May 25, 2022

Meet the AMI Team: Dave Stanczak

Name: David Stanczak

Title: Territory Manager

Location: Cicero, IL

A group of people posing for a photo Description automatically generated with medium confidence

How long have you worked with AMI?

I started at AMI in October of 2020.

What do you like best about working at AMI?

The team atmosphere at AMI is the best. I am surrounded by talented, intelligent, and supportive teammates. AMI is the best company I’ve ever worked for – They care about their employees and their customers & focus on building strong relationships based on trust, instead of going after short-term wins.

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Katrina LiMandriOur People
May 17, 2022

Harnessing the Power of Family: The Lofton Story

The story of family and its role in our lives is something that is essential to the entire Heritage family. It’s why we explore this topic with such depth, as well as share our own inspirational stories from all over to remind us how families shape everything about who we are. Our newest employee-inspired video features the Lofton Family – a family who for decades, has embodied what it means to belong to The Heritage Group and Asphalt Materials Families.

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Katrina LiMandriCommunity, Our People
April 26, 2022

Initiatives of National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW)

Toward Zero Deaths

Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) is a national initiative to eliminate highway fatalities founded in 2009. The ATSSA Foundation’s mission is to support injured or fallen roadway workers and their families, impacted by roadway work zone crashes. This national strategy on highway safety to advocate for eliminating serious injuries and death on our nation’s roadways was conceptualized by safety practitioners, researchers, advocates, and others from a variety of disciplines. This initiative calls for all stakeholders to champion the idea that one death on our nation’s roadways is too many, and we must all work together to bring the annual number of roadway deaths to zero. With this input of over 70 workshop participants and further discussions with the Steering Committee following the workshop, the name of this effort became “Toward Zero Deaths: A National Strategy on Highway Safety.”

Frequent donator, Minnesota-based company 3M raised more than $15k this year partnering with The ATSS Foundation by operating the zero deaths pledge wall from the start of the year through ATSSA’s 52nd Annual Convention & Traffic Expo. The company offered to match donations up to $5,000 and most of the raised funds came in during the final days of the Expo. “As the new ATSS Foundation Chair, I can’t express enough how grateful I am for support from companies like 3M that share the vision with us to help families that have experienced such horrific work zone tragedies,” said Kevin Shelton. For more information on how to promote traffic safety culture in your community, visit the TZD webpage for a list of initiatives you can implement today.

National Work Zone Memorial

Honoring those who died in work zones with a traveling & virtual memorial, The ATSSA Foundation offers the National Work Zone Memorial, honoring lives lost in work zones to help make fatalities “real” to policy makers and drivers. Originally unveiled in April 2002, “The National Work Zone Memorial – Respect and Remembrance: Reflections of Life on the Road” program is a living tribute to the memory of lives lost in work zones2. The new design of the traveling National Work Zone Memorial was unveiled in February 2017.

The traditional Memorial travels to communities across the cross each year to raise awareness of the need to respect and stay safe in America’s roadway work zones. A virtual National Work Zone Memorial is also available for meetings and events and is open to anyone interested in increasing roadway safety awareness and is now available at no cost. The Foundation encourages ATSSA members, ATSSA chapters, state DOTs and industry leaders to host the Memorial at your next event. To apply to host the Memorial at your next event, or to submit a name for the memorial, visit ATSSA webpage for more information.

Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship Program

A work zone tragedy shouldn’t mean the end of the dreams and aspirations for the worker’s spouse, children, and family. This is exactly why The ATSS Foundation created The Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship Program. This program provides financial assistance for post-high school education to the children or spouse of a roadway worker killed or permanently disabled in a work zone incident. The scholarships, offered by The American Traffic Safety Services (ATSS) Foundation3, can help put the worker’s dependents on the road to a brilliant future. The scholarships are competitive and have a value up to $10,000. Applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to volunteerism may be eligible to receive an additional $1,000 in honor of Chuck Bailey, an esteemed member of the roadway safety industry from Ohio who died in 2002 as a result of a work zone incident.

The Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship Program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and has awarded $358,000 since its inception. Thirteen students are currently attending college thanks to a Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship. Two of those also received a Chuck Bailey Memorial Scholarship for this school year. Hear from Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship recipients about how The ATSS Foundation scholarships helped them achieve their dreams.

