California Asphalt Pavement Association
Vol. 15, Issue 38 || Sept. 19, 2022
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Greetings!
This weekly report contains news and information of interest to the asphalt pavement industry, customers and agency partners in California. Please feel free to distribute this newsletter to others who may be interested in asphalt pavements. To provide feedback or story ideas click HERE. Having difficulty viewing this newsletter? View as Webpage
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Caltrans advances e-Ticketing initiative with new portal; FHWA to host e-Ticketing event Oct. 18-19 in Sacramento |
E-Ticketing technology, which always showed promise for making the process of tracking, inspecting and reporting asphalt deliveries more efficient, took on a whole new dimension in 2020 in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the pandemic forcing agencies and the asphalt industry to review all aspects of processes to minimize close contact by humans and reduce the spread of COVID-19, a collaborative effort resulted in a California Department of Transportation Construction Policy Directive (CPD) being issued on June 18, 2020 providing guidance to the construction industry regarding the use of electronic weighmaster certificates as a replacement for paper tickets.
Now Caltrans has announced the creation of an electronic-ticketing (e-Ticketing) Portal, and is in the pilot phase of an initiative embraced by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under the federal agency's "Every Day Counts" initiative.
In a Sept. 13 announcement to stakeholders, Mrudang Shah, partnering program manager within the Caltrans Division of Construction, announced the launch of the e-Ticketing portal.
"The Department has worked closely with two software vendors, HaulHub and CommandAlkon Technologies, to develop portals that will interface with the contractor's e-Ticketing platform and will allow field inspectors of the Department to seamlessly manage digital workflows in a single electronic environment," Shah said in the e-mail announcement. "E-Ticketing will allow the Department to improve safety for everyone at the job site and utilize inspectors and suppliers more efficiently as materials are tracked in a paperless environment."
The goal, he said, was for contractors to be connected to the portal by the 2023 construction season, with all Superpave Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) projects to be paperless by the Fall of 2023. the goal is for the Ready-mix concrete and aggregate contractors to be connected to the portal by the 2024 construction season. For contractors utilizing existing e-Ticketing services, the Department will work with them to set up portal access via an Application Programming Interface (API) that facilitates communication between different types of software.
Contractors with questions or seeking access should contact Perry Mayer (perry.mayer@dot.ca.gov) or Corey Casey (corey.casey@dot.ca.gov) with the Caltrans Division of Construction.
The FHWA, meanwhile, is partnering with Catlrans to hold a joint knowledge-sharing event in Sacramento on Oct. 18-19 with several state DOTs sending representatives to discuss their experiences with piloting e-Ticketing technology. Caltrans is seeking three industry representatives to attend as guests, and also three industry representatives to potentially attend as speakers and/or panel members to share the contractor's experience with e-Ticketing. For additional information on that program, contact either Mayer or Casey at Caltrans.
Since the beginning of time, paper tickets, which are essentially receipts, have been provided by the plant to the truck driver. The tickets contain essential information on each load are used to verify time and place of purchase, type of material, quantity and other information used for payment by the project owner and also auditing purposes.
When the COVID-19 pandemic burst upon the scene, Caltrans asked for input from the asphalt industry in early 2020 on a proposal to temporarily allow for electronic ticketing to be used as an alternative for traditional paper tickets as part of the process to verify delivery of asphalt and other construction materials on state construction projects while limiting person-to-person contact and handling of paper. A draft memo that began circulating on May 18, 2020, which contained temporary procedures for implementing electronic "weighmaster certificates" that are commonplace to provide proper documentation for payment for deliveries of asphalt and other construction materials. The idea up to that point had been implemented in other states and tried out in California but not on a wide scale.
The process described in the CPD would temporarily replace the requirement of Section 9-1.02B(2) "Equipment," of the Caltrans Standard Specifications. Since then, all parties have become more comfortable with e-Ticketing, even as paper tickets were used as a backup. The FHWA has flagged e-Ticketing as part of its "Every Day Counts" initiative (EDC-6 - Innovations 2021-2022) to promote safety, efficiency and innovation, and likewise Caltrans has placed a priority on innovative process-improvements. To learn more about the EDC initiative, click HERE.
