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REGISTRATION OPEN!
CalAPA Golf Tournament
Thursday, Sept. 18
Industry Hills Golf Club at the Pacific Palms Resport, Industry, Calif.
Contact: Sophie You (916) 791-5044
Details HERE.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference
Oct. 29-30
Doubletree Hotel, 2001 Point West Way, Sacramento
Contact: Sophie You (916) 791-5044
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CLICK & GO!View our interactive, "At a Glance" event calendar HERE.
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| CalAPA | | |
California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 981300
West Sacramento, CA 95798
Main office:
1550 Harbor Blvd., Suite 211
West Sacramento, CA 95691
(916) 791-5044 (phone)
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This weekly bulletin contains the latest news and information of interest to the asphalt pavement industry in California. Please feel free to distribute this newsletter to others who may be interested in asphalt pavements. |
 | Caltrans to propose using 5 percent CRM in all unmodified asphalt binder; meeting set for Aug. 4 in Sacramento for stakeholders
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Saying it wants to use even more scrap rubber in asphalt mixes, Caltrans will unveil a proposal next month to use 5 percent Crumb Rubber Modifier (CRM) in all unmodified binders.
Chuck Suszko, an engineer with the Caltrans Office of Construction Engineering, told Asphalt Insider Friday that all interested parties from industry are invited to a meeting to discuss details of the proposal to be held at the Caltrans TransLab Auditorium, 5900 Folsom Blvd. in Sacramento on Aug. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those planning on attending the meeting are asked to RSVP to Suszko at (916) 798-6029 or via e-mail at: chuck.suszko@dot.ca.gov .
The proposal being considered by Caltrans would change asphalt  binder specifications to call for 5 percent CRM in all asphalt binder that is currently classified as unmodified. This new "green" Performance-Graded with 5 percent CRM (PG+5) binder would be required to meet the performance grade requirements for unmodified asphalt binder.
Caltrans has used CRM produced from scrap tires in asphalt rubber binder for more than 20 years, and there has been steady increases in the use of Rubberized Hot Mix Asphalt (RHMA) on Caltrans projects during that time. The effort has been spurred along by legislation, starting with the Tire Recycling Act of 1989 that levied a fee on all tires sold in California to be used for programs to create markets for waste tires. In 2005, the Legislature passed and the governor signed into law AB338, which set targets for CRM use each year. A bill to extend the requirements and make other changes to the program, AB2658 by Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, D-Los Angeles, failed to make it out of a state Senate committee last month.
California generates an estimated 40 million waste tires each year, and the state has been working to divert those tires from landfills to consumer products. Paving asphalt is the No. 1 source of CRM, and it has been celebrated by the environmental community for its sustainability and and by motorists for its smooth and quiet ride.
Suszko said there will be many hurdles to overcome if such a specification is implemented, including changes in how scrap rubber is processed and handled at refineries.
"We need to find a way to use more waste tires," Suszko said. "If we can change all unmodified binder to use 5 percent to 10 percent CRM we will use the equivalent of 8 to 10 million used tires a year."
Another bill, SB876 of 1999, requires the department to report on rubber usage each year. To read the latest report, click HERE.
In a separate but somewhat related effort, participants are also being solicited to attend the inaugural Caltrans-industry Asphalt Binder Crumb Rubber Verification Subtask Group, which is meeting under the auspices of the joint Caltrans-industry Rock Products Committee's Asphalt Task Group. The first meeting will take place Wednesday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the "Summit" Training Room adjacent to the offices at Granite Construction, 4001 Bradshaw Road in Sacramento. To read a story about that effort, click HERE to read the July 21 edition of Asphalt Insider. |
| Registration now open for annual CalAPA golf tournament Sept. 18 at Industry Hills Golf Resort
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Registration is now open for one of the asphalt industry's most popular events of the year -- the annual CalAPA Golf Tournament, to be held Sept. 18 at the Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms Resort. Click HERE for details and to register on-line. The tournament sells our early every year, so duffers are encouraged to identify their foursomes and sign up early. Sponsorship
 | | The group from RJ Noble on the course at a previous CalAPA Golf Tournament. |
information also is available via the event website. The golf tournament will take place on the famed "Ike" Course, named after former president and WWII hero Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was also an avid golfer. Enjoy tee prizes, lunch and a gala awards dinner, plenty of beverages on the course and unprecedented networking opportunities.For a list of companies that sponsored the tournament last year, click HERE. Direct questions to Sophie You of CalAPA at (916) 791-5044. |
| It's do-or-die week for the nearly bankrupt federal highway fund |
This week is critical for the federal Highway Trust Fund, teetering on the edge of insolvency while Congress argues about how to keep it from running dry and causing havoc in transportation improvement programs nationwide. The U.S. Senate adjourned last week without taking action on a House-passed "patch" bill to provide temporary funding for the main source of funding for road and transit programs across America.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Senate would resume debate and voting on amendments to the bill this week. The eight-month, $11 billion extension to the current surface transportation bill, if passed this week, merely prolongs the agony in Washington over what to do long-term to fund transportation programs. The current 18.4 cents per gallon levy on fuel to pay for transportation programs has not changed in two decades and has lost approximately 50 percent of its buying power due to inflation. The Highway Trust Fund is projected to run out of money next month. Report after report, meanwhile, continue to show that the nation's roads and bridges are deteriorating at an accelerated clip. The current anti-tax climate in Washington has dampened enthusiasm for raising taxes to cover the shortfall. CalAPA encourages industry and agency representatives to contact their elected officials to urge them to support prudent levels of transportation investment, both short-term and long term. For grass-roots resources, click HERE to visit CalAPA's Legislative Action page. |
| Members, spouses enjoy a 'Day at the Races' at beautiful Del Mar Race Track |
Even though all the tickets didn't come back winners, there were plenty of smiles to go around at CalAPA's "Day at the Races" July 19 at venerable Del Mark Race Track.
 | | Robert Jarvis with Coastal Paving (left) places a winning bet (he hopes) with the help of CalAPA's Sophie You. |
More than 100 attended the annual event at the opening weekend of the thoroughbred racing season at Del Mar, one of the most picturesque and historic racing venues in the country. CalAPA reserved a luxury suite for the event, which included a catered lunch, private betting windows and a no-host bar.
More pictures from the event are posted on CalAPA's Facebook Page, which can be viewed HERE.
The event is sponsored by the Southern California Contractor's Committee. For more information about the event, contact Sophie You at (916) 791-5044 or Tony Grasso at (909) 362-9192.
 | | Susie Muniz (left), Mike Acosta, Yvette and Rich Shaon of Blue Diamond Materials enjoyed the view from the CalAPA suite. |
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Quote of the Week
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"Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent of how I react to it."
-- George Swindoll
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We hope you enjoy CalAPA's Asphalt Insider. We are committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information on technical issues, regulation, news and events in California that may impact the asphalt pavement industry. Click HERE to contact us with any comments or suggestions.
Sincerely,
Russell W. SnyderExecutive Director California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA) |
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