California Asphalt Pavement Association
Vol. 15, Issue 44 || Oct. 31, 2022
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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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Special report: New Caltrans Director, rich program, Women of Asphalt power Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference in Sacramento |
The 13th annual Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference, held last week in Sacramento, was filled nearly to capacity in both content and attendees, with a rich and diverse program that proved popular with CalAPA members and agency personnel alike.
Newly appointed Caltrans Director Tony Tavares, a well-known and respected leader fluent in all things asphalt, kicked off the Oct. 27 General Session by highlighting the foundational principles guiding the department as it works to convert record high levels of funding for infrastructure into projects that will protect and enhance the transportation system, communities and the environment.
"The transportation sector has a direct impact on whether people thrive in California or don't thrive in California," Tavares said. He then proceeded to tick off the direct connection of investments to jobs, the economy and our state's quality of life made by Senate Bill 1, the $50 billion Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017, and the first influx of funds to California from last year's $1.2 trillion federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. "It is the largest transportation infrastructure bill I have seen in my 32-year career," he said, "and probably the largest since the Interstate Highway System was built in the 1950s and 1960s."
Tavares took the opportunity to provide a report card on SB1, now marking its fifth anniversary. He said the department estimated that more than 4,000 SB1-funded projects have been delivered, valued at over $16 billion, and that all the activity contributed to creating or preserving more than 200,000 jobs. He thanked CalAPA and others for supporting the passage of SB1 in the California Legislature, and also campaigning to preserve it in 2018 when it was threatened by a repeal at the ballot box. CalAPA and its member companies contributed more than $7 million to defeat the gas-tax repeal, which appeared as Prop. 6 on the Nov. 6, 2018 ballot.
Tavares said Caltrans delivered about $3.1 billion worth of projects during the last fiscal year that ended June 30, and that this year the department's goal is to deliver $5.4 billion worth of projects. He said that figure should increase to about $7 billion next year and continue at that level for several years. Noting the contributions of the construction industry to advocate for prudent infrastructure investments, and to build those improvements, Tavares said, "Everything starts and ends with partnerships. What we do at Caltrans cannot be done without all of you."
The CalAPA Board of Directors presented Tavares with a framed copy of the cover of most recent issue of California Asphalt, the Journal of the California Asphalt Pavement Association, which recognizes the department for its award-winning work on deploying the Long-life Asphalt Pavement design strategy across California. A link to that issue is HERE.
The Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference kicked off Oct. 26 with a special "Balanced Mix Design Symposium" led by Randy West, Director and Research Professor of the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) at Auburn University. He was joined by Fan Yin, Assistant Director and Assistant Research Professor at NCAT.
The other General Session keynote address was delivered by Sam Hassoun, a civil engineer and founder of Global Leadership Alliance, who gave a compelling talk on the return on investment of partnering activities. Chu Wei, representing the Federal Highway Administration, provided a federal update, and Cathrina Barros, Chief of the Caltrans Office of Asphalt Pavement was joined by Ashley Batson representing Ingevity to give a an update on the "Women of Asphalt" initiative nationally and in California. CalAPA is supporting the local branch of the Women of Asphalt effort, which is detailed on the CalAPA website HERE. CalAPA's Director of Technical Services, Brandon Milar, P.E., gave an overview of "The Road Forward," the national asphalt industry "Net Zero" climate initiative. More information on that initiative can be found HERE.
Numerous breakout sessions allowed attendees to customize their conference experience. DingXin Cheng, Director of the California Pavement Preservation Center at Chico State University, presented on best practices in asphalt pavement compaction, and Batson, of Ingevity, presented on the latest research and developments with regard to Warm Mix Asphalt technology. John Harvey, Director of the University of California Pavement Research Center and also the City & County Pavement Improvement Center, presented on the topic of pavement program management. Kevin McNeil with Graniterock gave a presentation on proper sample preparation, Jackie Wong and Guadalupe Magana from Caltrans gave an update on recent changes to the department's test methods, and Maurice Arbelaez with InstroTek presented on the technology behind pavement density measurement.
Other presentations included the latest on Environmental Product Declarations, by Jeremy Peterson-Self and Dominika Ercolini with Caltrans' Materials Engineering & Testing Services (METS), and Barros providing an update on Caltrans Long-life Asphalt Pavement design strategy. Todd Mansell with Caterpillar delved into the use of new and existing technologies to improve paving quality and efficiency, and Doug Ford, president of Paving Coatings, presented on the use of recycled materials in seal-coat systems.
A popular breakout session was titled, "Using Existing Roadway Materials for Pavement Rehabilitation," and was co-presented by Allen King with Caltrans, Frank Farshidi with the City of San Jose, Marco Estrada with Pavement Recycling Systems and Dennis McElroy with Graniterock. A detailed agenda of all topics and speakers can be found HERE.
In conjunction with the conference, a popular social event was held the evening of Oct. 26 at the Topgolf Sports and Entertainment Complex in Roseville. In addition to the many vendor booths and displays, the debut of a "selfie station" also made for some epic photos by conference-goers and were trending on social media. More than 150 industry and agency personnel attended the conference, and about 60 participated in the Topgolf networking event. Both represented welcome in-person relationship-building activities after more than two years of COVID-19 disruption.
