Tuesday, December 11, 2012

APA Gets the FACTS Out About Asphalt



www.AsphaltFACTS.com Launched to Raise Awareness of the Benefits of Smooth, Economical Asphalt Pavements

LANHAM, Md., Dec. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Asphalt Pavement Alliance kicks off its Asphalt FACTS campaign today to help raise public awareness about the many benefits of asphalt pavements.

"Every day, we all use asphalt roads without giving them a second thought. Most people don't understand how technologically advanced asphalt pavements have become and the important role they play in sustainable infrastructure," said Mike Kvach, Executive Director of the APA. "Asphalt FACTS will help raise the awareness of those who use, buy, and design roads as to the benefits of smooth, economical asphalt pavements."

Ninety-four percent of the roads in America are surfaced with asphalt — and for good reasons. Asphalt creates the smoothest surface for driving, ensuring a quieter, more comfortable ride, as well as helping to optimize fuel economy. Asphalt roads can be built more quickly and cost effectively than other pavements, and they can be designed as a Perpetual Pavement that needs only periodic maintenance to remain in good shape practically forever.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about asphalt pavements, but the truth is they are an important part of environmentally responsible construction," said Kvach. "A wide range of recyclable materials — roofing shingles, ground tires, glass — are incorporated into asphalt pavements. Even more exciting is that when asphalt is reclaimed, that material is completely renewable and can be used to build new roads. In fact, asphalt pavement is the most recycled material in America."

The Asphalt FACTS campaign is centered on a new Web site, www.AsphaltFACTS.com, which highlights the truth about smooth, safe, durable, quiet, economical asphalt pavements. The site offers a wealth of links to resources for more information. The site will be promoted through print advertising in trade magazines, social media campaigns, and other education efforts.

"The APA is excited to put the facts about asphalt pavements in front of the public and to get them thinking about the roads they use every day," Kvach said.

About the Asphalt Pavement Alliance:
The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) is a coalition of the Asphalt Institute, the National Asphalt Pavement Association, and the State Asphalt Pavement Associations. The Alliance's mission is to establish asphalt pavement as the preferred choice for quality, performance and the environment. The APA will accomplish this through research, technology transfer, engineering, education, and innovation.


Contact:
Mike Kvach
APA Executive Director
301.918.8391
mkvach@asphaltroads.org


SOURCE Asphalt Pavement Alliance


Friday, December 7, 2012

UDOT Changes


Gov. Gary Herbert announced a major overhaul of his Cabinet on Friday, replacing the heads of the departments of transportation, public safety and corrections in what his office said were "initial changes" to state leadership.
The move was hinted at last month when Herbert’s chief of staff, Derek Miller, said that as much as half of the governor’s 22-member Cabinet could be replaced as Herbert embarks on his first full term as governor.

Monday, December 3, 2012

The Everyday Miracle

You'll never ignore that ordinary strip of pavement under your wheels again.

Chapter 1: My obsession with asphalt was born on a bike ride through a cemetery 

I don't remember how I ended up there that day. Maybe I pedaled up for the view, a smashing panorama of the San Francisco skyline that lies at the end of a grand network of roads and paved lanes that reach up into the hills. Or maybe I was delaying the end of a too-short ride by tacking on a detour that meandered among prim headstones and Munsteresque family crypts. What I do remember clearly is sensory—sniffing the freshly cut grass near the entrance, then noticing the sound of my tires on the pavement, something like sizzling bacon. As I started riding uphill, the smooth, black, buttery layer of asphalt gave way to something crunchy, like the crumb topping on a coffee cake. Little cascades of stones skittered away from my tires. The pavement changed again, tight and brownish. Cracks appeared, then a puzzling, fresh patch of pitch-black asphalt. There came a pothole. And, just past a grave labeled Nutter, the pavement gave up entirely, and the road turned to dirt.  

All the major existential questions rushed at me: Why does some asphalt stay and some asphalt go? Where do roads come from?