“It is a privilege to help the dependents of fallen or permanently injured roadway workers pursue their goals,” said Foundation Director Lori Diaz. “But we couldn’t offer these scholarships without the generosity of individual donors, ATSSA members and sponsors of the events we hold throughout the year.” The ATSS Foundation is the charitable arm of ATSSA and was formed in 1988 with the core purpose to promote roadway safety through charitable giving and public awareness programs. Donations can be made at Foundation.ATSSA.com/Donate.

Public Awareness

In March of 2019, the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA)4 passed a resolution recognizing April 8 – 12 2019 as National Work Zone Awareness Week. The resolution was passed at the NLGA 2019 Federal-State Relations Meeting where the lieutenant governors discussed state, federal, and international affairs. ATSSA’s Government Relations staff members were in attendance and requested the resolution be considered by NLGA. The NLGA is a professional association for the elected officials first in line of succession to governors in all 50 states and five U.S. territories. Their goal? The NLGA strives for efficiency in state government by providing professional support, to foster interstate cooperation, and to generally improve the efficiency of state and territorial administration through education on issues and leadership training. “ATSSA is pleased that the Lt. Governors passed a resolution acknowledging the importance of work zone safety awareness as we begin the spring construction season. Public awareness is key in helping to remind motorists to be mindful when navigating work zones,” said ATSSA’s Director of State Government Relations Ashley Wieland.

1 https://www.towardzerodeaths.org/

2 https://foundation.atssa.com/Programs/National-Work-Zone-Memorial

3 https://foundation.atssa.com/Programs/Roadway-Worker-Memorial-Scholarship-Program

4 https://nlga.us/

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Katrina LiMandriIndustry News
November 18, 2021

NAPA Helps Answer: What is the Environmental Impact of Asphalt?

The asphalt industry has a long history of working with federal regulatory agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and OSHA. Since the early 1990s, the EPA has done extensive testing on asphalt plant emissions and in 2002 removed this industrial sector from the “major source” category, identifying that emissions from asphalt plants are not an area of concern. (1) NAPA is the National Asphalt Pavement Association.

Understanding Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) as a Clean Fill Material

In 2019, more than 97 million tons of RAP and 921,000 tons of reclaimed asphalt shingles (RAS) were used in new asphalt pavement mixes in the U.S. That year about 139 million tons of RAP and RAS were stockpiled for future use across the country. Reusing RAP in future pavements saved nearly 60 million cubic yards of landfill space during 2019.  (2)

As America’s biggest recycler, millions of tons of asphalt pavement material is reclaimed each year during road widening and resurfacing projects, and nearly all of that material is reused. Incorporating reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) into new pavements reduces demands for virgin asphalt binder, helping to keep costs down as well as improving the environmental footprint of projects.

Not all RAP is recycled into new asphalt pavements, however. Occasionally, the question arises as to whether or not RAP can be used as “clean fill.” Although obviously not the highest and best use of this vital resource, regulations regarding when and where RAP can be placed as fill material vary from state to state and can be complex. In most instances, RAP falls under state solid-waste requirements and purview.

Material that is Recycled is Not Considered Solid Waste

Because state environmental agencies often have more restrictive solid-waste disposal regulations than the federal Environmental Protection Agency, it is important to understand how RAP is defined. U.S. EPA classifies RAP as construction and demolition (C&D) debris that is part of the federal solid-waste chain. Federal regulations also identify that if materials are “recycled,” then they are not considered solid waste. However, there is a “speculative accumulation” federal definition that requires a 75 percent annual “turnover” to maintain the recycled material classification vs. solid waste.

There are NO Harmful Compounds Leached from RAP

RAP is not, and never has been, considered a “hazardous” solid waste. Years of leaching studies show that there are no harmful components leached from RAP under the most stringent waste definition extraction conditions. (See NAPA Special Report 190: “Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) Stockpile Emissions and Leachate.”) In general, it is acceptable for RAP to be used as a road material — as part of the base, recycled back into pavement, etc. — both from a federal and state perspective. Although U.S. EPA does not appear to have a strict definition of “clean fill”, specific requirements do apply to solid-waste materials applied to land.

