California Asphalt Pavement Association
Vol. 16, Issue 5 || Jan. 30, 2023
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Greetings!
This weekly report contains news and information of interest to the asphalt pavement industry, customers and agency partners in California. Please feel free to distribute this newsletter to others who may be interested in asphalt pavements. To provide feedback or story ideas click HERE. Having difficulty viewing this newsletter? View as Webpage
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Registration open for CalAPA's Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo March 23-24 in Ontario |
Registration is now open for the Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo, to be held Thursday and Friday, March 23 & 24 in Ontario. Now in its 13th year, the content-rich conference features a diverse program filled with insight, inspiration and lots of networking opportunities. Details and on-line registration is HERE.
Our very special keynote speaker this year will be noted motivational speaker and author Wally Adamchick, president of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting. He's the author of "No Yelling -- The Nine Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business," and "Construction Leadership from A to Z; 26 Words to Lead By." In this fast-paced session, Adamchick will focus on developing a winning culture in your organization, from the "what and how" of culture creation today. In an increasingly complex and uncertain world, the key to your future success is a values-based culture built on trust, communication and agility. Tailored for company and agency leaders but also relevant to essential front-line workers, Adamchick's insight and practical techniques are guaranteed to help everyone develop these skills that translate to bottom-line success. Learn more about his work in construction leadership HERE.
Another featured speaker is Dr. Howard Marks, Ph.D., J.D., MPH, Vice President of Environment, Health & Safety for the National Asphalt Pavement Association. Marks will give an overview of the state or the regulatory environment on the federal level, trends in occupational safety and health, and other issues that are impacting the asphalt pavement industry nationally and in California.
Other confirmed speakers are subject-matter experts in the area of asphalt pavement design, specification, testing, research, and practical application as it relates to the pavement project. Speakers will be representing the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC), the Asphalt Institute, and local public works agencies. There will be concurrent sessions so conference attendees can customize their experience. A detailed agenda with speakers and topics will be posted soon.
The conference is ideal for paving contractors, asphalt producers, suppliers, refiners, estimators, engineers, inspectors, consultants, public works representatives, equipment manufacturers and distributors and anyone with an interest in asphalt or road construction. It's also a networking bonanza! Every CalAPA conference is a "who's who" of leaders in the asphalt pavement industry, plus trend-setters and influencers that keep people coming back year after year.
In conjunction with the conference, CalAPA will hold an optional technical training class, our popular "Asphalt Pavement 101" offering, on Wednesday, March 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The class is taught by Roger Smith, a former senior materials engineer for Caltrans, and the Asphalt Institute, as well as a former executive for CalAPA. Constantly updated, the class is a good overview for those new to the industry as well as experienced personnel. Lunch and refreshments are included, and each attendee will receive a certificate of completion and a reference handbook. Details and on-line registration for the Asphalt Pavement 101 class can be found HERE.
There also will be a special networking event on Wednesday, March 22 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the new Topgolf Sports & Entertainment Complex in Ontario. Registration for that event will open soon.
For information on sponsorships or trade show floor space, visit the event website or contact Sophie You of CalAPA at (916) 791-5044. Outdoor space for equipment is extremely limited this year so early reservations are strongly encouraged.
CalAPA has negotiated a special rate of $189 per night for conference attendees, but the number of rooms are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact the DoubleTree Hotel at (909) 937-0900 to secure your room, and be sure to mention the group code "APA."
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Wally Adamchick, author and president of Firestarter Speaking and Consulting, will be the special motivational speaker at the CalAPA Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference in Ontario. |
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Dr, Howard Marks, Vice President for Environment, Health & Safety for the National Asphalt Pavement Association, will be a featured speaker at the CalAPA Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference. |
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Dr. Howard Marks, Vice President of Environment, Health & Safety for NAPA (left) speaks with Dr. John Harvey, Director of the University of California Pavement Research Center. Both will be at the CalAPA Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference. |
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Special report: Caltrans Long-life Asphalt Pavement projects earn national recognition at California Transportation Commission meeting |
There were smiles all around last week for a formal awards presentation to recognize two landmark Long-life Asphalt Pavement Projects on Interstate 5, which were tangible examples of an innovative collaboration between Caltrans, the asphalt pavement industry and academia to design and build asphalt pavements that will last more than 40 years with minimal maintenance.
In an interview with Asphalt Insider following the award presentation, one of the award recipients, Caltrans District 3 Director Amarjeet Benipal said, “This is actually a great opportunity for getting recognized for the work Caltrans, CalAPA and the National Asphalt Pavement Association, along with the UCPRC and our contractor partners have done to innovate and balance intelligent decision-making, balance the risk, and provide the taxpayer the best service they can expect from the government.”
The Jan. 26 awards presentation was made during a meeting of the California Transportation Commission held in Roseville, with Amy Miller representing the national Asphalt Pavement Alliance, a CalAPA partner, handing out the hardware (she is pictured with Chris Handley of Redding-based Tullis Inc., an award recipient).
