Alcala performed work in that area. They couldn't get any information from the Caltrans office downtown so the call was routed to me. I felt like I was punched in the gut. I did not have the heart, nor the authority, to notify them of the awful news. I stammered and eventually said someone would be in contact with them shortly. I could hear crying in the background. I'll never forget the last words I heard from the caller. "We're trying to be strong." We're trying to be strong.

Less than a year later I was covering another worker fatality for the Caltrans District 7 newsletter. This time it was Juan Thome, a 47-year-old maintenance worker who, according to family and friends, was the most loyal and proud Caltrans worker you'll ever meet. He often wore his orange Caltrans shirt on his days off, and would tell anyone who would listen about the importance of highway maintenance and safety. At his funeral, his wife, Christine, shared many of those stories to a church filled with orange shirts, all wearing black arm bands. She shared with the "sea of orange" in the audience that her husband would be buried in his orange Caltrans shirt. That's the way he would have wanted it. Amazingly, my story from all those years ago is still being circulated around Caltrans and was sent to me last week. You can read it HERE.

Last week I was invited to a special Highway Worker Memorial ceremony held at the Capitol in Sacramento, the first after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Acting Caltrans Director Seven Keck, looking out at the sea of orange spread across the front of the Capitol, got a little emotional when he said it was the most important thing he will do all year. I felt the same way.

Much to my surprise, one of the speakers was Christine Thome. Like she did in 1993, she spoke eloquently of her husband's life and dedication to his job, much the same way she had at his funeral. After the event I made my way over to her and reintroduced myself and said I had written about her husband in the employee newsletter. She gave me a broad smile and thanked me for remembering. Sacrifice like that is impossible to forget.

Part of the ceremony included a Caltrans color guard procession and the passing of a black cone representing those who lost their lives on the highway this year. Thankfully, there have been no Caltrans workers killed, but two contractor employees have died. Behind the cones, with reflective vests and hard hats, we're all brothers and sisters united by a common cause and a shared responsibility: Keep the roads open, safe and well-maintained, but at the end of the day, make it home to your family. For 189 Caltrans workers and countless contractor personnel, they paid the ultimate sacrifice. Shared responsibility also means shared grief.

The dangers in highway work zones, it is not noted enough, are especially acute for motorists, thousands of whom also have been killed or maimed in avoidable work-zone crashes. Think about that the next time you see some cones ahead. Slow down, move over and keep your eyes on the road.

A sea of orange cannot wash away the hurt of the loss of a loved one, especially when it was avoidable And it shouldn't. Not for Jerry Alcala, or Juan Thome, or any of the countless others who have experienced loss, or put their lives at risk, for our cherished mobility.

The Caltrans news release on the Worker Memorial event is HERE. A compelling work-zone safety video developed by the National Asphalt Pavement Association, a CalAPA partner, is HERE. Information about NAPA's innovative "crew safety" program is HERE.

Generally when bills are introduced in the Legislature, the bill's author produces a fact sheet that summarizes the problem and how the bill would offer a solution. We'll get back to that point in a moment, but first some background.

As regular readers of this publication know, asphalt is the world's most recycled material, and is part of a sustainable strategy to maintain our pavement infrastructure. CalAPA has also been a leading voice in promoting the use of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in pavement mixes at the state and local level. An in-depth examination of this issue was prominently featured in the CalAPA magazine cover story ("Who Killed High RAP?") that can be viewed on-line HERE.

The bottom line is that RAP is a high-value material and is used over and over. A growing body of evidence can give designers comfort that incorporating RAP in asphalt pavement designs checks all the boxes from an economic, sustainability and performance standpoint.

This context is important as it relates to a bill currently in the Legislature, AB2953, which targets recycling of construction materials. According to a fact sheet produced by the author's office, construction and demolition debris make up between 21% and 25% of California's waste stream. The bill ticks off a list of materials that are part of the problem, including asphalt, concrete, aggregate and other debris. The fact sheet references a 2018 CalRecycle report, "Facility-based Characterization of Solid Waste in California."

A quick check of the report, however, finds that asphalt contributes exactly 0% to the state's waste stream. You read that right, ZERO percent. CalAPA raised those concerns with the author's office as well as the bill's sponsor, and requested that the fact sheet be revised. To the author's credit, they were appreciative that CalAPA was able to provide this insight on their bill, and they promptly revised the bill fact sheet. It should be noted that a previous version of this bill raised concerns with local agencies and was vetoed by the governor.

The bottom line is that asphalt industry is doing its part when it comes to recycling, and being lumped together with other materials obscures that important fact. For those who are interested, a link to the text and other information about AB2953 is HERE. The original bill fact sheet is HERE. The revised bill fact sheet is HERE. A link to the CalRecycle report referenced above is HERE.

AGGREGATE: Road materials composed of mineral substances, such as gravel, crushed stone, slag, sand, or combinations of these, used for various purposes in highway maintenance and construction.

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.

RECORD RETENTION AFTER PROJECT COMPLETION: Take a final photograph of the site for your records and retain all records from the project including: copies of all truck delivery tickets and record of all the temperature recordings and compaction readings you took during the project.

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.

LANDFILL-FREE: At least 90% of operational waste is reused, recycled or converted to energy.

-- Henry David Thoreau

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. Click HERE to contact us with any comments or suggestions.

Sincerely,

Executive Director

California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®