CALIFORNIA ASPHALT INSIDER

The latest asphalt news from the California Asphalt Pavement Association

June 27, 2016

IN THIS ISSUE

Infrastructure, sustainability highlighted as eight members of the Assembly Transportation Committee tour asphalt plant in Sacramento

Not too late to register for upcoming technical classes in Southern California

Jesse Bhullar temporarily moves to Traffic Operations; Tom Pyle named acting Caltrans State Pavement Engineer

Holiday hours

Tech Term of the Week: Tack Coat

Quote of the Week: Arthur Schopenhauer

CALENDAR

(Always on-line HERE)

*
"Essentials of Pavement Smoothness" class
Wednesday, June 29, 8 a.m. to noon
Caltrans Southern Regional Lab, 13970 Victoria St., Fontana
Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044
Click HERE to register.

*

"Asphalt Pavement 101" class
Wednesday, July 13, 8 a.m. to noon
Caltrans District 11 Lab, 7177 Opportunity Road, San Diego
Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044
Click HERE to register.

*
"Asphalt Pavement 101" class
Thursday, July 14, 8 a.m. to noon
G3 Quality, 13850 Cerritos Corporate Drive, Unit E, Cerritos
Contact: Ritha Nhorn (916) 791-5044
Click HERE to register.

*

SIGN UP NOW!
CalAPA 'Day at the Races' at Del Mar Race Track
Saturday, July 16
Del Mar, CA
Click HERE to reserve your spot!

*

SAVE THE DATE!
Annual CalAPA Golf Tournament set for Thursday, Sept. 22 in Industry Hills
Details soon!

*

SAVE THE DATE!
Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference & Equipment Expo Oct. 26 & 27 in Sacramento.
Contact Sophie You of CalAPA at (916) 791-5044 for sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities.

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:

www.calapa.net

WATCH

Click HERE to visit our video page.

DESIGN!

View and download the full infographic HERE

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.

Infrastructure, sustainability highlighted as eight members of the Assembly Transportation Committee tour asphalt plant

Eight members of the Assembly Transportation Committee donned hard hats and safety vests last week to tour an asphalt plant and learn about the importance of infrastructure and sustainable practices to jobs and the state's economy.

The Teichert Perkins plant in Sacramento was a beehive of activity last Monday, in sharp contrast to the lack of any appreciable action by the governor and the Legislature this year on enacting a long-range transportation funding plan.

The unprecedented tour was organized by CalAPA and brought together more members of the committee at one time than would otherwise be seen outside of a Capitol hearing room, including Chairman Jim Frazier, D-Oakley, and Vice Chair Eric Linder, R-Corona.

Frazier, who worked in the construction industry before being


	Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell, D-Long Beach (center) was among eight legislators who toured a Teichert asphalt plant last week.

elected to the Assembly, underscored his commitment to accountability in how transportation funds are utilized in California, a key feature of various road-improvement plans that have been introduced at the Capitol.

At one point Linder gestured to a group of workers at the plant and remarked, "look at all those jobs, and these are good-paying jobs." Linder also has a family connection to the construction industry, in addition to having asphalt plants in his Riverside County district.

CalAPA also invited former Caltrans Director Will Kempton, now executive director of Transportation California, a good-roads advocacy group, to attend the tour.

"I commend Teichert and CalAPA for organizing a 'behind-the-scenes' plant tour for members of the Legislature," he said, "so they can see first-hand the construction industry's commitment to sustainability and be reminded of how proper road maintenance is essential to job-creation, the efficient movement of goods and services, and our quality of life."

The tour started off with a safety briefing and site orientation, conducted by Teichert's Regional Operations Manager, Michael Cunningham, and Michael Smith, who heads up permitting and governmental affairs for the company, which holds the oldest active construction license, No. 8, in California. Smith showed the group aerial photos of the vast mining and reclamation operations nearby that feed into the plant via miles of conveyor belts, and highlighted the many environmental mitigations the company has put in place to be a good neighbor to the community. Also discussed was incorporating Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) into pavement mixes, as well as processed rubber from used tires that might otherwise end up in California landfills.