“We think it is really important to highlight the work that Caltrans is doing, the important work you are doing for the state of California with your partners here in the state,” she told the commission prior to presenting awards for projects on Interstate 5 in Sacramento County, part of Caltrans District 3, and a stretch of Interstate 5 near Red Bluff in Tehama County, part of Caltrans District 2.
“These pavements offer the state the opportunity to save natural resources, and to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions,” Miller said. “They also are less costly long-term, saving taxpayer money through that long-term investment, and delivering smooth roads that they so much desire to ride on.”
She noted that the candidate projects were evaluated by the National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University to ensure they met all the criteria for long-term durability and value. While the projects are the first to be formally recognized by the Asphalt Pavement Alliance Perpetual Pavement Awards in those categories, they join several other such projects on the state highway system, including the pioneering I-710 series of projects in Los Angeles County, a stretch of Interstate 80 between Sacramento and San Francisco, and projects in Orange County and Santa Clara County In an indication that the design strategy has now gone mainstream, it is now prominently featured in the Caltrans Highway Design manual, and the department is actively evaluating other locations where it makes sense.
Caltrans Chief Deputy Mike Keever, who was also present at the CTC meeting in an ex-officio capacity, praised the projects as achieving several of Caltrans’ high-level goals of being innovative, improving safety and achieving long-term value for the taxpayer and the traveling public. “All of those things align with these types of projects,” he said. “I look forward to the continued innovation and collaboration with all of these groups, and my thanks to all of you.”
The I-5 Red Bluff pavement rehabilitation project, which opened to traffic in 2012, received the APA’s “Perpetual Pavement by Conversion” Award, which recognizes pavements that are converted from conventional designs to perpetual asphalt pavement designs. The award was accepted by Kristen Kingsley, Caltrans District 2 Deputy District Director for Asset and Program Management, and Chris Handley with Tullis, Inc., the contractor on the job. Also recognized was the University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC), represented by John Harvey (director), Irwin Guada and Jeffrey Buscheck. The project previously won an “Excellence in Transportation” Award by Caltrans in the “Transportation Innovations” category in 2015.
In the “Perpetual Pavement by Design” Award, Caltrans District 3 was recognized along with the joint-venture of Granite Construction and Teichert Construction. In addition to Benipal of Caltrans, the contractors were represented by Pete Conlin, Ed Herrnberg and Mike Cunningham of Teichert, and Carter Rohrbough and Brian Dowd from Granite.
In a post-ceremony interview with Asphalt Insider, Handley remarked of the Red Bluff project: “The project was fantastic. The design was excellent. We worked together and partnered with Caltrans and the University of California Pavement Research Center, and we came up with a philosophy there, and a mix design that worked. To this day, 10 years later, I drive through the project every day and there’s not a crack on the surface. It’s a 40-year pavement, and it’s standing up today. It’s working. We’re excited about it.”
Harvey also said the knowledge gained in the projects continues to pay dividends today.
“We are starting to see the fruits of it,” he said. “LA-710 is now 18 years old. We are checking on the condition. No maintenance. Tehama is 10 years old. We’re also looking to, as Michael Keever said, identifying other projects around the state where this will add value and bring this technology to bear.”
In another indication of the mainstreaming of the Long-life Asphalt Pavement design strategy, data from the projects is being fed into the Caltrans mechanistic-empirical design software, known as Cal-ME.
“That project (Red Bluff) is also informing Cal-ME, the design method that was used for it, and we are using the 10-year data from that now to update our aging model in Cal-ME,” Harvey said. “Not only was it innovative, but it is feeding the next innovations that we are doing as we keep monitoring it." He added jokingly, “I am trying to make sure I am there for the 40-year design evaluation. I’ll be 92.”
Irwin Guada of the UCPRC, who has done evaluations and collected testing of samples on the Red Bluff project since its construction, said “it’s doing really well. Even where we do the saw cuts (to collect pavement samples) you can see the cracks are not propagating at the saw-cut locations, so it’s handling it really well.”
“The proof’s in the pudding,” Handley summed up. “We’ve given it 10 years, and it’s performing. It’s doing what it is supposed to do."
The successful projects were built on a foundation of research, engineering and field work over many decades and contributions my many who could not be in attendance at the awards ceremony. A partial list includes Carl Monismith, Jim St. Martin, Roger Smith, Rita Leahy, Bill Farnbach, Bob Humer and Brandon Milar, plus the late Paul Rademacher. The current work on Long-life Asphalt Pavements are being led by Caltrans State Pavement Engineer Tom Pyle and Cathrina Barros, the Chief of the Caltrans Office of Asphalt Pavements, who is also co-chair of the Women of Asphalt California Branch..
