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CALENDAR
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Annual CalAPA Golf Tournament
Thursday, Sept. 24 Industry Hills Golf Club @ Pacific Palms Resort 1 Industry Hills Parkway, City of Industry Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044. Details HERE
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Joint L.A.-San Diego Technical Committee Meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 30 9:30 a.m. to noon City of Carlsbad Safety Training Center, 5750 Orion St., Carlsbad Contact: Tony Grasso (909) 362-9192 Click HERE to RSVP
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"Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 HMA Specifications" class
Tuesday, Oct. 13 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Caltrans Southern Regional Lab, 13970 Victoria St., Fontana Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044 Register HERE
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"Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 HMA Specifications" class
Wednesday, Oct. 14 8 a.m. to noon Caltrans Southern Regional Lab, 13970 Victoria St., Fontana Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044 Register HERE
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Fall Conference & Equipment Expo
Wednesday & Thursday, Oct. 28-29 Doubletree Hotel, 2001 Point West Way, Sacramento Register HERE. Sponsor-Exhibitor info HERE.
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"Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 HMA Specifications" class
Wednesday, Nov. 18
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Caltrans Materials Lab, 7177 Opportunity Road, San Diego Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044 Register HERE
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"Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 HMA Specifications" class
Thursday, Nov. 19
8 a.m. to noon Caltrans Materials Lab, 7177 Opportunity Road, San Diego Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044 Register HERE
* CLICK & GO!View our interactive, "At a Glance" event calendar HERE.
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Asphalt is used on about 94 percent of paved roads in America. Why? Because it's smooth, quiet, safe, durable and 100 percent recyclable. Visit the Asphalt Pavement Alliance website learn more about why asphalt is the right choice now more than ever. |
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Are you an engineer, designer or technical professional who makes decisions on pavement type selection? The DriveAsphalt website has technical reports and other resources may be just what you're looking for. Click HERE for more information.
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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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CalAPA produces a highly regarded magazine, California Asphalt, and an annual membership directory. To view current and past issues of the magazine, click HERE. For advertising sales information, click HERE or call Kerry Hoover with Construction Marketing Services at (909) 772-3121.
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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 internal memo on Superpave brings official end to Hveem mix design era, creates a new set of issues
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It's official. After years of meetings, reviews, draft specifications and other machinations, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) officially brought the curtain down on the era of Hveem mix designs in California as only government can: with a memo.
The internal document, known as a Construction Policy Bulletin, carries the reference number CPB 15-6 and an effective date of  Sept. 4, 2015. It was signed by new Caltrans Division of Construction Chief Rachel Falsetti. Read the memo HERE.
The title of the memo is "Implementation of Hot Mix Asphalt Superpave Mix Design," which to readers of this publication should have a familiar ring. The Asphalt Insider has carried numerous reports over the years on the Caltrans stated desire to move away from Hveem and incorporate elements the national Superpave™ initiative in its mix designs, and various changes to asphalt specification language have been published by the department and are showing up in projects.
The Hveem mix designs, named after a legendary Caltrans materials engineer Francis N. Hveem were developed in the 1920s and were in widespread use for decades. You can read a previous article about Hveem, and the kneading compaction testing equipment that still bears his name, HERE.
Superpave™ is mix design using volumemetric concepts and specific performance criteria. The Strategic Highway Research Program developed the Superior Performing Asphalt Pavements (Superpave™) method of mix design in the 1990s to replace the Hveem and Marshall methods, and California is one of the last states to transition to Superpave. Building upon the transition from AR (Aged Residue to PG (Performance Graded) binders, the Caltrans Superpave memo declares to the department's field personnel that the department has officially moved past Hveem and has entered the Superpave era.
Key changes in Section 39, Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA), of the Caltrans 2010 Revised Standard Specifications (RSS) include the following: - Consideration of environment and traffic for materials selection and mix design
- The Gyratory compactor replaces Hveem kneading compactor
- Compaction effort -- expressed in terms of "Ndesign" -- is based on projected project traffic
- Use of Hamburg Wheel Tracking device to gauge mix resistance to rutting
- Transition from California Test Methods (CTMs) to AASHTO test methods
- Change in sampling and testing frequencies (Construction Manual, table 6-1.12)
- Updated forms (CEM-3511, 3512, 3513, 3514 and 3703) related to JMF (job mix formula), mix design, mix verification, and production start-up. The updated forms are available HERE.
- Change in HMA sample size: Samples are based on split samples: One each for acceptance testing and dispute resolution. If the contractor requests split sample, the contractor must double the amount of HMA sampled to provide four split samples as follows: 1 for acceptance testing; 1 for the contractor; and 2 for dispute resolution.
- Elimination of the HMA construction processes: method, standard and QC-QA.
Industry representatives that have studied the Caltrans Superpave memo note that it raises two issues that require clarification from Caltrans: - If contractor requests "split samples," are 200lb of HMA required?
- How can contractor samples taken "adjacent" to state samples be considered acceptable for dispute resolution?
