My name is Dan Staebell and I am the North Central Regional Director for the Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA). There are 10 states in the region covering the area of Missouri to Minnesota and Kansas to Kentucky. Since March of 2016 I have had a chance to meet many of you, and I appreciate all of your kind words and welcome. Since coming on board, the critical order of business was to establish initiatives that would assist the industry in improving the HMA market. In July, approximately 45 industry leaders met in Chicago to fine tune and discuss direction and action. There are four critical areas that have been highlighted - Life Cycle Costing, Proper Design Thickness, Rehabilitation Competition and Commercial Market Strategy. Please drop me a note if you would like to receive more detailed information regarding these efforts.

We have put together a Regional Council who will meet twice per year to discuss and review current activities. It will continue to be our goal to maintain current and direct contact to the industry on what is needed. The leaders involved in this Council will provide the necessary insight to maintain critical connection to the market place. Our first official action will take place in November. I will report the outcome and discussion on next APA Update.

 

Last month, NAPA Vice President for Environment, Health & Safety Dr. Howard Marks visited a D.C.-area road construction site to see how control technologies can reduce dust emissions associated with brooming and sweeping activities. OSHA's Silica Rule, which goes into effect in June 2017, specifies approved control technologies for milling machines to ease compliance; however, contractors must still be aware of potential airborne silica from other operations and ensure it remains below acceptable standards. Armed with a real-time dust monitor, Marks was able to conclude that potential airborne silica exposure can be effectively mitigated by using brooms with a continuous water spray system or an enclosed cab, at least for short-duration activities. NAPA's Silica Exposure Task Group continues to investigate practical methods for controlling roadway construction dust, to measure their efficacy, and to work to get them accepted by OSHA. For more information, contact Vice President of Environment, Health & Safety Dr. Howard Marks.

 

Speakers: Charles Kibert, Ph.D., P.E. – Holland Professor, Powell Center for Construction & Environment, University of Florida and Stuart Kaplow – Principal, Stuart D. Kaplow, P.A. 

More and more frequently, green rating systems are influencing who gets the job and what products are used. LEED and Green Globes are two green rating systems that NAPA contractors must know to gain traction in the Big Box store sustainable parking lot and neighborhood development market place. Come learn the newest revisions to LEED and Green Globes, and what sustainable asphalt technologies and construction practices can achieve credits. 

In this session you will learn: 

• Understand how LEED and Green Globes assess sustainability and their similarities/differences.
• Explain the recent advancements made to LEED and Green Globes.
• Identify the asphalt technologies and construction practices that meet LEED and Green Globes credit requirements.

 

The 7th Rubber Modified Asphalt Conference is hosted by the Scrap Tire Research and Education Foundation, the Rubber Manufacturers Association, the Rubber Pavements Association, and the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society. NAPA is a co-host of the conference. The conference agenda highlights current experiences and new research on rubber-modified asphalt pavements. Sessions include: "Rubber Modified Asphalt — History and Overcoming Perceptions," "How States Implement Rubber Modified Asphalt," "How Terminals Deliver Rubber Into Binders and Why," "Contractors' Case Studies: What Contractors Need to Consider in Using Rubber Modified Asphalt," "Binder Testing and Standards Barriers to Rubber Modified Asphalt," and an "FHWA Guidebook Update." The conference also includes networking opportunities and a keynote luncheon featuring a speaker from the FHWA. For more information and to register, click here.