National Pavement Preservation Conference 2023

September 18-21 | Indianapolis, Indiana

This year, Asphalt Materials Inc. and Heritage Research group attended the National Pavement Preservation Conference (NPPC) hosted by the National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP). Sessions were held to further knowledge, development, and research regarding the preservation of pavement. The poor condition of our roads results in $130 billion dollars added to vehicle repairs and operating costs per year (Alabama DOT). To avoid such situations, we must establish an effective preservation program and protect infrastructure investment.  

DAY 1

On day one, we heard from several presenters that traveled near and far to share their advice, best practices and research. Below we highlight some of the speakers and key topics they discussed.  

Mike Smith: Commissioner of Indiana (INDOT) 

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has owned and maintained more than 5,700 bridges and has nearly 30,000 roadway lane miles. INDOT has created a long term, fully funded plan to improve Indiana’s roadways and bridges that consists of fixing what they currently have, finishing what they have started, planning for the future, and impacting the surrounding cities, towns and counties. 

Mike shared that at the highest level it is important to invest in our infrastructure, keep roads in good condition longer, use taxpayer dollars wisely and be environmentally sensitive. Looking ahead, INDOT plans to focus on the quality of the pavement life including preservation techniques, economic development, resiliency, and sustainability.  

George Connor: Deputy Director, Operations (Alabama DOT) 

George Connor discussed the preservation challenge and how important it is that we create longer lasting pavements. It is a challenging undertaking because the road system has 4.2 million centerline miles. The nation’s infrastructure is valued at $8.3 trillion, and in 2019 federal state governments spent $3.6 billion on highways.  

Pavement preservation is important because of the people and communities it impacts. Roadway networks connect about 7.9 million business establishments with customers, suppliers and workers. In 2018, roadway networks served about 327 million residents and 80 million international visitors. Transportation infrastructure has a major economic impact, so we must work together to share pavement preservation techniques that are working well. 

DAY 2

On day two of the conference, several of our own were able to speak about advancements in asphalt emulsions, workforce development strategies, and cold recycled pavements. 

Dan Swiertz: Asphalt Materials Inc. | Lab Manager 

Latest Advancements in Emulsions 

The use of asphalt emulsions is ubiquitous throughout the lifecycle of an asphalt pavement. From new construction to recycling and reclamation, emulsions are formulated to deliver performance across a range of climatic regions and construction variables. New and innovative advancements in emulsion technology have created valuable opportunities for contractors and road owners alike. This presentation examined several advancements including penetrating emulsion and micro surfacing that offer unique opportunities to extend the pavement lifecycle.  

Kierstin Janik: Heritage Construction + Materials | Chief Talent Officer 

Workforce Development Strategies 

As construction companies face lower workforce participation and an ageing workforce. The U.S. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law projects potentially creating 3.2 million new jobs across the non-residential construction value chain, and 300,000-600,000 new construction workers are needed to fill the gap with projected peak needs around 2027-2028. As a result, companies must develop holistic strategies to engage potential new employees and increase workforce development. 

Kierstin discussed some approaches HC+M has taken recently including highlighting its employer brand through social media and emphasizing the industry’s meaningful work, safety, support and good wages. She also shared more about HC+M’s talent acquisition strategy that prioritizes investing in the future though programs with middle schools, high schools and universities.  

Megan Yount: Heritage Research Group | Pvmt. Mat Engineering Manager 

Characterizing Cold Recycled Pavements from Field-Sampled Cores 

Replicating field-placed Cold In-place Recycled (CIR) and Cold Central Plant Recycled (CCPR) pavements with lab-produced mixtures may not accurately capture field conditions during construction, exact material proportions, or compaction effort. These factors often influence the resulting mixture properties, causing uncertainty that lab-produced mixtures reflect that of the in-situ pavement mixture. Examples from two State DOT projects were reviewed, followed by a discussion of results from tests including Dynamic Modulus, Marshall Stability, and Indirect Tensile Strength Testing.  

DAY 3

On day three, conference attendees visited the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where they could see INDOT evaluation equipment and research posters, static displays, and field demonstrations. Several contractors showcased their equipment including a diamond grinder, greens broom scrubber, pavement evaluation van and more. 