At one point, Cunningham said his favorite comment from


	Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Jim Frazier makes a point during the plant tour.

neighbors is that they don't even know the plant is there. That is partly because the plant is shielded from the street with landscaping, and there are many environmental controls and procedures are in place. Conveyors even dip below a nearby roadway unseen by motorists traveling above.

"I think it was great that CalAPA was able to get the Assembly Transportation Committee together and go out to a real site, and talk about real issues that are facing California and its infrastructure and roads," Cunningham said. "We were having a busy day and it was nice for them to see jobs in action."

Another participant was Paul Mercurio, Teichert Production and Engineering Manager, who briefed legislators on the complex economics and engineering behind an asphalt plant.

"I thought we had an opportunity to talk to people who are interested in what our business is about," Mercurio said later. "It was great. It gave legislators some insight into what is going on at the plants, and producers got some insight from them as to what legislators are up against. It was just a great experience. I thought Jim (Frazier) and Will (Kempton) were fantastic."

Another concept covered during the tour was the importance of having construction materials close to where they are needed, which is more economical and better for the environment. The strategy has been promoted by the industry under the slogan "Distance Matters." At one point, Mercurio gestured to a truck rumbling by, filled with base rock and headed for a nearby construction project.

"Trucks are about a hundred bucks an hour," he explained. "They carry about 25 tons, so if they drive for an hour, and then they dump, and then they drive back for an hour and then they fill, you spend about as much on the trucking as you did on the value of the base material that they are delivering."

"Once you get more than an hour away," Mercurio added, "you are paying more for trucking than you are for materials, so it's critical that we have sites that are close to the job to maximize how much road gets fixed for your dollar. And as a bonus, it also saves wear-and-tear on the roads."

Once mining operations conclude, the legislators were told, the land can be turned over for development, parks or other beneficial uses. As an example, Teichert's corporate offices on American River drive, surrounded by homes and businesses, are on land that once was part of the company's aggregate mining operations.

In addition to Frazier and Linder, also attending the plant tour were: Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica; Assemblyman Kansen Chu, D-San Jose; Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella; Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles; Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian, D-Sherman Oaks; and Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D-Long Beach).

To view more photos from the tour, click HERE to visit CalAPA's Facebook page.

Members of the Assembly Transportation Committee pose for a group shot last week at a Teichert asphalt plant in Sacramento. Will Kempton is at the far right, Teichert's Paul Mercurio is at the far left, and Teichert's Mike Cunningham is in the foreground.

Not too late to register for upcoming technical classes in Southern California

There's still time to reserve your seat for upcoming CalAPA technical classes in Southern California.

A half-day class focusing exclusively on pavement smoothness is set for Wednesday, June 29 in Fontana. Register for the class HERE. The class is taught by CalAPA member Mike Robinson, P.E., who has years of practical knowledge as having worked at Caltrans, for CalAPA-member companies and as a paving consultant. A flier that contains details about the half-day class can be downloaded


	Mike Robinson

HERE. Pavement designers, specifiers, paving contractors, agency personnel, inspectors and others are strongly encouraged to attend.

The class will take place from 8 a.m. to noon at the Caltrans Southern Regional Lab, Independent Assurance Room, 13970 Victoria St. in Fontana.

The classes will cover spec changes and terminology, measuring smoothness, incentives and disincentives, inspection and acceptance, smoothness technology, effective use of the ProVal software, the Inertial Profiler, IRI, grinding plans, "Superpave" considerations and more. The course curriculum has been developed under the guidance of the CalAPA Technical Advisory Committee and reviewed by Caltrans.

There are also open seats for CalAPA's popular "Asphalt Pavement 101" classes, which will be held Wednesday, July 13 in San Diego and again on Thursday, July 14 in Cerritos. Click HERE to download a flier that provides more detail about the class.

The Asphalt Pavement 101 class is a good overview of everything


	Roger Smith

asphalt, touching on how asphalt pavements are designed, constructed and maintained. It is taught by Roger Smith, a former senior materials engineer with Caltrans and the Asphalt Institute, as well as a former executive director of CalAPA.