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CalAPA is pleased to welcome its newest supplier member, Polyco.
Polyco provides high-performance, sustainable asphalt solutions for the roofing and paving industries. Sigmabond™ is an asphalt that enables Hot Mix Asphalt contractors to use more recycled materials while extending the life of pavements. Utilizing Polyco’s proprietary Rapid Digestion Process™ (RDP), end-of-life tires are liquefied and blended with asphalt to create custom asphalt formulations. Sigmabond leverages the performance properties inherent in those tires, resulting in longer-lasting roads. The Sigmabond TR concentrate is routinely blended with existing plant infrastructure and standard laboratory equipment for all Caltrans PG conventional, PG polymer modified, PGxx-xxTR binders and MAC (Greenbook) specifications.
For more information, contact Crista Heckman at (817) 995-9078, or visit the company website HERE. |
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People in the news: Asphalt industry leaders join in formally welcoming Tony Tavares to Caltrans director post |
Asphalt industry leaders were among the hundreds of well-wishers from the construction industry gathered in Los Angeles last week to formally welcome Tony Tavares into his new position as director of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
“it was great to see such a strong turnout by our industry to welcome Tony to his new job," said Scott Metcalf with Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, a member of the CalAPA Board of Directors. "It's great to see had work and years of devotion to the Caltrans organization being rewarded."
The Sept. 15 reception at the City Club in downtown Los Angeles was just a few blocks from the District 7 offices were Tavares had previously served as regional director. He also previously served as Caltrans District 4 Director, overseeing operations in the San Francisco Bay Area, and was previously head of the Division of Maintenance statewide before being appointed June 17 to the top post at Caltrans by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The position requires a confirmation vote by the state Senate.
In a strong show of support from the architectural, construction and engineering community, Tavares was feted during a diverse program that featured Brad Mims, Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. Although chiefly known for planning, designing and building California's state highway system, Caltrans also has a Division of Aeronautics that facilitates grants for improvements of airports across California. A recent CalAPA "California Asphalt" magazine issue devoted to the aviation market is HERE.
The lead organizer of the event was Paul Pendergast with Pendergast Consulting Group, who represents BuildOUT California, an organization that promotes diversity in the construction industry with an emphasis on LGBT businesses. The BuildOUT California website is HERE. Ironically, another diversity-promoting activity, a meeting of the California Branch of Women of Asphalt, took place earlier in the day. The effort is also sponsored by CalAPA. You can learn more about the Women of Asphalt California Brach HERE.
CalAPA joined numerous other organizations and companies in sponsoring the Tavares celebratory event. A previous Asphalt Insider story about the Tavares appointment is HERE. He is well-known to the asphalt pavement industry in California, having served a prominent role in the industry-Caltrans "Pavement & Materials Partnering Committee" that has championed numerous innovations in recent years, including a new pavement smoothness specification, the Joint Training & Certification Program for materials technicians, and numerous changes in asphalt specifications and test methods.
Tavares spoke at a CalAPA "Tech Tune-Up" event earlier this year in Brea, and will be a featured speaker at the CalAPA Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference Oct. 26-28 in Sacramento. Details an on-line registration for the event is HERE. A detailed timed agenda of speakers and topics is HERE.
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Newly appointed Caltrans Director Tony Tavares (left) shakes hands with Chris Gerber with G-3 Quality, a member of the CalAPA Board of Directors. G3 Quality provides construction materials testing and inspection services statewide. |
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Scott Metcalf with Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions (left), a member of the CalAPA Board of Directors, attends the Tony Tavares event along with Bob Humer with the Asphalt Institute (right) and Godson Okereke with Caltrans District 7 (center). |
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Bob Humer with the Asphalt Institute (left) congratulates Tony Tavares on his promotion. Humer was one of those on hand to present Tavares and Caltrans with an "Asphalt Ambassador" Award from the asphalt industry at a CalAPA conference in 2013 for the department's innovative work on Long Life Asphalt Pavements. |
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Commentary: Requiem for the lowly parking space |
Regular readers of this publication will no doubt recall previous reports chronicling the ongoing war against the car being waged in California, led by environmental activists, regulators, urban planners, social justice promoters and others who want to push the most popular form of transportation to extinction. Still the car reigns supreme.