The live demonstrations listed below followed the static displays.

Treatment Contractor 
Hot in Place Recycling  Gallagher Asphalt 
Rapid Set Concrete Patch  CTS/Rapid Set 
Concrete Patch Materials FPT Infrastructure 
RMV Robotic Crack Sealer RMV/Sealmaster Robotic Crack Sealer 
Treatment Contractor 
Mastic and Crack Seal CRAFCO 
Pavement Retexturing  Skidabrader 
Maltene Based Rejuvenator Pavement Technology Inc. 
Microsurface Pavement Solutions 
Scrub Seal  Pavement Maintenance Systems/Etnyre 

Asphalt Materials Inc. and Heritage Research Group had an amazing time attending NPPC and learning pavement preservation best practices from agencies and industry thought leaders. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth and for sharing your ideas about how to take care of our infrastructure! 

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A Career in Road Construction: National Tradesmen Day

National Tradesmen Day is celebrated on the third Friday of September each year. A tradesman is someone who has acquired skills through an apprenticeship, vocational training, and/or education. Such people can be found in the construction industry, carpentry, maintenance, plumbing, electricity, and so much more. Skilled trades are the foundation of life as we all know it.  

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Reclaiming Resources through Cold in Place Recycling

Over the years, asphalt has become the most popular choice when it comes to selecting environmentally friendly pavements. To take it one step further, cold mix pavement layers have been developed to create even more sustainable products for road construction. Cold recycling techniques are methods that not only avoid the application of heat but reuse aged asphalt pavements already within the current infrastructure. This technique used helps treat raveling, potholes, skid resistance, rutting, block cracking, and so much more.  

Cold recycling includes two subcategories, cold in place recycling (CIR) and cold central plant recycling (CCPR). In this article we will highlight a successful CIR project in Jefferson County, Indiana. 

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18-Month Project Review Shows VRAM Significantly Reduces Permeability

After beginning in the Midwest in 2002, VRAM has now been used in 23 states and The District of Columbia. VRAM stands for Void-Reducing Asphalt Membrane. Pavement maintenance due to longitudinal joint cracking has long been a problem for not only road construction engineers and applicators but also drivers. VRAM fills air voids and significantly reduces permeability at the longitudinal joint and the area on each side of the joint.

Recently, West Virginia’s Division of Highways (WVDOH) has encountered the issue of high permeability at the longitudinal joint and subsequent failure of their asphalt pavements. Longitudinal joint issues can arise when hot and cold lanes fail to adequately bond with one another. WVDOH is responsible for constructing, reconstructing, and maintaining more than 35,000 miles of state roads. So, it is evident that the issue of high permeability can create big, expensive problems for their division of highways and taxpayers.

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Our Safety Commitment at AMI

Safety is an important aspect of everything we do here at Asphalt Materials Inc. In order to succeed in the industry, we need to establish a culture where everyone has an opportunity to have their voice heard. In order to ensure this, we have our team of safety professionals! Our team routinely hosts meetings, training sessions, and ‘tool box talks’ to promote open dialogue.

Meet Our Safety Team

Steve Clonce | Environmental Health & Safety Director

Steve leads the safety, compliance, and environmental roles for AMI. Steve is a member of the operations leadership team and directly reports to Chris McGee.

Steve is an Indiana native and Notre Dame fan! Steve comes to AMI from Corteva where he served as the EH&S leader for 4 years and was in an EH&S Responsible Care Leader role for 6 years at Dow Agrosciences prior to his role with Corteva.

Additionally, Steve served in the US Army as a Military Police Officer and graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

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CIR to be Featured at The 2023 AEMA-ARRA-ISSA Annual Meeting 

Members of the Asphalt Materials, Heritage Construction & Materials and Heritage Research Labs teams will be attending this year’s AEMA-ARRA-ISSA  Annual Meeting.  

Recycling, sustainability and the circular economy are all important topics that businesses and industries are engaged with.  

