|
CALENDAR
| (Always on-line HERE)
|
*
"Critical Changes to Caltrans Section 39 HMA Specifications" class
Thursday, March 10
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Santa Maria Public Library, Shephard Hall, 421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria
Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044
Click HERE to register
*
CalAPA Capitol 'Fly-in'
Tuesday, March 8 to Wednesday, March 9
State Capitol, Sacramento
Contact: Russell Snyder (916) 791-5044
Click HERE to RSVP
* 'Safe Handling of Hot Asphalt Binder' classWednesday, March 161 p.m. to 5 p.m.1572 Santa Ana Ave., Sacramento Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044 Click HERE to register *'Safe Handling of Hot Asphalt Binder' class
Thursday, March 17
8 a.m. to noon
1572 Santa Ana Ave., Sacramento
Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044
Click HERE to register
* REGISTRATION OPEN!CalAPA Spring Conference & Equipment ExpoApril 20-21 Doubletree Hotel, 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario Contact: Sophie You (916) 791-5044 Register HERE
|
|
SOCIALIZE
|
|
|
| CHOOSE ASPHALT | |
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. |
| GET TECHNICAL | |
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.
|
| 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)
|
| BACK ISSUES | |
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.
|
| MAGAZINE |
|
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.
|
| STAY INFORMED |  |
Click HERE to receive California Asphalt Insider each week via e-mail FREE! Or visit our website at:
|
|
WATCH
| |
|
Click HERE to visit our video page.
|
|
|
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. |
 | New classes on asphalt binder safety to be held March 16 and 17 in Sacramento
|
A new CalAPA class, "Safe Handling of Hot Asphalt Binders," will be held Wednesday afternoon, March 16 in Sacramento. The half-day class will be repeated in the morning of March 17 at the same location. The class is being taught by internationally known safety expert Barry Gundersen from New Zealand,
 |
| | Barry Gundersen |
who presented on the topic at the Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference in Sacramento to rave reviews. Gundersen, assisted by Safety Technician Margaret Holdsworth, will educate attendees about the flammability and potentially explosive properties of binders, best practices when working around hot binders, and essential first-aid considerations for workers who come in contact with hot binders. The class will include memorable "live" demonstrations to reinforce the learning. All participants will receive a workbook, wallet card developed by
|
| | Margaret Holdsworth |
the Asphalt Institute, and certificate of completion. The classes are being hosted by CalAPA member Twining at their lab, 1572 Santa Ana Ave. in Sacramento. Seating is limited so early registration is strongly recommended. For more information about the March 16 class and to sign up, click HERE. For information on the March 17 class and to sign-up, click HERE. |
| South Coast Air District ousts executive director; CalAPA testimony supports retention of key NOx 'RECLAIM' program
|
The Southern California Air Quality Management District has been roiled by drama in recent weeks as a more pragmatic board has placed new scrutiny on the most stringent air quality regulations in the nation.
At a dramatic meeting held Friday in Diamond Bar, the SCAQMD governing board voted to oust Executive Director Barry Wallerstein, replacing him with an interim executive director, Michael O'Kelly, the current SCAQMD Director of Finance.
The move comes on the heels of the board pushing aside staff  recommendations for even more stringent regulations aimed at further reducing emissions at power plants, factories and other stationary facilities in favor of a compromise plan backed by industry representatives. The SCAQMD is the prime air quality regulator for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
At the same time, CalAPA and other industry partners were concerned that a casualty of the turmoil could be the NOx RECLAIM program that many CalAPA members participate in. The RECLAIM program, which stands for "Regional Clean Air Incentives Market," is the world's first market-based program to reduce air pollution by providing businesses incentives to reduce pollution beyond what is called for by current regulations and guidelines.
There are approximately a dozen CalAPA members that are part of the RECLAIM credit program. The program was evaluated as part of the SCAQMD's Air Quality Management Plan review, and the air district adopted amendments Dec. 4 to the program that grew out of a dozen meetings over two years with industry representatives. The amendments include a 12-ton-per-day "shave" of outstanding RECLAIM allocations.
In an unusual twist, however, the chairman of the state Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, Sen. Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, sent a letter to the SCAQMD urging the air district to reconsider and modify the December amendments. The letter apparently had the backing of the statewide California Air Resources Board.
CalAPA Deputy Executive Director Tony Grasso testified Friday in
|
| | CalAPA Deputy Executive Director Tony Grasso testifies Friday at the SCAQMD board meeting in Diamond Bar. |
favor of the program, saying it was developed after a "balanced review" of information from all stakeholders. He urged the board to stand by its previous vote and not to be influenced by outside entities that have not participated in the various stakeholder meetings.