Although the class is just a half-day it is packed with loads of useful information for contractor and agency paving crews, quality control specialists, lab personnel and others who interact with asphalt pavements. The class will cover pavement structure and terminologies, asphalt binders, aggregates, asphalt mixes, plant operations and mix delivery, paving and rolling, acceptance specifications and testing.

All attendees to CalAPA classes will receive a handy reference booklet that includes copies of the slide presentation, key acronyms, technical glossary and other reference items for future use. Attendees will also receive a handsome certificate of completion documenting that they have completed four (4) Professional Development Hours (PDH) of technical instruction.

For more information or to register for the July 13 Asphalt Pavement 101 class in San Diego, click HERE. For more information or to register for the July 14 class in Cerritos, click HERE.

CalAPA can also bring technical classes to your work location. For more information on hosted CalAPA technical classes, contact Ritha Nhorn of CalAPA at (916) 791-5044. For an on-line calendar of all CalAPA classes and events, click HERE.

Jesse Bhullar temporarily moves to Traffic Operations; Tom Pyle named acting Caltrans State Pavement Engineer

Caltrans State Pavement Engineer Jesse Bhullar is moving over to accept a temporary assignment in the Division of Traffic Operations, Caltrans announced internally last week. In the interim, Tom Pyle was named acting state pavement engineer.

"I would like to let you know about some temporary changes in the Division of Maintenance's Pavement Program,"


	Jesse Bhullar

said Caltrans Maintenance Chief Tony Tavares Thursday in an internal e-mail to Caltrans managers. The temporary assignments are effective July 1 and could be several months in duration.

He said Bhullar would be taking over as acting chief for the Division of Traffic Operations, replacing Kris Kuhl, who is departing. "I appreciate everything Jesse brings to the Pavement Program and wish him the best in this acting assignment," Tavares wrote. Bhullar was named to the position Feb. 5, 2015. An Asphalt Insider story about the appointment is HERE.

In the same note, Tavares announced that Pyle would be filling in for Bhullar while he is in his temporary assignment. Pyle, a 27-year veteran of the department, is a familiar face to the construction industry. He has worked in the Central Design section, designing pavement projects in most districts and was a pavement reviewer. In 2000, he was promoted to TransLab to head up the concrete office.

He has also worked on special assignments in the area of


	Tom Pyle

greenhouse gas reduction for CalEPA, and also started guest lectures at California State University, Chico, on sustainability.

Most recently, he has been working on the development of PaveM, the department's pavement management system. That work included managing a Ground Penetrating Radar scan of the state's pavements, as well as Automated Pavement Condition Surveys. A story about the PaveM system appeared in the 2015 Quality issue of CalAPA's official magazine, "California Asphalt." An electronic version of the story can be found HERE.

"Tom has a passion for pavements, a long history of working with the paving industries, and broad experience in all aspects of pavement," Tavares wrote. "He is well-prepared for this assignment."

Contacted by Asphalt Insider, Pyle said he was looking forward to his new duties.

"It feels pretty good to be continuing the service of a long line of dedicated engineers who care about California's pavements," he


	Toni Carroll

said.

The Caltrans state pavement engineer, who oversees the Division of Pavements, works closely with industry and representatives from the Division of Engineering and the Division of Construction on pavement specifications, construct-ability issues via the joint industry-agency Rock Products Committee.

"Tom is coming into the assignment as we are on the cusp of some exciting changes in the area of efficiency and program improvements," said Toni Carroll, Director of Quality for CalAPA member Graniterock. She also serves as industry co-chair of the Rock Products Committee. "We're looking forward to having another set of eyes looking at these improvements as we move toward implementation."

	CalAPA offices will be closed on Monday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday
CalAPA offices will be closed on Monday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday. The offices will reopen during normal business hours on Tuesday, July 5.

	Tech Term of the Week
Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other reference commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California. TACK COAT: A coat of bituminous material applied to a surface to prepare the surface for subsequent applications of aggregate and bituminous materials.

	Quote of the Week
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer

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. Snyder, CAE

Executive Director

California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)

The California Asphalt Insider is an official publication of the California Asphalt Pavement Association. For more information or to inquire about membership, call (916) 791-5044, or click HERE to send us an e-mail.
Copyright � 2016 California Asphalt Pavemement Association - All Rights Reserved.