With today’s infrastructure, reuse of valuable existing resources is a critical component in a pavement manager’s arsenal. According to research, the advanced technologies used in recycling and reclamation processes can provide major benefits such as: significant cost savings, lowered environmental impact, and precision engineering for stronger, safer, more sustainable roads. 

It is important to remember that, existing asphalt pavements contain the raw materials for new roads. Rarely replaced, asphalt pavements are either repaired or recycled. 

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IIJA Helping with Designing & Building Resilient Transportation Infrastructure

Dave Bauer

Excerpt from the JULY – AUGUST 2022 Edition of TRANSPORTATION BUILDER Magazine from ARTBA, The American Road & Transportation Builders Association

THE ARENA

On the Road Again

DAVE BAUER | President & CEO, ARTBA

More than 90 percent of American households have a car and three-quarters of Americans use them for daily commutes. Thanks to the IIJA, the country’s dominant mode of travel will become even more efficient, as projects get underway and are completed. While better transportation systems are the end goal, the creation of well-paying jobs and associated economic growth along the way will be an added benefit.

[T]he investments from the IIJA will not be limited to highways and will also bring much-needed improvements to airports and public transportation. The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) has already announced $1 billion in Airport Terminal Grants so that those dealing with delayed and canceled flights will at least have modernized facilities in which to wait. The new law also more than doubles annual Airport Improvement Program investment which will lead to a dramatic boost in runway and other airside infrastructure projects.

Scan the QR Code to
visit the ARTBA Site.

To read the full article in the AUGUST 2022 Edition of TRANSPORTATION BUILDER
follow the link below.

https://www.artba.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/TB-July-August-2022-web.pdf

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), aka Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), was signed into law by President Biden on November 15, 2021. The law authorizes $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending with $550 billion of that figure going toward “new” investments and programs. Funding from the IIJA is expansive in its reach, addressing energy and power infrastructure, access to broadband internet, water infrastructure, and more. Some of the new programs funded by the bill could provide the resources needed to address a variety of infrastructure needs at the local level.

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Building Resilient Transportation Infrastructure Requires Investment, Innovation & Collaboration

Excerpt from the JULY – AUGUST 2022 Edition of TRANSPORTATION BUILDER Magazine from ARTBA, The American Road & Transportation Builders Association

CHAIRMAN’S CORNER – by WARD NYE | Chairman & CEO, Martin Marietta

Building Resilient Transportation Infrastructure Requires Investment, Innovation & Collaboration

“At the federal level, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has established both a formula and a discretionary program aimed at rewarding states that enhance the resiliency of transportation infrastructure and make plans for future investment.

At the federal level, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has established both a formula and discretionary program aimed at rewarding states that enhance the resiliency of transportation infrastructure and make plans for future investment.

As chronicled in the pages of this issue, stories of our industry’s endeavors to incorporate resiliency into transportation improvements abound. For example, building information modeling (BIM) helped replace the aging East 138th Street Bridge (known by many as the Madison Avenue Bridge) in New York City, making the city’s transportation grid more resilient. Learning from past weather events, highway engineers in Florida have constructed a 2.4-mile stretch of highway on the state’s east coast designed to be more resilient in the wake of future storms.

Scan the QR Code to
visit the ARTBA Site.

To read the full article in the AUGUST 2022 Edition of TRANSPORTATION BUILDER
follow the link below.

https://www.artba.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/TB-July-August-2022-web.pdf

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Chip Seals Helping Delaware County Roads Last Longer

On August 18th, a Chip Seal project took place in Gaston, Indiana. This project was completed by the Delaware County Highway Department. Chip seals are used to prevent water intrusion into a pavement and create a high friction surface for safety. Chip seal emulsions can be polymer modified to improve aggregate retention and provide for a quicker return to traffic. 

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AMIBIND™ Products Help CCAP Project in Jennings County, Indiana

An Economic Alternative to Full Reconstruction

Cold Constructed Asphalt Pavement (CCAP®) is a cold mix asphalt that is created by combining aggregate and a chemically modified asphalt and mixing the two ingredients at ambient temperature. The cold mix may be stockpiled for weeks to a few months and then placed using a paver for road repair such as patching potholes or adding a new layer to low-volume roads. A chip seal is often placed over the cold mix. 

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