Congress last week, on bipartisan votes, approved omnibus appropriation bills to keep funding the government and, significantly, providing the money for the Federal-aid highway and airfield programs.

The massive bill was overshadowed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but nonetheless was a significant bookend to last year's $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Although last year's landmark legislation mapped out investments for roads, bridges and other infrastructure, it requires Congress to authorize the money to pay for it.

The bill passed last week "ends a damaging series of short-term continuing resolutions that have undermined the government's ability to meet pressing challenges," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said March 10 shortly after the bill passed. She said the president would sign it into law. Of California's 53-member Congressional delegation, the following Republicans voted "no" on the final 249-180 procedural vote in the House of Representatives: Doug LaMalfa, Tom McClintock, Jay Obernolte, David Valadao, Kevin McCarthy, Mike Garcia, Young Kim, Michelle Steel and Darrel Issa. Republican Ken Calvert voted "yes."

According to a summary of the legislation, H.R. 2471, prepared by the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), a CalAPA partner, the bill includes $1.5 trillion in new funding for federal domestic and defense programs. Of particular interest to the asphalt pavement industry, the bill fully funds the obligation limitation on contract authority for highway and airport programs authorized by the IIJA, meaning that Caltrans will be able to fully utilize their contract authority in 2022. The bill also includes $1.5 billion in "earmarks," or specially designated projects, of which $847 million are highway earmarks and $280 million are airport improvement projects.

At the encouragement of NAPA, the bill includes $3 million for the asphalt airfield pavement technology program.

A story about how the IIJA will impact California recently appeared in the CalAPA magazine, California Asphalt, and can be viewed on-line HERE.

There's still time to register for this week's enormously popular "Asphalt Pavement 101" class, which is a good overview of everything asphalt, touching on how asphalt pavements are designed, constructed and maintained. The class will be held in virtual format over two days, this Wednesday and Thursday, March 16-17 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The on-line registration page is HERE.

The class 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. Class participants will also receive a reference workbook and a certificate of completion.

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.” The class is also part of the core continuing education requirement for companies pursuing the CalAPA "Quality Paving Certificate." More information about that program can be found HERE.

On-line registration is required and must be completed in advance. A link to participate in the webinar will be sent in a follow-up note to those who complete registration. For registration questions, please contact Sophie You of CalAPA at (916) 791-5044. For additional information about the CalAPA technical training program and other classes that are offered, click HERE.

CalAPA continues to express deep concerns about a proposed rule being put forward by the South Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) aimed at airborne "fugitive dust" generated by road construction activities.

Regulators with the SCAQMD are fast-tracking a proposed rule despite a growing chorus of opposition from stakeholders voicing a similar theme: the proposed regulation as currently fashioned is overly complex, unenforceable and may delay badly needed road repair work across the region.

The proposed rule, 403.2, has been the subject of four "working group" meetings and a public workshop held by the air district, which has announced its intention to adopt the rule by this summer. The SCAQMD web page devoted to the topic is HERE. A March 2 presentation by air district staff on the proposal is HERE. The preliminary draft staff report is HERE. The latest version draft proposed rule language is HERE.

A letter sent by CalAPA to the air district in January noted there are already robust regulations in place covering nuisances and fugitive dust, and that the proposed regulations are needlessly redundant, overly complex and will be difficult to implement while adding more cost to badly needed transportation improvement projects and potentially delaying them at a time when they are needed most.

CalAPA and its members have a long history of working with regulators to help them understand the asphalt pavement industry, hosting plant tours and visits to construction sites around California. In 2020, during engagement with the SCAQMD on another rule, regulating aggregate burners on asphalt plants, CalAPA member Sully-Miller hosted a "virtual" plant tour and demonstration of its various control measures installed at an asphalt plant. Last week, CalAPA sent a follow-up letter to the air district commenting on the air district's March 2 Public Workshop on PR 403.2, noting that many of the asphalt industry's concerns have not been addressed. The proposed rule, the CalAPA letter said, "could create hazards for the safe navigation of the work site by construction crews and equipment, as well as the motoring public." Further, the letter said, the proposed rule may actually generate more emissions by requiring more truck trips to move pavement grinding stockpiles that are temporarily stored at active road construction sites. The March 11 CalAPA letter is HERE.

The California Department of Transportation, meanwhile, has shared with the air district other innovative pilot projects the department is implementing in Southern California to address concerns about air quality in neighborhoods adjacent to where temporary road work is taking place. A coalition representing utilities, and also other business interests, is closely monitoring the rule-making process.

CalAPA's longstanding position, as outlined in previous letters to the SCAQMD, is to support air quality regulations that are "reasonable, achievable and quantifiable." To learn more about the asphalt industry's commitment to the environment and the communities in which we live and work, click HERE to visit the CalAPA page, "Asphalt in your Community." An updated fact sheet that dispels many myths about asphalt with authoritative studies and other research is HERE. A previous Asphalt Insider article on this topic that was published Jan. 24 is HERE.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has announced that the department's chief financial executive, Steven Keck, will temporarily fill the role as director of the department until a permanent appointment is made.

The position became vacant when Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin was elevated last month to be the Secretary of of the California State Transportation Agency, a Cabinet-level position that oversees Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol, the Department of Motor Vehicles and other transportation-related departments. Keck assumed the duties March 1. A 22-year veteran of the department, he has served as the Chief Financial Officer since 2018. His official biography is HERE.

Omishakin was elevated to the CalSTA post last month following the departure of David Kim, who cited personal reasons for his resignation. Omishakin's official biography is HERE. Shortly before his promotion Omishakin sat down with CalAPA for an exclusive Q&A for the association's magazine, California Asphalt, which can be viewed on-line HERE.

Several leadership positions at Caltrans important to the asphalt pavement industry remain open, including deputy director of project delivery (Chief Engineer), head of the Construction Division, and the Materials Engineering & Testing branch. The latest version of the Caltrans organizational chart is HERE.

STONE MATRIX ASPHALT (SMA): A mixture of asphalt binder, stabilizer material, mineral filler, and gap-graded aggregate that provides high stone on stone contact. The high level of mineral filler forms a mortar with the binder to enhance flexibility. Fibers are often added to prevent drain down during transportation of the mix to the job site; SMAs are used as a rut resistant wearing course.

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.

PREPARING FOR ASPHALT DELIVERY: Ask yourself: Has a pre-paving meeting been held with the paving foreman to inspect the sub-base? Have you checked the site for possible safety issues?

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.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT: Environmental assessment method evaluating all stages of a life cycle.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."

-- Albert Einstein

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)®