The last day to register early for the Florida Asphalt Conference and Trade Show is Monday, November 9th. This year we are exceptionally proud our of Trade Show and Speaker line-up. You can learn more here, but take my word for the quality of the conference and register first. The Florida Asphalt Conference and Trade Show will be held in Orlando on December 1st & 2nd.
Last month we held the annual Florida Asphalt Scholarship Program Sporting Clays Tournament in Lithia, FL. We had our largest turn out in the program's history and some of the best shooting I've ever seen. Ranger Construction took home the top prize. You can read the recap of the event and view pictures here. If you haven't attended before, I recommend you consider doing so in 2021. No matter what your skill level, you will have a good time and it is always great to see folks from our great industry come together for a cause like this. We raised over $17,000 for our Scholarship program for which we will begin taking applications next month.
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Pavement Awards and Note on A.P. Bolton |
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If this were a "normal" year, the Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida would be giving our awards for the best paving jobs of 2019 at our summer convention. In lieu of this, we will be announcing winners in this space through November. This year we received more applications for awards than any previous year in ACAF's history, and thus we are exceptionally proud of our winners.
This month we are announcing the finalists for our most prestigious award, the A.P. Bolton Asphalt Pavement of the Year. The award is named A.P. "Pat" Bolton who was the second President of the Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida, Inc from 1959-1960, and the owner of the Macasphalt Corporation. Mr. Bolton died in 1974, and Macasphalt was purchased by APAC some time after that. The Association began giving this award in his name in 2004. In 2010, his family graciously donated his materials to the Florida Southern College Archives which are available online here. There are some fascinating pictures and documents from the mid-century Florida asphalt industry available that many of you will enjoy, like this one below.
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Carrol Lance, A.P. Bolton, and "J.M." (Full Name Unknown) at the 1960 Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida, Inc.'s Annual Convention
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The A.P. Bolton Award is for new construction, reconstruction, or a major overlay on Interstate or multi-lane primary highways with at least 30,000 tons of asphalt. The pavements are rated based on smoothness, QC data, and visual inspection. In order to be considered a Finalist, the pavement in question must rate higher than every other pavement in its district and it must exceed a high threshold in each rating category, thus every district may not have a Finalist. The statewide winner will be announced at our aforementioned Conference and Trade Show. |
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District 1: Preferred Materials, Inc. for SR 45 (US 41) from South of Alico Road northerly 4.229 miles to Daniels Parkway in Lee County |
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This project consisted of 25.374 lane miles and 32,640.74 tons of asphalt. The project scored 97 out of 100.
Preferred’s team was led by Jason Bates, Mike Sizer, Irving Hurlbutt, Tim Christ, Mike Dameron, Mike McDonald and Chris Deese.
Dan Foss, Consultant CEI was the Resident Engineer and Scott Woss, Consultant CEI served as the Project Administrator.
Congratulations Preferred and FDOT Agency Staff!
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District 2: Preferred Materials, Inc. for SR25/US441 from NW 167th Blvd. going North through the town on High Springs to the Columbia County Line in Alachua County
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This project consisted of 26.8 lane miles and 39,334 tons of asphalt. The project scored 100 out of 100.
Preferred’s team was led by Bill Sullivan, Paul Voborny, Greg Lloyd, Jodi Haviland, Randy Larkin and Jarred Coody.
Alex Ruis served as the FDOT’s Resident Engineer and Kevin Wagner, Consultant CEI was the Project Administrator.
Congratulations Preferred, FDOT and Agency Staff!
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District 5: D.A.B. Constructors, Inc. for SR 91 MP 287.614 to MP 297.851 in Lake County |
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This project consisted of 18.4 lane miles and 53,685 tons of asphalt. The project scored 98 out of 100.
D.A.B.’s team was led by Kathy Barnes, Randy Huett, Ryan Corman, Chris Metzing, Les Mallett and Ben James.
Marilynn Schmuki, Consultant CEI was the Resident Engineer and Robert Weimer, Consultant CEI was the Project Administrator.
Congratulations D.A.B. and FDOT Agency Staff!