Now comes a rear-guard action in the form of the war against the lowly parking space. You know, that tiny speck of real estate that is always a welcome sight but seemingly elusive when ever you're in a hurry.
Plentiful parking is the lubricant that makes life a bit more bearable, particularly in urban areas. But it is not your imagination that a place to park your car (electric or not) is getting increasingly scarce, brought about by soaring real estate costs, a crazy-quilt of zoning laws and a constant drumbeat of getting people out of their cars. Whether or not an alternate form of transportation is feasible rarely makes it into the conversation.
A 2019 California Air Resources Board study of the topic found that for non-residential construction, an average of at least one parking space is installed for every 275 square feet of non-residential building floor space in California, but that there are many exceptions to the guideline. CARB estimated that between 1.4 million and 1.7 million new nonresidential parking spaces may be constructed from 2021-2024. We can't have that.
Now comes Assembly Bill 2097, authored by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee. The bill would eliminate minimum parking requirements for homes and commercial buildings near transit or in developments with a minimum number of units set aside for low-income residents. The bill is currently on the governor's desk awaiting a signature. He should veto it as a usurping of local control over development (not to mention that it's just a bad idea).
As the City of Newport Beach wrote in opposition to the bill, "We believe, cities, not the State, are best suited to determine the parking needs of development projects in their jurisdiction." We agree.
Should AB2097 become law, we expect the follow-up will be some sort of enforcement action against motorists circling about, polluting the air and contributing to congestion, looking for that elusive parking spot.
Meanwhile, CalAPA is happy to provide resources for paving contractors working on parking lot projects, including our "Construction Checklist for Asphalt Parking Lots," which can be downloaded HERE.
In the movie "Field of Dreams," a voice beckons Kevin Costner, "If you build it, they will come." In this case, if you don't build it, then what?
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Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other term commonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.
ASPHALT JOINT FILLER: An asphaltic product used for filling cracks and joints in pavement and other structures.
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Paving Pointer of the Week |
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 areas.
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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.
INTELLIGENT COMPACTION: Compaction of road materials using rollers, computer, and GPS.
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"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
– Mahatma Gan
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CALAPA CALENDAR:
View all CalAPA events HERE.
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Gourmet food and wine-tasting event
Sept. 21, Pechanga
Resort Casino, Temecula
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Golf Tournament at Journey at Pechanga, Temecula
Sept. 22
Details and on-line registration HERE.
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Registration open!
Fall Asphalt Pavement Conference
Oct. 26-28, 2022
Hilton Sacramento Arden West Hotel, 2200 Harvard Street, Sacramento.
For exhibitor and sponsor information, contact Sophie You at (916) 791-5044.
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Topgolf networking event
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Topgolf Sports & Entertainment Complex, 1700 Freedom Way, Roseville, CA
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There's never been a better time to join the California Asphalt Pavement Association! Members receive insight and advanced notice on critical issues that impact every company's bottom line. CalAPA members also receive invitations to exclusive member-only events, in-depth "Member Alerts," our comprehensive asphalt market forecast for California, discounts and industry-specific networking opportunities not available anywhere else. CalAPA's new searchable on-line membership directory helps connect potential customers with member companies. Click HERE to download our Member Service brochure. Click HERE to view Vol. 1 of recent testimonials. Not convinced? Click HERE to view Vol. 2 of recent testimonials. With so much changing in the asphalt pavement industry, what you don't know can cost you! Click HERE to send us an e-mail inquiry, or contact Russell Snyder with CalAPA at (916) 791-5044. |
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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,
Russell W. Snyder, CAE
Executive Director
California Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®
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The "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 contact us. Copyright © 2022 California Asphalt Pavement Association -- All Rights Reserved. The CalAPA name (No. 5,621,794) and logo (No. 5,621,795) are registered trademarks with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
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P.O. Box 981300, West Sacramento, CA 95798
1550 Harbor Blvd., Suite 211, West Sacramento, CA 95691
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