The bottom line is that each state’s environmental agency will likely dictate whether or not RAP can be used as a clean fill material. Under normal use and circumstances, RAP should never be considered as hazardous waste. (3)

See Also

Sources:

  1. https://www.asphaltpavement.org/expertise/health-safety/environmental
  2. Williams, B.A., Willis, Richard & Shacat, Joseph (2019). Asphalt Pavement Industry Survey on Recycled Materials and Warm-Mix Asphalt Usage: 2018 (IS 138) National Asphalt Pavement Association, Greenbelt, Maryland.
  3. https://www.asphaltpavement.org/uploads/documents/SR204-RAP_as_Clean_Fill.pdf

Environmental & Sustainability Terms

  • GHG
    • Greenhouse Gases
    • Many gasses have global warming properties (GHG). The majority of GHG emissions from industrial, commercial, and institutional activities are CO2, CH4, and N2O.
  • CO2
    • Carbon Dioxide
    • Carbon dioxide is a natural greenhouse gas, commonly produced by the air we exhale. At higher levels, CO2 affects productivity, sleep and infectious disease.
    • Some believe carbon dioxide and methane are the biggest drivers of global warming related to human activities
    • CO2 is the reference gas for Global Warming Potential (GWP) compared to other GHG gases. GWP = 1
  • CH4
    • Methane
    • Methane is a colorless, odorless, flammable gas that is the simplest hydrocarbon and is the major constituent of natural gas
    • Some believe carbon dioxide and methane are the biggest drivers of global warming related to human activities
    • CH4 GWP = 25 (25 times greater warming potential than CO2)
  • N2O
    • Nitrous Oxide
    • Nitrous oxide, commonly known as “laughing gas,” is a chemical compound with the chemical formula N2O.
    • It is a colorless non-flammable gas at room temperature, with a pleasant, slightly sweet odor and taste.
    • It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects.
    • Some believe it may be the most important greenhouse gas after methane and carbon dioxide and the biggest human-related threat to the ozone layer
    • N2O GWP = 298 (298 times greater warming potential than CO2)
  • CO2e
    • Carbon dioxide equivalent
    • This is the number of metric tons of CO2 emissions with the same global warming potential as one metric ton of another greenhouse gas, and is calculated using Equation A-1 in 40 CFR Part 98
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Katrina LiMandriSustainability
October 21, 2021

Pavement Preservation Leads to a More Sustainable Infrastructure

Pavement preservation is a cost-effective and greener approach to getting the most life out of your roads and making taxpayer dollars go further. In addition to cost efficiency, a pavement preservation approach is known to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), consume less energy, and provide faster application times than the alternative conventional approach.

A well-implemented pavement preservation approach achieves maximum efficiency by increasing the average condition of your pavement while decreasing your average spending per square yard. Pavement Preservation treatments are known for their ability to ensure quality with minimal effect on your budget and the environment.

Compare cost savings and environmental impact by treatment

An approach to pavement management that applies a robust toolbox of pavement preservation and recycling treatments will save time, money, while also reducing environmental impact over the long term. By using a PPRA calculator you are able to see average data comparing the cost and environmental savings of preservation and recycling techniques, compared to conventional reconstruction, mill and fill, or thin overlays.

Critical Concept !!

Every year, every mile of your network loses 1 mile-year of life. To avoid losing ground, the roadway owner must design a treatment plan that adds 500 mile-years of life or more! Over the first 75% of a road’s life, it will drop 40% in quality. Over the next 12% of its life, it will drop another 40% in quality. All roads pass a point of accelerated deterioration – past this point, costly rehab and reconstruction are the only options.

Worst – First Approach

Many agencies are learning that the use of limited funds toward a “Worst First” Approach accelerates the decline of their overall network, as miles of good roads go untreated each year. A conventional method of pavement management uses limited budgets to address the most deteriorated roads first. Miles of good roads go untreated each year, accelerating the decline of the overall network.

Many agencies are identifying pavement management strategies that use limited resources more efficiently, and designing treatment plans that reallocate budgets to make incremental network gains (instead of losses) each year. Use our Remaining Service Life tool to find out if your treatment plan is adding or subtracting life from your network.

Optimized Approach

By considering an Optimized Approach, which reallocates funds across more efficient strategies to keep good roads good and help you get ahead of the curve.

Understanding Remaining Service Life (RSL) is critical to designing a treatment plan that stretches your budget further and reverses the trend of a deteriorating network.

Pavement Preservation Methods’ ROI (Spend $1 Save $6)

There are two basic ideas to follow when choosing a Pavement Preservation Strategy:

1. Prioritize roads that are in fair-to-good condition. Why spend money on a road that is in decent condition? It is the most effective way to stretch dollars while also improving overall pavement condition. If you put your budget toward inexpensive, frequent treatments to semi-distressed roads, you will find the most savings as a whole. 