Shortly after Grasso's testimony, the SCAQMD board voted not to modify the December amendments and to move forward with the program as it is currently configured.
The CalAPA Environmental Committee, led by Co-Chairs Scott Cohen with Sespe Consulting and Scott Taylor with Taylor Environmental Services, has helped develop CalAPA's positions and talking points on this and other air quality issues across the state. All CalAPA member companies are invited to participate in the Environmental Committee meetings, which take place every other month in person and via teleconference. For more information, contact Grasso at (909) 362-9192.
|
| Process improvement takes center stage in 2016 for Caltrans-industry Section 39 specification development and execution
|
Countless hours have been spent over the years by Caltrans engineers and industry experts in reviewing and updating the department's influential standard specifications for Hot Mix Asphalt, known as "Section 39." Most recently the changes have centered around incorporating elements of the national "Superpave" initiative and test methods into the specification language. CalAPA member Mike Cook (Graniterock) is the current industry
|
| | Mike Cook |
chair of a Caltrans-industry Rock Products Committee that oversees the review and update of the specifications. His co-chair is Toni Carroll with CalAPA-member Vulcan Materials, and they participate in regular meetings with Caltrans leadership on technical issues and to monitor the process by which the department and the construction industry review the specs, via several subcommittees, and try to reach consensus on changes. Writing for his company's on-line "RockBlog," Cook noted that Caltrans and industry are in general agreement that specification changes not carefully vetted can pose problems once they appear in bid documents and in projects. Uniform application of specifications across the state, and measuring specification performance, are also key areas of emphasis. Cook says industry is very pleased that Caltrans partners have committed to working together to find ways to improve all three areas of emphasis. "The idea behind the change was to bring California more in line with national asphalt standards and to produce more consistent and accurate test results," Cook writes. "No one has extra money to spend on infrastructure, so the state and industry need to pull together to get the right answers for Californians. Taxpayers are more inclined to support infrastructure improvements when they're confident the work is getting done the right way." To read the full post on the Graniterock website, click HERE.
|
| Registration open for Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo April 20-21 in Ontario
|
Registration is now open for the CalAPA Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo, which will be held April 20-21 at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario. Click HERE for details and to register.
The must-attend event will be attended by hundreds of industry and agency representatives and feature an impressive lineup of speakers, who will delve into technical aspects of asphalt pavements and important policy matters, such as funding for roads.
The governor's transportation secretary, Brian Kelly, will be the
keynote speaker and will provide the latest information on the Brown Administration's proposals to provide for a long-term, sustainable funding plan for transportation.
Other topics that will be featured at the conference include pavement smoothness, recent changes to Caltrans asphalt specifications, "Intelligent Compaction," critical factors that impact pavement texture, pavement preservation strategies and more. A detailed agenda of the program can be found HERE.
The two-day conference will feature dozens of booths from exhibitors, and an outdoor equipment area where manufacturers and distributors will have the latest equipment on display. Display space is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Click HERE for exhibitor and sponsor information, or contact Sophie You of CalAPA at (916) 791-5044 for details.
The conference begins at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, and wraps up at noon on Thursday, April 21 at the Doubletree, 222 N. Vineyard Ave. in Ontario. Also back this year is a popular networking reception the evening of April 20, which is free for all attendees.
For a list of exhibitors from last year's Spring Conference, click HERE. Photos from last year's Spring Conference are posted on our Facebook page HERE.
Outdoor equipment displays at last year's Spring Conference.
|
| Welcome aboard: Ghilotti Construction Co.
|
CalAPA is pleased to welcome its newest paving contractor member, Ghilotti Construction Company. One of the most storied names in construction in Northern California, Ghilotti Construction Company, based in Santa Rosa,  was founded in 1914 and is a family-owned and operated General Engineering Construction Company that performs work on large and small public and private construction projects in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to Santa Rosa, the company has offices in Livermore, San Rafael , American Canyon and Sunnyvale. For more information, click HERE to visit the company website, or call (707) 585-1221. |
| Tech Term of the Week
|
Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other reference commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.
PLANS: The standard drawings current on the date bids are received; and the official approved plans, profiles, typical cross sections, electronic computer output listings, working drawings and supplemental drawings, or exact reproductions thereof, current on the date bids are received; and all subsequent approved revisions thereto, which show the location character, dimensions, and details of the work to be done.
|
| Quote of the Week
|
"I didn't fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong."
Benjamin Franklin
|
|
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) |
|
|