To read more about the Long-Life Asphalt Pavement design strategy in California, click HERE to view a comprehensive article that appeared last year in CalAPA’s association magazine, “ California Asphalt.” To learn more about the APA’s Perpetual Pavement by Design awards, click HERE. To learn more about the Perpetual Pavement by Conversion awards, click HERE, and to learn more about the Perpetual Pavement by Performance Awards, click HERE. Past California winners in that category, which recognizes pavements in service for at least 35 years, include a stretch of the I-405 San Diego Freeway in Orange County, and a section of the Central Expressway in Santa Clara County. For more photos from the awards ceremony, visit the CalAPA Facebook page HERE. |
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Pictured at the CTC award presentation last week are, left to right: Pete Conlin, Teichert; Ed Herrnberger, Teichert; Mike Cunningham, Teichert; Carter Rohrbough, Granite; Brian Dowd, Granite; Amarjeet Benipal of Caltrans District 3 and Amy Miller representing the Asphalt Pavement Alliance.
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Caltrans Chief Deputy Director Mike Keever (seated at left) praised the collaboration and innovation that was highlighted by the awards presented to the two Long-life Asphalt Pavement projects on Interstate 5. |
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Pictured during the award presentation for the I-5 Red Bluff project are, from left: Chris Handley, Tullis, Inc.; Jeffrey Buscheck, University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC); Irwin Guada, UCPRC; John Harvey, UCPRC; Kristen Kingsley, Caltrans District 2, and Amy Miller representing the Asphalt Pavement Alliance. |
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Special forecast issue of CalAPA's California Asphalt magazine now on-line |
The annual forecast issue of CalAPA's official association magazine, " California Asphalt," will be arriving in mailboxes this week. The issue can be viewed on-line HERE.
The issue features the UCLA Anderson School of Business economic forecast for the nation and California. The report is an excellent complement to the exclusive "2023 Asphalt Market Forecast for California" that was distributed last month to CalAPA members.
The magazine also features an exclusive Q&A with longtime Asphalt Institute President Pete Grass, as well as the association's annual "Better-Worse" survey results and other industry news.
For an archive of past issues of the magazine, click HERE. For inquiries about advertising in the magazine, contact Kerry Hoover with Construction Marketing Services at (909) 772-3121, or view the advertising rate sheet HERE. |
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Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other term commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.
SCRUB SEAL: An application of a polymer modified asphalt emulsion to the pavement surface followed by the broom scrubbing of the emulsion into cracks and voids, then the application of an even coat of sand or small aggregate, and a second brooming of the aggregate and asphalt mixture. This seal is then rolled with a pneumatic tire roller.
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Paving Pointer of the Week |
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.
TONNAGE CALCULATION: Are there enough trucks on the run to haul the mix needed to complete the job? If you have five trucks on the round each carrying 25 tons = 125 tons per round. If each round takes one hour to make, then the production rate is 125 tons per hour. If the job requires 1,000 tons at 125 tons per hour = eight hours to get the mix to the job.
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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.
WARM MIX ASPHALT: Technologies that allow for production at lower temperature.
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“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
– William James
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CALAPA CALENDAR:
View all CalAPA events HERE.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Topgolf Networking Event
Wednesday, March 22, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Topgolf Sports & Entertainment Complex, 1050 N. Archibald Ave., Ontario.
Details soon!
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SIGN UP NOW!
"Asphalt Pavement 101" class, Wednesday, March 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., DoubleTree Hotel Ontario Airport, 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario.
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REGISTRATION OPEN!
2023 Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo.
Thursday & Friday, March 23-24
Doubletree Hotel Ontario Airport, 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario, CA
Registration opens soon.
For exhibitor and sponsor information, contact Sophie You at (916) 791-5044.
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There's never been a better time to join the California Asphalt Pavement Association! Members receive insight and advanced notice on critical issues that impact every company's bottom line. CalAPA members also receive invitations to exclusive member-only events, in-depth "Member Alerts," our comprehensive asphalt market forecast for California, discounts and industry-specific networking opportunities not available anywhere else. CalAPA's new searchable on-line membership directory helps connect potential customers with member companies. Click HERE to download our Member Service brochure. Click HERE to view Vol. 1 of recent testimonials. Not convinced? Click HERE to view Vol. 2 of recent testimonials. With so much changing in the asphalt pavement industry, what you don't know can cost you! Click HERE to send us an e-mail inquiry, or contact Russell Snyder with CalAPA at (916) 791-5044. |
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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,
Russell W. Snyder, CAE
Executive Director
California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®
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The "Asphalt Insider" is an official publication of the California Asphalt Pavement Association. For more information or to inquire about membership, call (916) 791-5044, or click HERE to contact us. Copyright © 2023 California Asphalt Pavement Association -- All Rights Reserved. The CalAPA name (No. 5,621,794) and logo (No. 5,621,795) are registered trademarks with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
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P.O. Box 981300, West Sacramento, CA 95798
1550 Harbor Blvd., Suite 120, West Sacramento, CA 95691
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