2. Applying a pavement preservation method maximizes pavement quality & lifespan.  Oxidation and moisture can take hold of a pavement within the first 2 years of its life, losing elasticity and becoming frail over time. These issues can result in surface raveling, cracking, potholes, and eventually pavement failure.

By performing a simple early pavement preservation system combined with a high-quality product the pavement can be preserved resulting in superior and longer-lasting roads. Maximizing your investment over time. Pavement preservation techniques not only provide the best way to maintain road integrity and durability, but they also reduce motorist delays and provide longer-lasting, safer roads.

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To learn more about Asphalt Materials Pavement Preservation Projects, visit our products page:

https://asphalt-materials.com/products/

Sources for this Article and Other Resources Available to Learn More

https://roadresource.org/preservation

PPRA’s RSL Calculator – Ready To Optimize Your Network?

https://roadresource.org/network/rsl_calc

https://roadresource.org/preservation/calculator

About PPRA:

The Pavement Preservation & Recycling Alliance (PPRA) provides a collective space to bring industry and agency together for the advancement of sustainable, eco-efficient, and innovative pavement applications.

Joining together resources from the Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association, the Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association, and the International Slurry Surfacing Association, PPRA unites a network of members dedicated to: “Better roads today. Stronger networks tomorrow.” Jointly, PPRA assists agencies by providing a centralized repository for comprehensive information related to pavement preservation and asphalt recycling and reclaiming. PPRA seeks to help agencies at the state, county, and local levels to make the right choices for their road networks and be the best possible stewards of their roads and of taxpayer dollars.

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Katrina LiMandriCommunity, Sustainability
September 24, 2021

What is a Sustainable Rehabilitation Technique for Asphalt Materials?

Bartholomew County, Indiana

Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) is a cost effective and sustainable rehabilitation technique that combines the entire bituminous pavement thickness and a predetermined portion of the underlying aggregate material into a flexible, homogenous stabilized base layer utilizing an asphalt emulsion to provide mixture cohesion and water resistance. FDR is a solution for rehabilitating roads that have poor structure. The FDR is typically followed with an overlay of hot mix asphalt.

This full depth reclamation project took many parties from start to finish. Milestone Contractors, Inc. submitted the bid, Asphalt Materials, Inc. supplied the engineered emulsion and Heritage Research Group provided the sampling, mix design and quality control. 

This particular project was on Hartman Drive in Bartholomew County, Indiana. It consisted of an eight-inch (8″) full depth reclamation on one thousand, one hundred feet (1,100′) of existing recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) road and one hundred – 70 feet (70′) of existing asphalt road. A 3″ hot mix overlay laid in 2 lifts of 1 ½” each was then placed on the new recycled roadway base. 

The County collected and placed the RAP at a depth of 8-9” from another project in the area to build the new roadway base. Milestone then pre-pulverized and graded the entire roadway at a depth of 8”. A second pass was made with the reclaimer and the engineered emulsion was injected and the emulsified material was graded and compacted. After the final cure the recycled base was overlaid with two 1 ½” lifts of HMA (Hot Mix Asphalt), striped and opened to traffic. 

Asphalt Materials Inc., is a proud member of The Heritage Group and brings nearly 65 years of experience to the asphalt industry and road construction projects. Our teams of professionals are dedicated to creating longer-lasting, safer roads with quality, reliable asphalt materials.

Our family of companies want to ensure we are leaving the world in a better place for future generations. As The Heritage Group continues to expand capabilities and investments in the sustainability space, the AMI team is also focused on sustainability in a number of different areas. We will be reporting on these in future articles.

#FDR #Infrastructure #STEM STEMEducation #Sustainability #LongerLastingRoads #HotMixAsphalt

[Note: Bids for this project opened on March 29, 2021]

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Katrina LiMandriSustainability
May 30, 2019

Rebuild of County Road 151 recognized with two awards

The rebuild of County Road 151 across three townships has been honored with two awards. 

The Monroe County Road Commission received the national Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association’s 2016 Award for Excellence in full-depth reclamation for the project. In addition, the road commission and Gerken Paving Inc. received an award of excellence from the Asphalt Pavement Association of Michigan. 

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Katrina LiMandriCompany News, Sustainability
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