Read More

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

2013 Standard Mileage Rates Up 1 Cent per Mile for Business, Medical and Moving

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2013 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2013, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:
  • 56.5 cents per mile for business miles driven
  • 24 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes
  • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations
The rate for business miles driven during 2013 increases 1 cent from the 2012 rate.  The medical and moving rate is also up 1 cent per mile from the 2012 rate.
The standard mileage rate for business is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile. The rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs.
Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates.
A taxpayer may not use the business standard mileage rate for a vehicle after using any depreciation method under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) or after claiming a Section 179 deduction for that vehicle.  In addition, the business standard mileage rate cannot be used for more than four vehicles used simultaneously.
These and other requirements for a taxpayer to use a standard mileage rate to calculate the amount of a deductible business, moving, medical, or charitable expense are in Rev. Proc. 2010-51.  Notice 2012-72 contains the standard mileage rates, the amount a taxpayer must use in calculating reductions to basis for depreciation taken under the business standard mileage rate, and the maximum standard automobile cost that a taxpayer may use in computing the allowance under a fixed and variable rate plan.

Monday, November 19, 2012

GAO Issues Report on Improving Pavement Performance


A long-awaited report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) was released Nov. 14, describing materials and practices used to improve the performance of pavements across the United States. Among its points, the report singled out the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) in building roads with performance characteristics similar to those constructed with new materials but at a lower cost. The State of Washington said it saves $15 million to $20 million annually by using RAP.

The report was initiated at the request of Reps. John J. Duncan Jr. (R-Tenn.) and Frank LoBionda (R-N.J.) on behalf of the Geosynthetic Materials Association. GAO expanded the scope of the study to include all materials, including warm-mix asphalt (WMA), reclaimed and recycled materials, and stone-matrix asphalt, as well as pavement design and material testing practices. The GAO consulted with NAPA, officials from FHWA, and various states around the country.
States interviewed for the report expressed concerns with geosynthetic materials because they can interfere with operation of the milling equipment when performing future pavement work. The report also included a section on the challenges and barriers associated with states adopting new pavement technologies and practices. In addition, intelligent compaction is mentioned throughout the report.
For a copy of GAO-13-32R, "Information on Materials and Practices for Improving Highway Pavement Performance," click here. A second GAO report is due in June 2013 on best practices for calculating life-cycle costs and benefits.

Friday, November 2, 2012

UDOT presents plan for adding 21 miles of express lane to I-15


ROY — If another lane is built on Interstate 15 through Weber and Davis counties, the biggest impact will be noise.
On Thursday night in Roy, the Utah Department of Transportation held the first of two public hearings on its plan to extend the state’s express lane system throughout the Top of Utah.
A second hearing is set from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Woods Cross City Hall, 1555 S. 800 West.
UDOT is conducting an environmental study on a project that will add express lanes from Interstate 215 in North Salt Lake to U.S. 89 in Farmington, and from Hill Field Road in Layton to the junction with Interstate 84 in Riverdale.
The new lanes would total 21 miles on both the north and south sides of the freeway and would make more room on I-15, particularly for carpoolers.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. Completes Acquisition of Montana Refining Company, Inc.


INDIANAPOLISOct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. ("Calumet") (NASDAQ: CLMT) announced today that it completed the previously announced acquisition of Montana Refining Company, Inc.  ("Montana Refining") on October 1, 2012 for $120 million plus an amount for estimated closing date working capital, for aggregate consideration paid of approximately $201 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments (the "Montana Refining Acquisition").
Montana Refining owns and operates a refinery in Great Falls, Montana with crude oil throughput capacity of approximately 9,800 barrels per day (the "Refinery").  The Refinery produces gasoline, middle distillates and asphalt which Montana Refining markets primarily into local markets in WashingtonMontanaIdaho and Alberta, Canada. 
"We are very excited to add Montana Refining's people and assets to Calumet.  We look forward to working with the Montana Refining employees on a successful integration.  Starting with our acquisition of the Superior refinery in September 2011, we have spent approximately $1 billion on complementary acquisitions over the past year. We continue to actively look for additional growth opportunities, which will complement our current assets and diversify our geographic presence," said Bill Grube, Calumet's Chief Executive Officer. 

The Montana Refining Acquisition was funded primarily with cash on hand, with the balance through borrowings under Calumet's senior secured revolving credit facility.

About Calumet 
Calumet is a master limited partnership and is a leading independent producer of high-quality, specialty hydrocarbon products in North America. Calumet processes crude oil and other feedstocks into customized lubricating oils, solvents, waxes and asphalt used in consumer, industrial, and automotive products. Calumet also produces fuel products including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Calumet is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and has ten plants located in northwest Louisiana, northwest Wisconsin, northern Montana, western Pennsylvania, southeastern Texas and eastern Missouri.
SOURCE Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P.

Monday, October 1, 2012

NAPA QIC Awards Deadline Extended


The deadline for nominating Quality in Construction Awards to NAPA has been extended by one week to Friday, Oct. 12.  NAPA's Quality in Construction Awards gives national recognition for the superior asphalt paving projects around the nation.

