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CALENDAR
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San Diego Technical Committee Meeting
Wednesday, July 20, 9:30 a.m. to noon
County of San Diego building, 5510 Overland Ave., 4th Floor Conference Room, San Diego
Contact: Tony Grasso (909) 362-9192
Click HERE to RSVP.
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SAVE THE DATE!Annual CalAPA Golf Tournament set for Thursday, Sept. 22 in Industry Hills Details soon! Contact Sophie You of CalAPA at (916) 791-5044 for sponsorship opportunities. *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.
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SOCIALIZE
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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. |
 | A new way to pay for roads?
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In 1923 the first fuel tax to pay for roads -- 2 cents per gallon, paid at the pump -- was enacted in California, and for the better part of the rest of the century it combined with federal taxes to pay for most of the transportation system we enjoy today.
In recent years, however, the state's transportation system has begun to show its age, and the state's system to pay for its infrastructure has not kept pace. Gas taxes have not been raised since George Deukmejian was governor and George H.W. Bush was in the White House, and inflation has chipped away at the buying power of those few dollars left so that they purchase about half of what they did in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The advent of higher-mileage vehicles, and electric vehicles, while good for the environment and air quality, also reduced fuel consumption and dollars devoted to transportation.
In last week's Asphalt Insider we examined how local agencies  have stepped into the funding void with their own self-help programs. You can read the article HERE.
Another possible game-changer could be a complete remake of how we pay for transportation by moving to a per-mile charge. Testing out different ways to pay for roads was contained in a CalAPA-supported bill, SB1077, by then-Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, that passed the Legislature in 2014 and was signed into law by the governor. The text of the bill is HERE.
On July 5, Caltrans kicked off the Road Charge Pilot Program in which a group of 5,000 volunteers motorists will provide information that could help lawmakers and policymakers understand if the use of mileage-based fees instead of traditional motor vehicle fees is feasible.
Caltrans stresses that no money will be collected during the pilot program. Rather, participants will make simulated payments on actual miles traveled and test various reporting systems over the next nine months. Reporting will leverage the latest technology, including satellite-linked location tracking as well as systems that do not track vehicles.
"We're proud that thousands of Californians have signed up to volunteer for the California Road Charge Pilot Program," Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty said in announcing the program kickoff. "The opportunity to provide valuable input and evaluate the viability of a mileage-based user fee system demonstrates the commitment that Californians have to our roads and keeping them well maintained."
The volunteer drivers that were accepted to participate in the  program were recruited from all parts of the state and have socioeconomic backgrounds. Some out-of-state volunteers are being included in the program to help the Caltrans understand how such a system could impact drivers who are not California residents but are merely visiting the state.
The various travel-reporting options being included in the pilot program include purchasing permits for unlimited driving for a specific time period to manually reporting odometer readings, using plug-in devices and mobile phone applications, or reporting through in-vehicle tele-matics services that are available in newer models.
After the pilot period ends in March, the California State Transportation Agency will report findings to the Road Charge Technical Advisory Committee, the California Transportation Commission and policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature. Lawmakers will ultimately decide whether to develop a full-scale, permanent road charge program in California. Other states, most notably California's neighbor to the north, Oregon, are looking into similar systems.
For more information on the program, click HERE. A press announcement on the program launch is HERE. A video that summarizes the concept can be found HERE.
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| 'Micro-milling' to be featured presentation at CalAPA Technical Committee meeting July 20 in San Diego
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Regional issues affecting Hot Mix Asphalt mix design and construction will be the focus of the next San Diego Technical Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 20 in San Diego. All CalAPA members and agency representatives are invited to this free meeting. Click HERE for details. The featured technical presentation will be provided by James Emerson with CalAPA member firm Pavement Recycling Systems. His topic is titled, "Micro-Milling for Cost / Life Cycle Extension,  Speed & Visual Improvement, Crack Mitigation, Ride-ability, Better Bonding, and Public Perception." CalAPA Deputy Executive Director Tony Grasso will also provide an update on public works funding, emerging technical and environmental issues, upcoming events and other industry news. The meeting also will feature a "round-table" discussion where industry and local agencies can raise and discuss issues in a friendly and collaborative setting. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 20 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the County of San Diego building, 4th Floor Conference Room, 5510 Overland Ave. in San Diego. Click HERE for details or to RSVP. For more information, contact Grasso at (909) 362-9192.
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| CalAPA 'Asphalt Pavement 101' class attendees get bonus lab tour & equipment demos courtesy of CalAPA members G3 Quality, SSI
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CalAPA's popular "Asphalt Pavement 101" class held in Cerritos last week included a free bonus, courtesy of CalAPA member G3 Quality: a tour of the company's materials lab and equipment demonstrations.
G3 Quality was the host of the class at the company's facility in
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| | CalAPA's "Asphalt Pavement 101" instructor Roger Smith.
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Cerritos, and company principals offered to tack on the lab tour at the end for any class attendees who were interested. The class was attended by both industry and agency personnel. Click HERE for more photos on CalAPA's Facebook page. "It was nice that the students could see first-hand some of the things I discuss in class," said instructor Roger Smith, a retired Caltrans senior materials engineer who teaches the class for CalAPA. CalAPA member SSI, which also operates out of the location, was
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| | G3 Quality's Chris Gerber (center) during the lab tour.
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able to show off their vehicle-mounted inertial profiler equipment that is used to measure pavement smoothness -- a hot topic recently now that Caltrans has made changes to its specifications on pavement smoothness standards and how pavement smoothness is measured. CalAPA's newly updated strategic plan calls for the association to support technical and practical knowledge transfer in the area of asphalt pavements for the betterment of the industry as well as our customers, public and private owners. For a brief overview of all CalAPA classes, click HERE to visit the training & education page on our website. CalAPA can bring a training class to your location. Contact Ritha Nhorn at CalAPA for details at (916) 791-5044. |
| | Nicholas Schaffer with CalAPA member SSI (center) shows off the company's inertial profiler for measuring pavement smoothness. |
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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.
SLURRY SEAL: Slurry seal is most commonly made with a quick setting emulsion in California (CQS-1h or LMCQS-1h) which passes the ASTM (T59) slow setting specification with the exception of the cement-mixing test, well graded fine aggregate, mineral filler, and water. In California, polymer in latex form is usually added to the slurry. It is used to fill fine non-active cracks and seal areas of old or raveling pavements, to restore a uniform surface texture, to seal the surface to prevent moisture and air intrusion into the pavement, and to improve skid resistance.
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| Quote of the Week
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"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus."
Martin Luther King, Jr. |
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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. Snyder, CAE Executive Director California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA) |
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