Per Release: Columbia, S.C. (January 17, 2024) – After nearly 30 years of service to the State of South Carolina, Christy A. Hall, the Secretary of Transportation for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, has announced her retirement effective March 31, 2024. Hall has served as Secretary of Transportation for approximately 10 years since she was appointed by Governor Nikki Haley.

SCAPA and SCDOT will hold the Partners In Quality (PIQ) meeting series this winter. The first meeting is scheduled for January 25th and meetings will run through March 5th. Click the button below to see the full schedule.

The SCAPA Winter Conference & Trade Show, coming up February 20-21, 2024, is the premier networking and educational event for the asphalt industry in South Carolina. SCAPA members, SCDOT engineers and inspectors, state, county and municipal government, contractors, engineers, suppliers, and other asphalt industry professionals will come together to network, share best practices, learn new skills or refine old ones.

This year's educational tracks are: Emerging and Innovative Technologies, Best Practices and Workforce and Leadership Development, along with special workshops on artificial intelligence and sustainability, as well key updates from leaders of SCDOT, FWHA and SCDHEC. Up to five professional development hours are available for attendees. 

A selection of sponsorships are available and we are excited to announce a sold out trade show!

Ready to register your team? Connect with Katherine Hilton (khilton@scasphalt.org) or register online at the link below. 

The Women of Asphalt SC Branch Steering Committee met January 17, 2024 in Columbia to review accomplishments since its formal launch in 2023, and develop a vision and goals for 2024-25. Key accomplishments for 2023 include:

> Formalizing the SC Chapter with National Women of Asphalt and a partnership with SCAPA. 
> Achieving 82 members - and growing. Sister state chapters average 100 members, so we are well on our way!
> Two successful events, including a virtual information session and a kickoff reception.
> Relationships and connections formed – and forged among WofA members. 

WofA SC's theme for 2024 is: Build engagement, connections and relationships. The chapter will organize two regional gatherings and will work collaboratively with SCAPA members to co-host office and site visits. WofA is organizing special events in conjunction with SCAPA's Winter Conference, Summer Conference and Fall Member Dinner.

All SCAPA members and their employees - and anyone working in the asphalt industry - are invited to be a part of Women of Asphalt. Become a member of the SC Branch and/or contact Katherine Hilton for information (khilton@scasphalt.org).

Featured at right are the WofA SC Steering Committee leaders (left to right):
Kimmie Lyons, Vice Chair; Noelle Arena, Chair; Susan Dukes Snyder, Secretary; Brigetta Laird, Member at Large; Emily Holbert, Marketing Chair; Ashley Batson, National Liaison (not in photo) 

SCAPA Executive Director Jayson Jordan made the trek to Washington, D.C. earlier this month for Transportation Research Board's Annual Meeting. The conference brings together 14,000 transportation professionals from across the globe to discuss research needs and findings. The most popular topics at the meeting circulated around Balanced Mix Design and Sustainability/Climate/EPDs, specifically on the industry moving from SuperPave and Volumetrics to Balanced Mix Design (BMD). The innovation opportunities gained with BMD will be important as environmental regulation become more prominent. Jordan serves on TRB's Committee for Asphalt Construction and Rehabilitation and can share additional insights and resources with SCAPA members (jrjordan@scasphalt.org). Click below for the full release on the TRB Annual Meeting. 

Deadlines for the 2024 SCAPA Membership Directory are quickly approaching. Please reach out to Katherine Hilton to update your company's listing. 

Ammann has had a presence in the asphalt plant industry for more than 100 years – before the advent of recycled asphalt, low-temperature mixes or automatic control systems. What hasn’t changed is how Ammann does business. To this day all plants and their core components are engineered in-house to create a perfect fit and ultimately provide quality, efficiency and long life. This approach also means a single point of contact for virtually all plant needs. South Carolina's key contacts are John Elliott and Melanie Jenkins.
 
Colonial Energy, Inc. (CEI) is a full service natural gas marketing company that serves institutional, industrial, and also specializes in the small commercial business user. As an affiliate of Colonial Group, CEI is backed by more than 90 years of energy supply and management experience. They are based in Fairfax, Virginia, with a team of supply consultants along the East Coast. South Carolina representatives are Patrick Ritchie and Fred Squeri.

Reed Ryan, Executive Director of the Utah Asphalt Pavement Association (UAPA) and immediate past chair of the State Asphalt Pavement Associations, Inc. (SAPAs) is taking the helm of the Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA), effective February 7.

The asphalt mixing plants report, unveiled by Future Market Insights – an ESOMAR Certified Market Research and Consulting Firm – presents invaluable insights and meticulous analysis of the asphalt mixing plants market. Encompassing the research’s scope and essence, this report examines the driving factors, market size, and predictive data for asphalt mixing plants. It furnishes intricate revenue and shipment segmentations, accompanied by a decade-long projection up to 2033. Additionally, the document evaluates key industry players, their market distribution, the competitive scenario, and regional perspectives. In the realm of infrastructure, the world is paving the way to the future, and at the heart of this transformation lies the global asphalt mixing plants market. Anticipated to attain a valuation of US$ 4.6 billion by 2023, this thriving industry finds itself at the crossroads of unprecedented growth and undeniable challenges. See the link below for more information from Future Markets Insights Blog.

The 100th issue marks more than 16 years of sharing innovation news and resources. More than 20,000 subscribers turn to the Innovator newsletter to learn about innovative technologies and processes in the highway community.