Open to NAPA members, potential members, paving contractors, and owning agencies (DOTs, cities, counties, or municipalities), these awards are given for airports, roads, highways, parking lots, and innovative projects.

The nomination process is now online. Don't delay in submitting your projects! Companies can nominate more than one project - all projects meeting the threshold will receive recognition at NAPA's Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., in February 2013. NAPA also highlights all award winners in Asphalt Pavement magazine and on our Web site www.AsphaltPavement.org. Additionally, NAPA conducts a national media relations campaign and provides press releases to help companies promote their high-quality work.

Begin the nomination process today. Go to www.AsphaltPavement.org/Awards to begin. Contact Ester Magorka, Director of Awards & NAPA PAC Programs, with any questions.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Continuing Resolution Cuts Highway Funding

The House and Senate have approved a funding bill to keep all government agencies, including the Department of Transportation, funded through March 27, 2013, at levels similar to that of fiscal year 2012. Transportation spending under the continuing resolution do not reflect the levels authorized by MAP-21, which should go into effect on October 1, 2012. According to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), at the funding levels in the continuing resolution the federal highway program will lose approximately $500 million and 17,000 jobs. NAPA staff met with Senators Boxer and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) on Sept. 13 to discuss the situation. The senators agreed to work on a retroactive fix when the full-year appropriation is finalized later this year or at the start of the 113th Congress in 2013. Click here for a copy of the letter released by NAPA and the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC) opposing the continuing resolution’s cuts to highway funding.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The Future of Asphalt Pavement in Utah

The Utah Asphalt Pavement Association (UAPA) in partnership with Staker Parson recently played host to two groups of civil and environmental engineering students from the University of Utah.  As part of the tour, students were given a first-hand look at the mining operations of Staker Parson's Beck Street location as well as a tour of the company's asphalt pavement lab and the hot mix plant.  Special thanks to Craig Fabrizio, Travis Canfield, and Jeff Collard from Staker Parson for making this tour possible!


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

New paving technique could lead to better roads


LEHI — UDOT is testing a new paving technique in Lehi, and road-builders from Japan and Germany are checking it out.
It's called "intelligent compaction," and just as that name implies, this technique is a smarter way to get the job done.
"(It) is an innovative technique that has the potential to increase efficiency, reduce costs and produce a longer-lasting quality road," said Muriel Xochimitl, a public involvement manager.
The road surface needs to be even and dense.
"You need to compact the road so you don't have problems in the future, so you don't have rutting or potholes or something like that," said Project Manager Jim Golden. 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

CMT Engineering Laboratories Demonstration


CMT Engineering Laboratories Demonstration 
July 18th at 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.


As we partner with several of our member companies, UAPA is pleased to draw your attention to this great event taking place at CMT Engineering Laboratories on July 18th. We hope you will be able to join us.

For more information regarding the event please


As always, please do not hesitate to contact me directly if there is anything UAPA can do to help you or our industry here in Utah.  As an association, we stand ready to help promote industry events such as this and we congratulate our member companies for putting this event together in partnership with the city. 

I look forward to seeing you there!  
  
W. Reed Ryan
Utah Asphalt Pavement Association
7414 South State Street
Midvale, UT 84047
(801) 916-2426

Monday, July 9, 2012

The New Transportation Bill: MAP-21 Signed into Public Law


For the first time in nearly seven years, the country has a new multiyear surface transportation reauthorization. On Friday, July 6, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 4248, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), into law at a ceremony that included construction workers and other stakeholders. Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee John Mica (R-Fla.) and House Transportation Committee Ranking Member Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) were on hand for the signing ceremony.
"This bill will keep thousands of construction workers on the job rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure ...," said Obama. "There’s work to be done building roads and bridges and wireless networks. There are hundreds of thousands of construction workers that are ready to do it." (Transportation Nation has the full transcript of Obama's remarks.)
NAPA has posted a special summary of highway and research provisions, the very latest state-by-state funding charts, the official enrolled copy of the legislation, and additional information on the legislation at www.asphaltpavement.org/govaffairs.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Congress approves bill to save jobs, freeze student loan rates

The U.S. Congress has approved a measure to freeze federally subsidized loan rates for college students for a year and to fund the nation's transportation construction and maintenance program for two years. It is the first long-term highway measure approved since 2005 and was approved on bipartisan votes of 373 to 52 in the House and 74 to 19 in the Senate.
Read more at:

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Sales Tax Fund to Fuel Millions in Road Work


Transportation - Earmark will provide $71 million next year, $113 million by 2015. 
By Lee Davidson 
The Salt Lake Tribune 
First Published Apr 13 2012 01:13 pm • Last Updated Apr 14 2012 11:39 pm
Transportation officials figure that a new law earmarking 30 percent of growth in sales tax revenue for highway construction will generate more than expected. And the Utah Transportation Commission approved a list of projects Friday on which it hopes to spend that money over the next several years. 
Gov. Gary Herbert last year vetoed SB229, which earmarked that sales tax growth for road work, arguing it would hinder the state’s ability to address other needs such as education. But the Legislature overrode his veto. 
Debate at the time estimated the change could generate $60 million a year for highways, depending on how quickly Utah’s economy grows. The Utah Department of Transportation now projects it will generate $70.9 million in 2013 (the first year of such earmarks), $86 million in 2014 and $113.6 million in 2015. 


Read More

Friday, April 6, 2012

UDOT announces more than 200 summer road construction projects


A recent Deseret News article talks about the more than 200 summer UDOT projects that will be going on costing an estimated $4 billion. 
SOUTH JORDAN — Motorists traveling east on Daybreak View Parkway past Herriman High School pass signs warning of construction, but Thursday afternoon, only a few construction workers and trucks are visible. Many of the residents at the Timbergate apartment complex across the street weren't even sure what was being built there. 
It won't be that way for long. 
The site is one of more than 200 projects the Utah Department of Transportation will be working on for the rest of the year, a record in the state. UDOT estimates the projects will cost just under an estimated $4 billion. 
"There's a lot of pain coming," said Robert Stewart, I-15 CORE deputy project director for UDOT. 

Read More Now. (Deseret News) 
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865553564/UDOT-announces-more-than-200-summer-road-construction-projects.html

Friday, March 30, 2012

Senate approves 90-day highway extension, sending measure to President Obama


In the industry news ... 
By Keith Laing - 03/29/12 02:52 PM ET
The Senate approved the extension of federal highway funding that was passed by the House on Thursday, accepting a short-term solution leaders in the chamber vehemently opposed. 

The measure, H.R 4281, now goes to President Obama. It extends the current funding for road and transit projects until June 30, the ninth such continuance of the last multiyear highway authorization that was approved by Congress, which expired in 2009.

Even as they were approving the measure in an anticlimactic voice vote, Democrats sharply criticized Republicans for not accepting a two-year, $109 billion version of the transportation measure the Senate had approved on a bipartisan vote earlier this month.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Material-Specific Discount Rate Flaws Raised in Media


During NAPA's Annual Meeting in California, a press conference was held to inform industry journalists about the white paper "An Economic Analysis of the Proposed Material-Specific Discount Rate for Commodity Pricing in Highway Construction Life-Cycle Cost Analyses" (NAPA Special Report 203). The white paper highlights flaws in using material-specific discount rates in LCCAs — a unique approach with no support in accepted economic practices — as promoted by the Portland Cement Association. The approach is based on information from a 2011 report by the Concrete Sustainability Hub (CSH) that attempts to model differing inflationary pressures for different materials within an LCCA.
NAPA's Dr. Audrey Copeland, Vice President for Engineering, Research, & Technology, and Jay Hansen, Executive Vice President, briefed members of the media about the findings in the white paper, as well as legislative initiatives that use the CSH report in an attempt to mandate the use of a material-specific discount rate.
Since the press conference, the NAPA report has been covered by Better Roads,ForConstructionPros.com (the Web portal for Asphalt Contractor, Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction, and other titles), Public Works Magazine,InfraStructures, and Rebuilding America's Infrastructure. The white paper has also been reported on by Engineering News-Record.
A copy of the white paper and supporting materials are available at www.asphaltpavement.org/SR203.

Transportation Bill Clears House Committee


Friday, Feb. 3, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a five-year, $260 billion reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs. After a contentious 18-hour meeting during which more than 100 amendments were considered, the vote was 29–24 to send H.R. 7, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, to the House floor. H.R. 7 provides, on average, $40.9 billion for highways thru FY 2016. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the measure "the worst transportation bill" he's seen in decades, describing it in an interview with Politicoas "partisan," "anti-safety" and inadequate in funding infrastructure investment.
Also, the House Ways and Means Committee approved 20–17 the revenue provisions of H.R. 7. The committee voted to shift the 2.86 cents per gallon gas tax used to fund mass transit programs into the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund. Under the measure, transit programs would instead be funded through a new Alternative Transportation Fund. The full House is expected to consider H.R. 7 the week of Feb. 13.  More information about H.R. 7 is available in the Government Affairs section of the NAPA Web site, www.asphaltpavement.org.

