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CALENDAR
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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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CalAPA Southern California Contractor Dinner
Tuesday, Nov. 10 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dal Rae Restaurant 9023 E. Washington Blvd., Pico Rivera Contact: Tony Grasso (909) 362-9192 Details 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
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"Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 HMA Specifications" class
Tuesday, Dec. 1
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Caltrans Central Region satellite office, 1226 Olive Drive, Bakersfield Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044 Register HERE
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"Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 HMA Specifications" class
Wednesday, Dec. 2
8 a.m. to noon
Caltrans Central Region Satellite office, 2015 Shields Ave., Fresno
Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044
Register HERE
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"Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 HMA Specifications" class
Wednesday, Jan. 6 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. City of Haward City Offices, 777 B Street, Second Floor, Room 2-A, Hayward Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044 Register HERE
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"Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 HMA Specifications" class
Thursday, Jan. 7
8 a.m. to noon
City of Haward City Offices, 777 B Street, Second Floor, Room 2-A, Hayward
Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044
Register HERE 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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Did you miss an issue of the California Asphalt Insider? No problem! Past editions of the newsletter are available at the CalAPA newsletter archive page.
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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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Click HERE to visit our video page.
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DESIGN!
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Click HERE to visit the PavExpress website.
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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. |
 | Federal funding update: industry keeps the pressure on as T&I panel moves key bill
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With the leadership turmoil in the U.S. House of Representatives finally appearing to be settling down, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee last week passed a long-term transportation bill that still contains more questions than answers on how it will be funded.
Officially known as H.R. 3763, the $325 billion Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform (STRR) Act of 2015 was passed out of the committee on Oct. 22 by a unanimous voice vote. The official text of the bill in its most current published form is HERE. Click HERE to view a summary of the  legislation. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) was one of those who offered up amendments that could impact pavements.
Said Committee Chair Rep. Bill Schuster (R-PA): "I am proud that we were able to work together and find a common ground on this important bipartisan legislation."
The measure lacks the funding necessary to provide the long-term certainty long sought by transportation advocates, transportation agencies and the construction industry. The legislation provides six years of contract authority, but only identifies three years of baseline funding, which is $16 billion below a Senate-passed version known as the DRIVE Act. The breakdown of the $325 billion bill is $261 billion for highways, $55 billion for transit and $9 billion for national highway safety efforts. It is unclear when the bill will be voted on by the full House. The current Highway Trust Fund bill expires on Oct. 29, virtually ensuring that Congress will be required to enact another short-term funding "patch" while the long-term bills work their way through the legislative process.
Transportation advocates, meanwhile, continue to press members of Congress to keep road funding at the top of the legislative agenda. The drama over the leadership changes in the House has been a distraction that only recently seems to be settling down.
When House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced his plan to resign his post earlier this year, it created turmoil among majority Republicans who are split along ideological lines. A brief speaker campaign by U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the No. 2 leader in the House, fizzled out in the face of conservative opposition, leading to speculation that there would be a leadership vacuum that could drag on for months.
But in recent days U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), a former vice
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| | U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (right) and Teichert's Mary Rotelli last week in Sacramento. |
presidential candidate and chairman of the powerful Ways & Means Committee, indicated his willingness to accept the speaker's gavel if he could glean the support of the various GOP factions in the House, which he appeared to have achieved. A vote on the new speaker is tentatively planned for this week.
In Sacramento last week, meanwhile, U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), a member of the House T&I Committee, met with transportation advocates in a lunch co-hosted by Teichert's Mary Rotelli and attended by CalAPA.
Garamendi discussed the unsettled nature of transportation funding, the House leadership distraction, and correctly predicted that the T&I Committee would pass the transportation bill on a voice vote. He also lamented the various "fiscal cliff" votes that are ahead for Congress as it continues to vote for short-term funding patches over long-term spending plans.
Although he described the House transportation bill as "woefully inadequate" to fund the nation's current infrastructure needs, Garamendi remained optimistic that House members could be coaxed into improving the bill as it moves through the legislative hopper.
"Am I an optimist?" he said. "I am."
If you are less optimistic, click HERE to visit the CalAPA Legisative Action page to learn what you can do to help. Click HERE to visit the National Asphalt Pavement Association legislative page, which includes a link to a form that will send a note to your member of Congress on your behalf.
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| Free tack coat best-practices workshops to be held Nov. 10 in Sacramento and Nov. 12 in Fontana
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A special half-day workshop on best practices in the use of of tack coat in the paving process will be held Nov. 10 in Sacramento and again on Nov. 12 in Fontana.