One of the most popular attendees at the conference was Andrew Onoja, a civil engineer employed with the Federal Roads Agency of Nigeria, who was attending his second CalAPA asphalt conference. He also attended the Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference in Ontario in 2014. He received special recognition from CalAPA for traveling the greatest distance to attend the conference. He said the stresses to the pavement assets in urban areas like Los Angeles "drew my attention to California" and he was keenly interested in the presentations on Balanced Mix Design and other technical topics "so I can learn more to be useful to society and make an impact."
Graduate engineering students from the University of California Davis also attended the conference complements of the CalAPA event sponsors and supporting CalAPA's workforce development mission.
All registered attendees of the conference will receive links to electronic copies of all presentations delivered at the conference as well as other helpful resources. Many more photos from the Fall Conference and networking events can be viewed on the CalAPA Facebook page HERE. The event could not be put on without the generous support of the event sponsors and exhibitors. A list of the event sponsors and exhibitors can be found HERE. The dates for the Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo will be announced next week. For sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, contact Sophie You of CalAPA at (916) 791-5044.
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Members of the Women of Asphalt California Branch meet in conjunction with the CalAPA Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference held last week in Sacramento. |
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Andrew Onoja with the Federal Roads Agency of Nigeria (right) talks with John Harvey of the University of California Pavement Research Center (left) and Ian Broddrick with Alta Vista Solutions (center) during a break of the Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference. |
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U.C. Davis graduate students in engineering check out the "selfie station" at the Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference last week in Sacramento. |
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Members of the CalAPA Board of Directors present Caltrans Director Tony Tavares with a framed copy of the association magazine. Pictured, from left: CalAPA Executive Director Russell Snyder; Steve Ward with PRS; Tavares; Jordan Reed with George Reed Co.; Scott Fraser with the R.J. Noble Co.; and Jeff Benedict with Valero. |
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Cathrina Barros, chief of the Office of Asphalt Pavements at Caltrans, speaks at the Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference last week in Sacramento. She spoke about the department's Long-life Asphalt Pavement design strategy, as well as the "Women of Asphalt" California Branch initiative. |
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At a social event at the Topgolf Sports & Entertainment Complex in Roseville, Fan Yin and Randy West from NCAT join Brandon Milar with CalAPA (left to right). The event was held in conjunction with the Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference in Sacramento. |
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Reminder: It's time to take CalAPA's 13th annual 'Better-Worse' survey |
It's that time of year again -- time to take CalAPA's annual "Better-Worse" survey. Now in its 13th year, the annual survey gauges the mood of Asphalt Insider readers about the upcoming year, and also asks readers to share thoughts on challenges they face. The survey takes about 1 minute to complete and can be accessed HERE. The deadline to participate is Nov. 11.
A story on the results of last year's "Better-Worse" survey appeared on Page 18 of the association's annual forecast issue of California Asphalt magazine HERE. A year ago impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic were still weighing on readers but there was a slight increase in optimism from the prior year. Results from this survey will be included in a future issue of Asphalt Insider. Data from the survey will also be included in an upcoming issue of California's official magazine, California Asphalt, as well as the comprehensive 2023 Asphalt Market Forecast for California, which is published annually and is an exclusive benefit of CalAPA membership. To learn how to access this and other CalAPA member benefits, click HERE or contact CalAPA at (916) 791-5044.
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Free webinar on best practices for design of low-volume asphalt parking lots set for Nov. 1 |
The Asphalt Pavement Alliance, a CalAPA partner, is hosting a free educational webinar titled, "Best Practices for Design of Low Volume Asphalt Parking Lots and Commercial Applications." The 90-minute webinar will be conducted by Mike Skinner, P.E., Director of Pavement Engineering for the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association.
The webinar will delve into how parking lot pavements have significant differences than traditional roadway pavements. Material types, mix design, and construction practices will be discussed to attendees will learn how to improve service life and reduce maintenance costs of such facilities. Best practices for designing parking lots will also be discussed.
Professional engineers (PEs) who register and attend the entire webinar as an individual will be awarded up to 1.5 Professional Development Hours (PDHs).
The webinar will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PST. Although attendance is free, advanced registration must be completed on-line in advance HERE. |
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Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other term commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.
COURSE: A layer of road material, separately compacted, used as a wearing surface or as a base for wearing surface.
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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.
ASPHALT MIXTURE: Ask yourself: Is this the correct mix type for the project and the layer you are constructing? Verify that the truck delivery ticket matches the approved mix design.
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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.
POROUS PAVEMENTS: Product designed to allow water to move through the asphalt layer.
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"Far better it is to dare mighty things than to take rank with those poor, timid spirits who know neither victory nor defeat."
– Theodore Roosevelt
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CALAPA CALENDAR:
View all CalAPA events HERE.
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Save the Date!
CalAPA Annual Meeting & Awards Dinner
Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023
Hotel Intercontinential, 900 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles
Registration opens soon!
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Coming soon!
2023 Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo,
Doubletree Hotel Ontario Airport, 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario, CA
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 © 2022 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 211, West Sacramento, CA 95691
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