CalAPA member Knife River hosted a tour of its asphalt and aggregate facility in Orland last week for U.S. Rep. James Gallagher, a key member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

Gallagher (pictured with Knife River's Tim Denlay), won a special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, who died unexpectedly in January, and is campaigning for a full two-year term. Gallagher is well known to the asphalt industry, having served in local government in the North State and in the Legislature. A sixth generation farmer, he is keenly aware of the importance of good roads for getting crops to market, as well as other economic and quality-of-life benefits.

“I appreciated the warm welcome I received by one of our local businesses, Knife River, as I toured their Orland asphalt and aggregate facility," Gallagher told Asphalt Insider afterward. "It was great to meet with the dedicated workers who provide asphalt and other construction materials to our region. We discussed road funding concerns, transportation policy, and how critical reliable roads are to the North State economy. As a member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, I will continue to work hard to ensure our vital road network is protected.”

Gallagher, a Republican, was one of the "yes" votes when the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee voted 62-2 on May 21 to advance a bipartisan $580 billion federal surface transportation act reauthorization, a critical component of long-term highway funding, The 1,000-page bill awaits approval by the full House and Senate before it can be sent to the president's desk to become law. Since the previous surface transportation act technically expired with the end of the federal fiscal year on Sept. 30, Congress has approved a temporary funding measure through Dec. 11. A previous Asphalt Insider article on the federal funding bill is HERE.

CalAPA Board Member Tim Denlay with Knife River led the Oct. 14 tour, assisted by plant manager Mason Richardson and Eric Ingvoldsen, manager of construction materials. They were joined by AImi Dutra with Dutra Materials, a CRH Company, who is chair this year of the CalAPA Legislative Committee. She took over the committee leadership position last year from former CalAPA Board Member and Legislative Chair, Rene Vercruyssen with Knife River, a tireless champion for good roads. He retired last year and in January was inducted into the association's "Hall of Fame."

After a safety briefing and orientation, the group led Gallagher and two aides on a tour of the complex, which supplies asphalt, concrete and aggregates to construction projects across the region. Knife River operates three asphalt plants and five aggregate sites in the Chico area, employing about 138 workers (460 statewide). The Orland plant is located adjacent to Interstate 5, California's 800-mile long lifeline of mobility and commerce, which was gleaming under the autumn sun with a fresh surfacing of smooth asphalt.

Knife River personnel were impressed with the visit, and the opportunity to show off their facility and the company's many contributions to the region.

“We always strive to be a good neighbor, and we want to take care of the environment," Knife River's Marc Ingvoldsen said. "We want to be good community people. I think most places that is a positive for our future permitting.”

Denlay, Quality Control Manager for Knife River, also gave the event high marks. "I think it went really well. We need to do more of this. I think we need to get the word out of what we do, and how we can get more funding. That’s the big thing, we need more funding for roads, and to make sure that the money, the taxes we pay, get to the roads.”

Plant Manager Mason Richardson added, "I think James listened to us with his heart open, and understands the struggles our industry has, and the day-to-day challenges from everything, from the mine site to the production to laying the asphalt on the roadways.”

Richardson said giving the craft workers from the facility an opportunity to meet their elected representative from Washington was also a positive.

“Those are the true blue-collar guys who are doing the day-to-day stuff, the hourly workers that are the backbone of our industry," Richardson said. "I think they were a little star-struck in a way in that they don’t get to meet someone who comes from Washington. It’s important to them to know that someone like James does care about them and cares about their future and their livelihood.”

Richardson noted the immediate connection between the craft workers and someone with a background in agriculture.

"They relate to that," Richardson said. "He knows what it is like to put work boots on every day and show up at 6 a.m. He’s a sixth generation farmer who has actually gone out and done that, who has run the machinery, who knows what sweat is, and they respect that. It’s awesome that he came out and spoke to them as peers.”

The tour was arranged by CalAPA in coordination with the CalAPA Legislative Committee as well as the National Asphalt Pavement Association, a CalAPA partner. Dutra, the current CalAPA Legislative Committee chair, was not shy about pressing the industry's good-roads message.

"Highway funds should be used for highways — it’s that simple," she said afterward. "California drivers pay into the system with the expectation that those dollars will maintain and improve the roads they rely on every day. Diverting those funds to non-highway purposes only makes it harder to keep our infrastructure safe, reliable, and in good condition."

More photos from the plant tour are on the association's Facebook page HERE. To learn more about CalAPA's advocacy initiatives, click HERE. To learn more about the federal surface transportation act reauthorization, the National Asphalt Pavement Association hosts a page of resources related to the topic HERE.

Sergio Aceves, well known to the asphalt industry during his stint as state pavement engineer for Caltrans and later head of Maintenance, was promoted to the chief engineer position, the department announced last week.

Aceves was serving as District Director of Caltrans District 3/North Region, which is based in Marysville and encompasses a large swath of the Central Valley and North State. He will take over as Deputy Director for Project Delivery effective on Monday, Oct. 19. The position also carries with it the title of "Chief Engineer." He replaces Donna Berry, who was appointed to the post in 2022 and announced her retirement earlier this year. HIs promotion was announced Friday in an internal e-mail by Caltrans Director Dina El-Tawansy.