Launched by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2007 under Highways for LIFE (HfL) and continuing under Every Day Counts (EDC), the bimonthly publication now consists of 100 issues chronicling innovation success stories, highlighting notable practices, and advancing the implementation of innovative technologies. Innovator began under FHWA’s HfL initiative, a pilot program established by Congress in 2005. HfL advanced the design and construction of highways and bridges to make the process safer, faster, and more cost-efficient by accelerating the adoption of proven innovations and processes. FHWA developed a technology deployment process that enlisted dedicated teams to reach state and local agencies through a variety of methods such as workshops and demonstration showcases, and Innovator helped expand that reach by highlighting notable deployments, sharing best practices, and promoting new resources to readers throughout the country.

NAPA is pleased to announce that we are extending the asphalt plant benchmarking data collection deadline to March 15, 2024. As a reminder, there is no cost to participate in benchmarking.

The latest benchmarking status progress report is accessible through the link below. During this round of data collection, benchmarking data has been submitted from an additional 42 asphalt plants, with 14 new companies participating. Overall, we have received data from 373 asphalt plants, with 137 companies participating. More importantly, we now have 25 states with at least three companies reporting, the minimum needed to include state-level data in our benchmarking report. The benchmarking data will be used to develop industry averages for FHWA’s $2 billion Low-Carbon Transportation Materials Grants Program. It will also be used to develop the ENERGY STAR Energy Performance Indicator tool for asphalt plants, which will serve as the basis for asphalt plants to achieve ENERGY STAR Certification.

With only about 10% of the approximately 3,700 asphalt plants in the U.S. reporting, we need more participation to ensure these programs are representative of the industry as a whole. We appreciate your efforts to prepare and submit benchmarking data. 

Questions? Contact Joseph Shacat at NAPA.

Electric vehicle ownership saw its biggest single year increase in 2023, and that trend is expected to continue, along with the decline of fossil fuel tax revenue. There's a ticking clock in Washington: The IIJA expires in 2026. Then what? For the first time in history, an electric vehicle (EV) is the best selling vehicle in the world for 2023. The Tesla Model Y dethroned the long-standing king of car sales, the Toyota Corolla. While in the U.S. market, things look a bit different, with Ford's F-series trucks continuing to outsell every other make and model, two of Tesla's offerings are in the top 10.

Dickinson County (Michigan) Road Commission partnered with Michigan Technological University and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy for the C.R. 577 projects, one covering 1.8 miles from the Menominee County line to the north and another of 1.5 miles from Hanbury Lake Lane in Norway Township to the south. Bacco Construction Co. of Iron Mountain was the contractor. The commission, in a recent report, explained the methods being demonstrated. The first project involved the use of recycled tire rubber in hot mix asphalt as well as engineered crumb rubber as a stabilizer. Two test sections were done, one made of regular hot mix asphalt and one modified with engineered crumb rubber pellets. The project will compare the performance of ECR asphalt to that of traditional HMA in a cold climate.

For off-season plant repairs, the team is outdoors in what could be blustery weather. Ice and snowpack make for slippery surfaces that require caution and appropriate footwear with good traction. (We’ll assume you have a protocol for removing ice from work platforms.)

Have you made sure each person on the ground crew has good boots for the job? Are the boots “roomy” enough to provide good circulation even with bulky socks keeping feet warm? Even though these are adult workers who can take care of themselves, supervisors and managers can show they care by asking a question or two before sending a fellow out to work a four-hour shift where knees and ankles are bent in ways that restrict blood flow in already cold conditions. 

Look at the gloves your workers bring to the job. Are they going to get caught in components? If your crew practices proper lock-out/tag-out/block-out procedures, the danger of losing a finger to a violent rip of the conveyor belt should be minimal, but will the loose threads of an improper glove tangle around wires or metal that causes other injury? Make sure your workers have work gloves that protect against icy winds and horrible injuries. 

Look at the coats and vests they wear. Are they zipped up in a way that prevents clasps and lapels from getting caught on equipment? Again, adherence to lock-out/tag-out protocol should safeguard workers from unexpected startups that could catch a sleeve or turned-out pocket, but the chain reaction of an accident can be stopped in its tracks if personnel remember “no loose clothing” applies to winter coats and stocking caps. 

If you notice yourself or one of your crew members bundled up to work on repairs and upgrades, please take the time to double-check all safety protocol. Just because the plant is down for seasonal maintenance doesn’t mean it’s any less dangerous for the workers on the ground. Please make sure you include a reminder of lock-out/tag-out/block-out procedures in the morning tailgate talk or safety huddle before work begins. Make this a winter paving season with everyone safe on the site in the new year.

The Feds say funny highway signs are unsafe, but states have been using them to get your attention for years. Here are some of the best ones.

The 2024 SCDOT certification course schedule has been released. Online registration is available on TCTC's website at www.tctc.edu/scdot.

Note that the site will have only one of each course type available for registration at a time, so not all of the sections will show as available. 

Asphalt is flammable if overheated when oxygen is present. Some asphalt cements and air-blown asphalts are not combustible until heated above 450˚F. The ability of asphalt to catch fire varies with the type and amount of solvent. TD Tip – Most PG 64-22 binders flash around 525-575°F degrees F. Beware of using transport companies or hauling trailers that may contain trace amounts of other materials that usually have a lower flash point.