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CALENDAR
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San Diego Technical Committee Meeting
Wednesday, March 23
9:30 a.m. to noon
County of San Diego, 4th Floor Conference Room (B-472), 5510 Overland Ave., San Diego
Contact: Tony Grasso (909) 362-9192
Click HERE to RSVP.
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Southern California Contractors' Dinner
Tuesday, April 12, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Dal Rae Restaurant, 9023 E. Washington Blvd., Pico Rivera
Contact: Tony Grasso (909) 362-9192
Click HERE to sign up.
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REGISTRATION OPEN!CalAPA Spring Conference & Equipment ExpoApril 20-21 Doubletree Hotel, 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario Contact: Sophie You (916) 791-5044 Register HERE
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| 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.
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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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| 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.
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| MAGAZINE |
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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 receive California Asphalt Insider each week via e-mail FREE! Or visit our website at:
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WATCH
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Click HERE to visit our video page.
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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. |
 | Fighting for funding: CalAPA delegation walks the halls of the Capitol to press road issues | This spring is shaping up to be a critical time for the road-funding issue at the Capitol, but CalAPA members say the distraction-prone Legislature needs reminding that action is required now to address California's rapidly deteriorating pavements.
CalAPA members met with legislators and key staff over two days March 8-9 seeking to keep the pressure on to take meaningful action on the long-neglected issue. Consensus was elusive on a long-term fix to the state's flagging road funds.
A special session of the Legislature was called last year devoted to
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| | CalAPA members meet with new Assembly Transportation Committee Vice-Chair Eric Linder, R-Corona. |
transportation, and various funding scenarios have been floating around the Capitol, including provisions inserted into the governor's budget proposal for 2016-17.
With leadership changes in the Legislature, election-year posturing and other diversions, keeping the focus on roads has proven to be a challenge so far this year. Nevertheless, elected officials are well aware of the deteriorating state of California's pavements, and the funding mechanisms that have not kept up with need
Following the Fly-in, CalAPA members were steadfast in their belief that our industry, and indeed anyone interested in a safe, well=maintained road network, should be making their views known to their elected officials.
"We get tired of listening to, 'Well, maybe next year,'" said Len Nawrocki of Valero, a Fly-in participant. "It is their job to do this. We'll build the roads, but they've got to come up with the money, and it's got to be done this year."
First-time Fly-in participant Jordan Reed with George Reed Co. said "It was interesting to see all the little nuances of something that
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| | The CalAPA delegation meets with Aseemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, left, a member of the Assembly Transportation Committee and also on a budget subcommittee overseeing road funding. |
everyone agrees needs to be done actually get done." He added, "My take-away is that we need to keep working on this, keep the pressure on, and not let the Legislature get away with passing a small bill just to say they've done something."
The cumulative effect of years of lobbying does seem to be making an impact at the Capitol, said Jonathan Layne with Sully-Miller, another Fly-in delegate.
"There's definitely a lot more talk than what we've seen in the last three or four years, which is a good thing" he said. "However, I feel that we're not moving as quickly as we should. As I said in a few of those meetings, if we continue to kick the can down the road, it's going to fall into a pothole."
The participants in the "Fly-in" included: Jeff Benedict and Len Nawrocki with Valero, Dan Briggs with Alon Asphalt Co., Don L. Daley Jr. and John Greenwood with California Commercial Asphalt, Brian Handshoe with Kenco Engineering, Tom Hicks with Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, Jonathan Layne with Sully-Miller, and Jordan Reed with George Reed Co./VSS International.
More pictures from the Fly-in can be found on the CalAPA Facebook Page HERE. Grass-roots resources can be found on CalAPA's Legislative Action Page HERE. The Fix Our Roads Coaltion, a CalAPA partner, also has grass-roots resources, including fact sheets by legislative district listing transportation improvement projects that are in jeopardy because of the funding crisis. Visit their website HERE.
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| Hot asphalt binder safety classes feature memorable demonstrations
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It was part safety class and part mad scientist demonstration. The "Safe Handling of Hot Asphalt Binders" held last week in Sacramento included memorable demonstrations of potential hazards present for those working around the essential asphalt pavement ingredient. Taught by noted safety expert Barry Gundersen from New Zealand, the class covered best practices for working around hot asphalt
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| | Barry Gundersen demonstrates how a tank can implode under the right conditions. |
binders, and live demonstrations that seemed right out of that myth-shattering TV show. Gundersen, assisted by Safety Technician Margaret Holdsworth, walked attendees through 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 classes were hosted by CalAPA member Twining. "This is the best safety demonstration on this topic that I've ever seen," said Charles Evans, Safety Manager for Papich Construction. Added VSS International Project Manager Felipe Castillo, "The presentation was excellent. It covered every important point of what I've experienced over the last 30 years." A flier for the class is HERE. For companies that would like to host a class for their employees, contact CalAPA at (916) 791-5044. Gundersen will be a presenter at the CalAPA Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo April 20-21 in Ontario. Details about the conference are HERE.
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| Noted safety expert Barry Gundersen (standing at right) teaches the CalAPA "Safe Handling of HMA Binder" class last week in Sacramento. He was assisted by Technician Margaret Holdsworth, standing at rear.
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| Registration open for Spring Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo April 20-21 in Ontario
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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.
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| Job opportunity: Manager of Hot Mix Asphalt Products & Services
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CalAPA member Graniterock Co. is advertising for a Manager of Hot Mix Asphalt Products & Services, who will be part of the company's Research Technical Services at the A.R. Wilson Quarry in Aromas, near Watsonville.
The successful candidate will manage the technical services group  supporting company hot mix asphalt products and construction division projects. Candidates should have a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, earth science or other related major, and be proficient in Superpave, Hveem and Marshall mix designs, aggregates and HMA quality control testing and statistical process control.
For more information, click HERE.
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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.
CROWN: A measure of the elevation of the center of the road in relation to the outside edges of the road surface.
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| Quote of the Week
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"Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs."
Farrah Gray
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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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