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District 6: General Asphalt Company, Inc. for SR 836 from West of NW 57th Ave. to NW 17th Ave. in Miami-Dade County
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This project consisted of 2.6 lane miles and 126,791 tons of asphalt. The project scored 98 out of 100.
General Asphalt’s team was led by Eduardo Betancourt, Alberto Fernandez, Michael Andrade, Jency Carmenate, Lance Henry and Henry Galvez.
Alberto Ribas P.E., Consultant CEI was the Resident Engineer and Alejandro Salazar, Consultant CEI was the Project Administrator.
Congratulations General Asphalt and FDOT Agency Staff!
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Florida Turnpike: Hubbard Construction Company for SR 528 from the I-4 Interchange to Consulate Drive in Orange County |
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This project consisted of 34.22 lane miles and 86,504 tons of asphalt. The project scored 98 out of 100.
Hubbard’s team was led by Dimitrov Gomez, Brant Larson, Fritz Myrtil, Brian Leclair, Mike Smith, Alton Davis and Prince Acaba.
Joshua Carter, Consultant CEI was the Resident Engineer and Chas Starr, Consultant CEI was the Project Administrator.
Congratulations Hubbard and FDOT Agency Staff!
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People's Choice: The AP Bolton Award should go to...
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Preferred Materials, Inc for US-41 in Lee County
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Preferred Materials, Inc for US-441 in Alachua County
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D.A.B. Constructors, Inc for SR-91 in Lake County
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General Asphalt Company, Inc for SR-836 in Miami-Dade County
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Hubbard Construction Company for SR-528 in Orange County
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Over the last year, the asphalt industry has seen several social media groups pop up where those in the industry could come and share daily experiences. What started out as places where people came to share funny images and jokes have turned into dedicated communities of workers who have each others backs.
Source: ForConstructionPros
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The next planning phase for three controversial toll road projects could begin next year, Florida Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault told a group of reporters during a brief news conference in October.
Source: The Ledger
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As states and cities face infrastructure budget crunches with gas tax revenues down, some are thinking about alternative ways to secure funding.
Source: Construction Dive
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The pandemic is a medical and scientific crisis; the virus is being fought in hospitals and labs. But our response also depends on social cooperation. How can leaders encourage such unity? What can they do to help all of us, as a group, act more intelligently? Source: The New Yorker
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved for use in government road construction projects a substance that has been regulated due to radioactivity.
Source: The Hill
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Outlays for construction projects rose 0.3% in September at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.41 trillion, the Commerce Department reported this week.
Source: MarketWatch
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Conferences
FDOT Events
Webinars & Virtual Training
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Despite construction workers consistently being ranked among the most at-risk demographics for suicide and depression-related disorders, a stigma continues to surround the issue of mental health within our industry. Here are some of the reasons why contractors and their employees are often reluctant to speak up, and a list of industry resources that are available to help. Learn more.
By Hubbard Construction Company.
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Ajax Paving Industries of Florida, LLC partnered with the FDOT's Statewide Workforce Development Fast Track Initiative team is appreciative for the hiring of candidates in District 1 of Manatee County.
Photo credit: Florida's Statewide Workforce Development Program
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The improvements under this contract also consisted of clearing and grubbing, stabilization, widening, drainage improvements, signing, pavement markings, highway lighting, and landscaping.
Photo credit: CW Roberts Contracting, Inc
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"The mix required 20 to 25 percent granite, which is not usually required by most Florida operations, so we needed to bring it in from Georgia," said Albert Lopez of General Asphalt. "We also had to get the polymer required and have it available. We were able to meet the requirements for air voids and volumetric targets as required.
"It was fun to be involved in a project like this," added Lopez. "The amount of testing done was at least five times what is normally done. The experts challenged us, and we were able to deliver a mix to their exacting standards."
(Source: Construction Equipment Guide)
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Asphalt performance tests are being evaluated throughout the country by agencies, contractors and researchers alike, and even though guidelines and test methods exist, they do not all provide uniform nor comprehensive direction for fabricating test specimens (making the product).
ATS invites you to join the conversation with Dr. Jo Sias and Fan Yin as they discuss the nuances of sample preparation and the importance of establishing consistency nationwide as our states adopt and implement performance testing as part of their acceptance processes and specifications.
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