In a conference call with industry representatives last week, Caltrans reported that the current plan is to electronically publish  the 2015 Standard Specifications by Oct. 3. Printing of a paper copy of the specifications is targeted for the end of 2015. Caltrans said the internal deadline for mandatory use of the 2015 specifications for all so-called "Ready to List" projects is targeted for July 1, 2016. The most current version of the updated Caltrans specifications, including Section 39 Hot Mix Asphalt, are posted on line and may be reviewed by industry HERE. The website also contains past versions of the specification for reference. Industry comments on the revised specifications may be directed to the co-chairs of the Section 39 Task Group of the joint Caltrans-industry Rock Products Committee. They are Tony Limas with Granite Construction: Tony(dot)Limas(at)gcinc(dot)com, or Pascal Mascarhenas of Vulcan Materials: mascarenhasp(at)vmcmail(dot)com .* Caltrans said its long-term goal is to publish an electronic version of the Standard Specifications annually, beginning in 2018. REFERENCES:- The Caltrans Construction Manual can be found HERE.
- An archive of Caltrans Construction Policy Bulletins can be found HERE.
- A self-subscribe feature to place yourself on the notification list for future updates to the Caltrans Construction Manual can be found HERE.
- Electronic versions of Caltrans contract administration forms (CEM Forms) can be found HERE.
- The web page for Caltrans test methods is HERE.
* NOTE: The "@" symbol has been replaced with "(at)" and periods have been replaced with "(dot)" in the e-mail address above to deter malicious e-mail spam software. |
| Half-day classes on changes to Caltrans Section 39 HMA specifications & 'Superpave' added Nov. 18 & 19 in San Diego
| Half-day "Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 Hot Mix Asphalt Specifications" classes will be held Nov. 18 & 19 in San Diego. The class also is being held Oct. 13 and again on Oct. 14 in Fontana. Other class dates and locations will be announced soon. A flier about the class is HERE.
The class, developed under the guidance of the CalAPA Technical Advisory Committee of pavement experts, and reviewed by Caltrans, covers all major changes to the Caltrans specifications, testing and acceptance as they relate to asphalt pavements, including "Superpave." It is a must for engineers, designers, technicians, paving contractors, agency personnel and anyone else involved in asphalt pavements.
Our instructor is Paul Curren, P.E., who previously taught this
class to more than 500 around the state in 2010 and 2011 to rave reviews. He has years of practical experience working for local agencies and industry. His colorful admonishment, "Do it once, do it right, go home and get paid" has become an oft-repeated catchphrase for the road-building industry in California.
Early registration for the training class is $99 for CalAPA members, $99 for public agency representatives and academia, and $129 for all others. All attendees will receive a handy reference guide for the material being covered in class. Seats are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration must be completed on-line, and payment must be received prior to the day of the class.
The Fontana class will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 13 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Caltrans Southern Regional Lab, 13970 Victoria St. in Fontana. There is ample free parking at the venue. Click HERE for more information and to sign up.The class will be repeated on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 8 a.m. to noon, also at the Caltrans Southern Regional Lab in Fontana. Click HERE to register.
The recently added San Diego class will be held Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Caltrans District 11 lab conference room, 7177 Opportunity Road in San Diego. Click HERE to register. The class will be repeated on Thursday, Nov. 19 from 8 a.m. to noon at the same location. Click HERE to register.
Other class dates will be announced soon in the Central Valley and in Northern California. Keep an eye on the Asphalt Insider newsletter for announcements, or watch our virtual calendar of events. tech meetings and classes HERE. For registration questions or general inquiries contact Ritha Nhorn of CalAPA at (916) 791-5044. For questions about the technical content of the class, contact CalAPA's technical consultant, Rita B. Leahy, Ph.D., P.E., at (916) 239-8315.
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| Stepping out from behind the camera
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As with many industry events, when Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Vulcan Materials' asphalt plant operation in San Diego last month, the newsworthy event was covered by Kerry Hoover. Hoover is co-owner of Construction Marketing Services, publisher
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| | Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (left) and Kerry Hoover, sans camera. |
of CalAPA's official magazine, California Asphalt, and a fixture at CalAPA events. A story and pictures of the Lt. Governor's tour can be found HERE. During the visit, CalAPA Board Member and PAC Committee Chairman Len Nawrocki with Valero thought it would be nice for a change to have Kerry in one of her own photos. He commandeered her camera, and the photo at right was the result of his handiwork. Construction Marketing Services not only publishes the CalAPA magazine six times per year, but also the CalAPA Membership Directory & Buyers' Guide, and assists with numerous other brochures, posters and other projects to help the association broadcast useful information far and wide. CalAPA salutes Kerry Hoover, her husband, Brian, and the rest of her team at Construction Marketing services for contributing mightily to the success of the association. For more information on the CalAPA magazine, including an archive of past issues and advertising rates, click HERE. |
| Calling all drones
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An upcoming issue of CalAPA's official magazine, California Asphalt, will feature a story about the use of aerial drones in the asphalt pavement industry. If you or someone you know in your company is utilizing this technology in a useful way (other than to spy on your competitors) please contact Kerry Hoover at (909) 772-3121.
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| Quote of the Week
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"Be sincere; be brief; be seated."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
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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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