The NAPA synopsis of this project can be downloaded HERE. A 2-minute animated video about the long-life (perpetual) asphalt pavement design strategy, produced by the APA, is HERE. A Federal Highway Administration video about the long-life asphalt pavement strategy, which runs about 7 minutes, is HERE.

With prices at the pump soaring, there's never been a better time to attend a CalAPA technical training class in "virtual" format. Registration is now open for CalAPA's "Asphalt Pavement 101" class to be held on April 27 & 28 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each day. Details are HERE.

The enormously popular "Asphalt Pavement 101" class is a good overview of everything 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. Attendees of this class can earn CEU credit via a nationally recognized Registered Continuing Education Program

The class is a half-day 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.

Because so much is changing in the world of asphalt pavements, the class is an excellent refresher course for  veterans in the industry as well as providing a good overview for those new to asphalt pavements. The class is a recommended prerequisite for other CalAPA technical classes, such as “Caltrans Section 39 Specifications,” “Essentials of Pavement Smoothness” and “Quality HMA Paving.” It also is a requirement for companies seeking CalAPA's "Quality Paving Certificate." Details on that program can be found HERE.

For more information on CalAPA's technical training program, click HERE.

The headline on the press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento last week should send chills up the spine of anyone involved in public works construction in California: "First Guilty Plea in Ongoing Investigation at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)."

The case involved a state employee allegedly accepting bribes to ensure that certain unnamed contractors were awarded the winning bids.

"Today's guilty plea is the first in the Antitrust Division's ongoing investigation into bribery and bid rigging at Caltrans," said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division in the April 11 press release. "Given the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's $1.2 trillion authorization and the critical role of transportation infrastructure in our nation, rooting out bid-rigging schemes that cheat the competitive bidding process remains a top priority for the division and its Procurement Collusion Strike Force partners." The full press release is HERE.

The word that continues to carry a lot of heft in the announcement is "ongoing." The U.S. Attorney's Office did not respond to an inquiry by Asphalt Insider about what other charges, if any, may be brought in the case, and what other individuals or companies may be involved.

There's no doubt that critics of infrastructure investments, and the tax dollars required to pay for them, will point to this case as an example of the waste, fraud and abuse that are possible when such large amounts of money are involved. But viewed another way, the case is proof that the myriad of protections put in place in recent years to safeguard those tax dollars are working as intended. After all, SB1, the $52 billion Road Repair & Accountability Act of 2017, included the creation of a new Office of Inspector General with state government to root out any abuse, new whistle-blower protections were put in place, and the California Transportation Commission was given extensive new oversight responsibilities.

Nevertheless, it is always a fresh reminder that public works construction must be done to the highest standards, not only from an engineering point of view but also with regard to legal and ethical standards. it should be noted that the leadership of the California Asphalt Pavement Association has long placed legal and ethical behavior at the forefront of all of its activities. The association has a strict anti-trust policy that is referenced at the beginning of every CalAPA meeting. That statement is prominently posted on the CalAPA website and can be viewed HERE The association's Board of Directors has also adopted a Code of Ethics that guides all association activities. It is also prominently posted on the CalAPA website and can be viewed HERE. The CalAPA Code of Ethics closely mirrors a similar statement by the National Asphalt Pavement Association, a CalAPA partner.

Just like with safety, ethical behavior always must be front-and-center, reinforced and practiced by all parties for it to be embedded in the culture of companies and organizations. Those who choose to conduct themselves in an unethical manner will face reputational ruin at minimum, and run the risk of criminal prosecution, which in the case above could amount to up to 10 years in federal prison.

The Caltrans website to report a concern with regard to ethics or other bad behavior is HERE. Ironically, the ethics hotline is currently out of order but the website says it is expected to be back in operation soon. The website specifically says the hotline is to assist people to "identify possible fraud, financial misconduct, questionable practices, bribery, falsification of records or reports, and/or misuse or waste of state resources."

We presume that the more everyone is educated about proper legal and ethical behavior, and the consequences for lapses, the less calls will find their way to the ethics hot line.

An ongoing educational effort by the construction industry and its agency partners has resulted in significant changes for the better to proposed air quality rules in Southern California related to large roadway construction projects.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District is proposing a new set of rules, known as 403.2, related to dust generated during construction activity for roadway rehabilitation projects. As written, the rule is ostensibly aimed at Caltrans projects in the Southern California area covered by the SCAQMD. The SCAQMD page devoted to the topic is HERE.

Through multiple meetings, written comments and other communications, a broad coalition of construction industry stakeholders have worked with the air district with the goal of helping them achieve their overall air quality objectives while at the same time ensuring that the proposed rules do not create safety problems or otherwise needlessly hamper construction of badly needed transportation improvement projects in the region. The draft rule language has gone through a half-dozen revisions since last year.

Significantly, during a meeting April 15, members of the SCAQMD's Stationary Source Committee and air district staff agreed in principle that rule language related to the height of piles of grounded up aggregate, asphalt and other material from pavement rehabilitation projects should match the typical size of piles created by portable grinding equipment and conveyors found on such jobs, which is about 30-feet. Having many more, smaller piles on a project could pose the potential for more dust to be generated to nearby neighborhoods, regulators concluded.

However, regulators did not seem inclined to delay the rule-making process as was requested by numerous stakeholders, as well as the California Department of Transportation. The air district said it plans to hold a public hearing on the propose rule June 3.

CalAPA has submitted two letters to the air district and coordinated with various other stakeholders and public agency partners to ensure that the air district benefits from as many expert points of view as possible during the development of the rule. CalAPA's March 11 letter maintained it was seeking rule language that is "reasonable, achievable and quantifiable in support of the overall air district goals," and warned of the "undesired and unintended consequence" of certain provisions of the proposed rule.

CalAPA's Environmental Committee continues to engage with the air district on this proposed rule on behalf of the asphalt pavement industry. A previous Asphalt insider report on this topic is HERE.

PERMEABILITY: A measure of the rate or volume of flow of water through a soil.

Each week we highlight a key point or best practice of interest to asphalt paving crews, inspectors and others working in the field. We welcome suggestions. More tips can be found in our "Asphalt Parking Lot Construction Checklist" HERE. Information on the CalAPA "Quality Paving Certificate" program is HERE.

COMPACTION/DENSITY: The plans and specifications should specify how density is tested. The inspector needs to monitor the specified compaction density with a gauge to ensure that final target densities are achieved. Regular visual inspection of the mat during compaction is also required: look for segregation, indentations, properly sealed joints, and under-compacted

Each week we highlight a term that is specific to climate-change issues related to the asphalt pavement industry. This feature is intended to raise awareness of the asphalt industry's climate-change initiatives and the specialized terminology that goes with them. More information on the "Road Forward" asphalt industry climate initiative can be found HERE.

RESILIENCE: The ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions.

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."

-- Winston Churchill

We hope you enjoy CalAPA's Asphalt Insider newsletter. We are committed to providing you with the most up-to-date information on technical issues, regulation, news, analysis, events and trends in California that is of interest to the asphalt pavement industry and our various agency partners. Click HERE to contact us with any comments or suggestions.

Sincerely,

Executive Director

California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®