Aceves (pictured at left with CalAPA Technical DIrector Brandon Milar) is a 28-year veteran of the department, with many of those years in District 3. He was named State Pavement Engineer in 2018 and in 2021 Division Chief for Maintenance, where he had a prominent role in overseeing the activities of the Caltrans-industry Pavement & Materials Partnering Committee (PMPC). Milar is a member of the PMPC leadership. Aceves took over the top post in District 3 in 2024.

“By working collaboratively with our customers, partners, and the contracting industry, we can strengthen customer service and continue improving how we deliver projects," Aceves told Asphalt Insider shortly after the announcement. "Our focus is on finding practical ways to streamline and expedite project delivery so we can better serve the people of California while supporting the contractors who help make these projects possible.”

Aceves joins a long line of Caltrans officials who have rose to prominence in the department while working closely with the construction industry on specification development, construction, safety and pavement maintenance issues. Former Caltrans directors Tony Tavares and Randy Iwasaki, to name just two, made a name for themselves in the Division of Maintenance and on pavement issues before ascending to the highest levels of the department, which has more than 22,000 employees and a $16 billion annual budget.

A previous Asphalt Insider article about Aceves is HERE.

A special quality-themed issue of CalAPA's official association magazine, "California Asphalt," will be hitting mailboxes soon, focusing on the Balanced Mix Design push nationally and here in California. To access an on-line version of the magazine, click HERE.

The authoritative magazine, now in its 30th year, features expert commentary and analysis of future trends for the asphalt industry. The cover story examines challenges and opportunities related to Balanced Mix Design (BMD) and the evolution of volumetrics. It is intended to serve as a useful resource on the complex topic, which continues to evolve in response to new research and new technology.

The issue also features association news and commentary, a profile of super volunteer Jen Harris, and a tribute to longtime industry figure Bert Wootan, who passed away Sept. 8 in Arizona.

California Asphalt, the Journal of the California Asphalt Pavement Association, is published six times per year and is mailed to all CalAPA members, as well as other industry and agency subscribers nationwide. For advertising information, contact Kerry Hoover of Construction Marketing Services at (909) 772-3121.

An archive of past issues of the magazine is HERE. An advertising rate sheet is HERE. Contact CalAPA for editorial submission guidelines.


CalAPA's 2026 intern, Coral Richardson, a graduate student from the University of California, Davis, bid farewell to the association last week as she prepared to head off to a new job in Hawaii.

Richardson, of Sacramento, supported the association in several roles during her tenure, including providing staff support to the Legislative Committee, Environmental Committee, and helping with events, She juggled her CalAPA duties with her studies, finishing her master's thesis and work as a teaching assistant. Richardson called her experience "eye-opening" and said it gave her practical experience to go with her impressive academic achievements, which caught the attention of her future employer.

With the ink barely dry on her UCD Master's Degree, Richardson starts on Oct. 19 as an environmental specialist with Cherokee Federal at the Hickam Air Force base in Oahu, Hawaii. She says the position "will closely align with much of what I have learned during my time at CalAPA, combining research, compliance, and environmental regulation."

CalAPA connected Richardson with the association's asphalt counterpart in Hawaii, the Hawaii Asphalt Paving Industry (HAPI), as a local resource for her as she settles in to her new job.CalAPA and HAPI are part of a state federation of asphalt associations known as SAPA.

The CalAPA internship program is part of the association's overall initiative to attract quality workers to the asphalt pavement industry. Other elements of the workforce-centric strategy include supporting collage engineering programs, workshops, technical training, and establishing a workforce-promoting charity, the California Asphalt Research & Education (CARE) Foundation. For more information on the CARE Foundation, click HERE.

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

FATIGUE CRACKING: Also known as "alligator cracking," it is a series of interconnecting cracks in an asphalt pavement surface forming a pattern that resembles an alligator’s hide or chicken wire. In its early stages, alligator cracking may be characterized by a single longitudinal crack in the wheel path (Alligator A Cracking). The cracks indicate fatigue failure of the surface layer generally caused by repeated traffic loadings. Hence, the term fatigue cracking is also used,

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.

PROJECT BOUNDARIES: Prior to the start of paving, the foreman and crew should "paint out" the boundaries of the project and mark the paving lanes to identify the proper paving sequence.Once paving starts, the inspector must monitor many items, including mix temperature, layer thickness, smoothness, possible mix segregation and joint construction. These are done through observation and utilization of numerous tools, including a straight edge, thermometer and density gauge.

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.

FLEET MANAGEMENT: Strategies for managing commercial vehicles.

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 .

October 2026: $557.6 ($/ton)

Last month: $481.3.4

1 year ago: $364.5

"Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration."

– Thomas Edison

We hope you enjoy CalAPA's Asphalt Insider newsletter, widely regarded as the most influential publication of its type in California. 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)®