A coalition of transportation advocates that was instrumental in getting a road-repair bill through the Legislature is lambasting an 11th hour effort by state budget-writers to divert more than a half-billion of those dollars to programs favored by bicyclists and other anti-road activists.

The battle is being played out as part of the Legislature's annual budget-writing exercise that has been made more acute this year as the state deals with a yawning budget deficit. The California Constitution requires a balanced budget be in place before the start of the state's new fiscal year on July 1.

The $288 billion budget proposed by the Newsom administration back in January, and revised in May, recommended pulling back on a one-time infusion of cash from the General Fund to pay for so-called Active Transportation Program projects, such as bicycle, pedestrian and transit-friendly improvements. Environmental groups cried foul, and demanded that the state instead divert money from the state highway account to preserve those future projects.

The amount currently in dispute, about $600 million, will be the subject of a sharply-worded coalition letter by CalAPA-backed Transportation California protesting the money grab that will be delivered today to the governor and legislative leaders, Asphalt Insider has learned.

The letter will point out that the state highway fund already supports a variety of multi-modal programs from the State Highway Operation & Protection Program (SHOPP), and to divert more of those funds would represent a major setback to the intent of SB1, the 2017 Road Repair & Accountability Act that raised fuel taxes to fix roads and bridges. The California Transportation Commission, the coalition points out, was already able to contribute $1.7 billion in funding for 242 ATP projects valued at more than $2.4 billion in 2023.

The letter will also note that last year's budget already used $650 million in state highway funds that were used to backfill a general fund contribution toward transportation projects, including ATP projects, made when the state was flush with cash.

The Caltrans 2023 State Highway Strategic Highway System Management Plan has identified $5 billion in unfunded needs, and the construction industry has long complained that it has not seen the expected influx of projects touted by SB1. The recently released strategic plan by the California State Transportation Agency didn't mention fixing roads once.

A previous Asphalt Insider report about the state budget as it relates to roads is HERE.

An American Public Works Association, Sacramento Chapter-sponsored asphalt technology workshop held last week at Cal State Chico gave college-age students a hands-on view of how asphalt pavement mixes are designed, tested and evaluated. The event was also supported by CalAPA and CalAPA member Knife River.

CalAPA Technical Director Brandon Milar, P.E. (pictured), conducted one of the presentations on asphalt pavements, and CalAPA sponsored one of the lunches at the May 29-31 event attended by about 20 students from various Northern California colleges and universities. CalAPA member Knife River also hosted a lunch and tour of its Chico asphalt plant complex.

CSU Chico Associate Professor Kun Zhang, Ph.D., one of the organizers of the event, said he "very much enjoyed talking and working with" the attendees and various subject matter experts who contributed to the program, including Caltrans Office of Asphalt Pavement Chief Cathrina Barros and Brendan Ottoboni representing the City of Chico.

Mason Richardson with Knife River helped conduct the tour of the Knife River facility May 31. "It went really well," Richardson told Asphalt Insider. "They definitely asked a lot of interesting questions. I think they were interested in our industry."

CalAPA's support of the event is in alignment with its workforce recruitment and development mission as envisioned by its newly established charitable arm, the California Asphalt Research & Education (CARE) Foundation. CalAPA's Milar, who also has helped with foundation work, said he was pleased to support such a high-quality workshop at CSU Chico.

“What was noteworthy was being able to provide university students with a hands-on experience with asphalt materials, in the lab and also in the field, combined with a plant tour,” Milar said. “That hands-on experience is a huge plus in this event. There are a lot of university-level civil engineering programs that don’t provide this level of asphalt focus, and the hands-on experience.”

Milar said the event reminded him of a similar workshop he attended early in his engineering career that sparked an interest in asphalt pavements. At that workshop he met legendary professors Carl Monismith with UC Berkeley, and Peter Sabaaly with the University of Nevada-Reno, cementing what would become a lifelong collaboration in advancing knowledge and best practices about asphalt pavements.

“It is one thing to sit in a class and have someone talking to you,” Milar said. “It is very different when you get into the lab and do the hands-on activities. That’s what I would really like to see more of, the hands-on focus, in educating those who our headed into our industry.”

CSU Chico will hold another summer workshop on asphalt technology next year, Zhang says.

A previous California Asphalt magazine profile of the Chico State program is HERE. To learn more about the California Asphalt Research & Education Foundation, click HERE.

A special pavement preservation-themed issue of CalAPA's official association magazine, "California Asphalt," is arriving in mailboxes this week. The issue can also be viewed on-line HERE.

The issue features a profile of a prominent pavement preservation project in San Diego delivered by CalAPA member George Reed Co., and a Q&A with Dr. DingXin Cheng, director of the Pavement Preservation Center at CSU Chico. The issue also includes a roundup of inspiring people-centric activities by the Women of Asphalt California Chapter. The issue is introduced by a commentary by 2024 CalAPA Chairman Scott Metcalf with Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions.

Of particular note is an in-depth profile of Andrew Onoja, a civil engineer with the federal roads agency in Nigeria who has been a frequent attendee at various CalAPA events and has made a favorable impression to industry and agency representatives alike.

For an archive of past issues of the magazine, as well as advertising information, click HERE. For editorial or advertising inquiries, contact the indefatigable Kerry Hoover of Construction Market Services at (909) 772-3121.

The National Asphalt Pavement Association, a CalAPA partner, will hold a series of free educational webinars in June focusing on recent data related to Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) utilization, as well as proper binder selection for airfield work. Details and on-line registration for the webinars can be found HERE.

The RAP webinar will take place on Thursday, June 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. PDT and will be conducted by Jean-Paul Fort, Director of Pavement Engineering & Innovation for NAPA, and Brett Williams, Director of Pavement Engineering & Technical Support for NAPA. The webinar will present findings from the 13th annual Asphalt Pavement Industry Survey on Recycled Materials, and highlight challenges faced by contractors and agencies in increasing RAP usage, as well as strategies to overcome them.

A companion webinar on the survey's insight into the usage of WMA, as well as barriers to implementation, will take place on Friday, June 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. PDT by the same two presenters. A body of evidence points to increasing use of RAP and WMA as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and meet climate goals.

On Wednesday, June 19 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. NAPA will host an educational webinar titled, "Guidance for Asphalt Binder Grade Selection at Airfields." The webinar will feature Raquel Moraes, PhD, Assistant Research Professor, NCAT, Ben Ciavola, PhD, Director of LCA Technology, WAP Sustainability and Richard Willis, PhD, Vice President, Engineering, Research, & Technology, NAPA. The webinar will help attendees select the correct asphalt binder for airfield projects, which have unique requirements. Attendees will learn about different requirements from the FAA and Department of Defense airfields, and become familiar with a tool developed by the Airport Asphalt Pavement Technology Program to help designers select the proper grade of asphalt binder for airfields.

For more information about NAPA educational webinars, contact NAPA at (888) 468-6499.

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

SAND SEAL: An application of asphalt binder, normally an emulsion, covered with a fine aggregate. It is a technique to improve skid resistance and to seal the pavement surface on low volume roadways.

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 REVIEW: Every paving project should start with a detailed review of the project's contract, plans, and specifications. Any questions arising from this review should be directed to the design firm's engineers. 

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.

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE: Three factors measuring corporate sustainability and ethical impact. 

"Fear an ignorant man more than a lion.

– Turkish proverb

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)®