President's Message - February 2012


2012 is off to a great start!  Reed Ryan began his employment with UAPA on January 9, 2012, as our Executive Director. He hit the pavement (asphalt of course!) running and hasn't slowed down since.  Thanks to all of the members that have taken time to introduce Reed to their companies and key personnel.  Reed has already shown us why he was the perfect choice for this position with his abilities to organize our group better and start building key relationships within our industry.  Because of this, UAPA is making great strides and new members continue to join weekly.  As more members become involved we are all continuing to see the benefits of UAPA membership.

If I may, let me share both a reminder and challenge as we prepare for the 2012 Utah Asphalt Conference that will be held on March 27, 2012, at the South Towne Center in Sandy, Utah.  As many of you may know, we are working closely with the Utah LTAP Center and the Asphalt Institute in preparation for a well-attended and educational event.  After you pencil in this event on your own calendars, please take a moment to share an invitation to this conference with everyone involved in our industry and support UAPA as we look for sponsors and exhibitors.

Beyond the Asphalt Conference, we also have many other beneficial events coming up in the next few months.  We are continuing our quarterly UDOT/UAPA meetings, forming UAPA subcommittees as needed to address industry topics, and in May we are co-hosting an Asphalt Institute training meeting. 

Thanks again to everyone that is working to grow our association.  Please feel free to share any suggestions or needs that UAPA can address. 

Best Regards,

Craig Fabrizio
Staker Parson Companies
UAPA President

Executive Director's Message - February 2012


Thank you for welcoming me into the asphalt pavement family here in Utah. My wife and I have deep ties to the state and I am excited for the opportunity to return. While in Washington, D.C., my experiences in and around the federal government taught me many things. I hope to use those skills now as the Utah Asphalt Pavement Association (UAPA) takes the next steps as a growing association. 

Reed Ryan
Indeed, as UAPA begins to take those steps the vision of our organization remains clear: UAPA is committed to being the unified voice of the asphalt industry in Utah. To be that voice, I know that we will all have do to a lot of listening first. Together, let us listen to each other, let us listen to our customers, and let us listen to opinion leaders across the state. I am confident that as we engage in this exercise that the unification of our voice will come naturally and powerfully to those who will hear what it is we have to say.


As the executive director of UAPA, I stand ready to listen to you. You make our industry what it is today and what it will become tomorrow. I work for you. Let me hear what it is you have to say. Then, let us see what we can accomplish together. I know we can make a difference, and I am excited for what lies ahead.
Let's get to work.
               
                -Reed Ryan
                Utah Asphalt Pavement Association
                (801) 916-2426 cell
                reed@utahasphalt.org

Utah Asphalt Conference - Save the Date

Register Now 
to attend the 
Annual Utah Asphalt Conference 
March 27, 2012 
South Towne Expo Center

Friday, January 6, 2012

Presidents Message


As this year comes to an end, I am very excited to announce the hiring of our Executive Director for the Utah Asphalt Pavement Association. The Board members have spent many hours  working thru the hiring process interviewing and meeting with many potential candidates. We are confident that we have made a fantastic decision for our members, the association and our industry.
Reed Ryan (pictured right) will begin his career as the Executive director of UAPA on January 8, 2012. Reeds comes to us from the Washington, DC area where he has spent many years in federal lobbying and government relations. Reed and his family have roots in the Wasatch Front area and are excited for the opportunity to relocate here and begin this journey with UAPA. Next month we will schedule a membership meeting so that all members and potential members can get to know Reed better. 
UAPA and LTAP are working together to plan our 2012 Utah Asphalt Conference. It will be held this year on March 27, 2012 at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy, Utah. More details will be provided soon, we will need help from many of you with presentations and sponsorships.
With the new year comes new challenges and opportunities but I know that with our new Executive Director and the support of the members we can continue to accomplish the mission and goals that we have outlined for our industry and the association. I wish all of you a very Happy Holiday Season and a Prosperous New Year. May all of you be able to spend time with family and loved ones during this holiday season. Thanks again for all of your support and help this year.
Regards,
Craig Fabrizio
President, UAPA