The workshops are being put on in a partnership by Caltrans, the Federal Highway Administration and the asphalt pavement  industry. The workshops are free, but seating is limited and registration must be completed on-line and is on a first-come, first-served basis. There is ample free parking at both locations, and refreshments will be provided.
The Sacramento workshop will be held Tuesday, Nov. 10 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Red Lion Hotel-Woodlake, 500 Leisure Lane in Sacramento. Click HERE to register.
The Fontana workshop will be held on Thursday, Nov. 12 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Caltrans Southern Regional Lab, Multipurpose Room 13, 13970 Victoria Street, Fontana. Click HERE to register.
The workshops are being made possible through a collaboration between Caltrans, the FHWA, and the asphalt pavement industry, including the Asphalt Institute and CalAPA.
For more information on the workshops, contact Sri Holikatti of Caltrans at (916) 274-6074, or Jason Dietz of the FHWA at (720) 963-3213.
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| New CalAPA 'Caltrans Section 39 specification' classes added Jan. 6 & 7 in Hayward
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New classes Hayward have been added to the schedule for CalAPA's popular "Caltrans Section 39 HMA Specs & Superpave" class. The classes are filling up quickly so early registration is recommended. An on-line calendar that lists all CalAPA classes and events is HERE.
Half-day "Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 Hot Mix Asphalt Specifications" classes will be held Jan. 6 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the City of Hayward City Offices, 777 B. Street
2nd Floor Room 2-A in Hayward. Click HERE to register. The class will repeated on Jan. 7 from 8 a.m. to noon at the same location. Click HERE to register.
The Hayward classes join classes already scheduled Nov. 18 in San Diego, and repeated Nov. 19 in San Diego. Classes are also scheduled for Dec. 1 in Bakersfield and Dec. 2 in Fresno. 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. The class was made possible through the generous support of CalAPA members.
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 $119 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.
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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| State funding update: More hearings, more talk; no bill yet |
The Legislature, operating in special session devoted to transportation funding, held another hearing Oct. 21 in Southern California to further parse various ideas for a long-term plan for keeping California's roads from falling apart.
Much like a hearing held the previous week in Sacramento, a  parade of witnesses talked about the importance of investing in our state's transportation infrastructure. CalAPA was represented at the hearing, as it was last week (a story in last week's Asphalt Insider about the Oct. 17 hearing in Sacramento is HERE).
For the truly wonky, or to cure insomnia, the agenda for last week's hearing at Ontario City Hall is HERE. A background report prepared for the hearing (in Microsoft Word format) is HERE. A report by the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) on options for addressing the state's transportation needs is HERE. A LAO handout that provides an overview of the state highway and road programs is HERE. A LAO handout on proposals to address the state's challenges is HERE.
For couch potatoes, the hearing can be watched HERE. It may not be "Must See TV," but at least there are no commercials.
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| Social media update: CalAPA featured on Twining Blog |
CalAPA, at its heart, is in the information business. Like a gold miner, the association gathers information from a wide variety of sources, processes it, and disseminates the most valuable nuggets to its members, as well as to public agencies and the greater construction community.
How the association has distributed its information has changed over the years, with a greater emphasis being placed on electronic communications (like this newsletter), our web page and an array of social media outlets, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The effort is being noticed. Today, CalAPA's search-engine rankings, website visitors and social media followers far surpass many other more established organizations, and continue to grow by the week.
Many CalAPA members have also responded to the challenges of  the Information Age with their own communication strategies. One of those is CalAPA associate member Twining, which earlier this year rolled out a blog for various news and announcements related to its business and materials testing in general.
CalAPA recently posted an article to the blog providing an advance preview of the Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo, scheduled for this week in Sacramento. You can read the blog post HERE.
As communication technology continues to evolve, CalAPA will continue to work with its membership to exploit the best and most effect methods of sharing valuable information.
CalAPA thanks all of its dues-paying members who make this information-dissemination possible, and also to the many members who have added CalAPA's logo to their web page, and included CalAPA information in their "tweets," Facebook posts and other social media broadcasts.
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| Tech Term of the Week
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Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other reference commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.
VISCOSITY: This is a measure of the resistance to flow. The term is used as "high viscosity" or "low viscosity." A high viscosity material refers to a heavy or still material that will not flow easily. A low viscosity material is the opposite. Viscosity is measured in absolute units called poises. It was formerly measured in empirical values of time, distance, and temperature. This method was called "Saybolt Furol Viscosity".
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| Quote of the Week
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"Live courage, breathe courage, and give courage."
Dhan Gopal Mukerji
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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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