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CONTENTS
asphaltPRO February 2021
departments
42
Editor’s Letter
6 – Our Industry Protects the Environment
SAFETY SPOTLIGHT 8 – Tips for Optimum Mask Efficacy By AsphaltPro Staff
MIX IT UP
12 – Rejuvenating Agent Maximizes Illinois Tollway Recycle By Steven Rotz
TRAINING 18 – Prevent Messes in Front of the Paver By John Ball
PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE
20 – Save a Road with Fibers, FDR By Kristin Crawford
PRODUCER PROFILE
26 – Martin Marietta Invests in Aerotropolis Asphalt Plant By Sarah Redohl
20
48
WOMEN of ASPHALT PROFILE 32 – A Woman of Asphalt: Meet Gabriel Contractors’ Kristi Vertucci By Sandy Lender
INTERNATIONAL SNAPSHOT 38 – International On-site Recycling By Hans-Peter Beyeler
26
PRODUCT GALLERY 54 – Maintain Plant Production By AsphaltPro Staff
NEW TECH 62 – The Future of Fuel By Sarah Redohl
OFF THE MAT 64 – App Your Way to Better Pay By AsphaltPro Staff
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS 66 – Caterpillar’s PM800 Series Cold Planers By AsphaltPro Staff
ONLINE UPDATE
70 – AsphaltPro Online
Feature articles 42 – Busby Reclaims in the Granite State By Sue Luse 46 – How to Make Asphalt the Real Green Deal By Malcolm Swanson, P.E. 48 – Intelligent Compaction Finishes Maintenance Project By Janie Gallagher 68 – EPA Gives Final Decision on Particulate Matter By AsphaltPro Staff
The Recycling Issue
asphaltPRO PRODUCTION – PROFESSIONALS – PRODUCTS
Swiss Motorway Recycles On-site
e5 Sustainability • • • • •
Busby Reclaims Big Depths V.A. Paving Reinforces FDR All Roads Finalizes Recycling Job Martin Marietta Installs New Plant Allied Asphalt Rejuvenates Tollway Mix
FEBRUARY 2021 WWW.THEASPHALTPRO.COM
on the cover An ABT HRT plant works in-place to provide around 250,000 tonnes for the N2 Motorway’s recycling needs. Photo courtesy of Ammann Group
editor’s Letter Our Industry Protects the Environment
Long-time subscribers know individual staff members of AsphaltPro magazine are committed to environmental sustainability. Along with sea turtle conservation, I personally have an obsession with planting trees and shrubberies that feed bees and butterflies. This touches tangentially on the recycling topic this month so I hope you’ll indulge me as I share some news from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) e-newsletter TRB News, first published Dec. 3, 2020. First, for background, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided Dec. 15, 2020, not to classify the monarch butterfly as a federally endangered species under the Endangered Species Act yet. The official word from FWS is “listing the monarch as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act is warranted, but precluded by higher priority listing actions.” Transportation planning can help all the wildlife, though, no matter its status. “Roadsides provide promising monarch butterfly habitat as they frequently contain nectar and host plants; however, they also present a range of risks, including pesticide spillover, vehicle collisions, contaminant runoff and non-native vegetation,” the December TRB e-newsletter stated. “The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's (NCHRP) Evaluating the Suitability of Roadway Corridors for Use by Monarch Butterflies provides guidance for roadside managers to determine the potential of their roadway corridors as habitat for monarch butterflies. The research topic influenced a 2014 Presidential Memorandum encouraging U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration to work with state departments of transportation, transportation associations and roadside managers as part of a holistic approach within the United States to promote the health of pollinators. The report also includes several tools and decision-support mechanisms to optimize habitat potential in a manner that is compatible with the continued operation and maintenance of the roadside. “Earlier in 2020, a TRB webinar based on the report highlighted tools available to roadside managers to assess monarch habitats. Participants also heard about management support materials and were presented with case studies regarding the success of programs in transportation departments with pollinator habitat programs.” Here’s the rub in potentially “legislating compassion.” As mentioned in the first paragraph of this month’s note, individual members of this magazine staff—as well as members of our industry—care about the environment around them and work to preserve and safeguard that environment. Members of the asphalt industry don’t require government regulation to strong-arm us into protecting wildlife, water, air and so on. Independence tends to go out the window when legislative bodies pass laws demanding certain percentages of plastic be included in asphalt mix designs or insanely low volatile organic compounds eek past filters in stacks. As evidenced by the preponderance of self-regulating ideas for making work sites pollution-free and roadsides hospitable for non-endangered butterflies, our industry is working on sustainability even without draconian decrees from government interference. Our industry is made up of humans who live in the same environments and communities as the humans who are not part of the industry. From lab techs who seek viable options for increasing recycled asphalt pavement percentages in mix designs to hot-mix plant owners who build tortoise habitats on the edges of their sites to aggregate suppliers who reclaim their land into waterways for wildlife to every asphalt professional who finds a way to reduce fuel use, stack temperatures, paper tickets at loadout, and so on, this industry is finding a multitude of creative and innovative ways to save the planet we call home without legislative complications. We’ve got this. Stay Safe,
Sandy Lender
6 // February 2021
February 2021 • Vol. 14 No.5
asphaltPRO
602 W. Morrison, Box 6a • Fayette, MO 65248
(573) 823-6297 • www.theasphaltpro.com GROUP PUBLISHER Chris Harrison chris@ theasphaltpro.com PUBLISHER Sally Shoemaker sally@theasphaltpro.com (573) 823-6297 EDITOR Sandy Lender sandy@theasphaltpro.com (239) 272-8613 ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sarah Redohl sarah@theasphaltpro.com (573) 355-9775 MEDIA SALES Cara Owings cara@theasphaltpro.com (660) 537-0778 ART DIRECTOR Kristin Branscom BUSINESS MANAGER Susan Campbell (660) 728-5007
AsphaltPro is published 11 times per year. Writers expressing views in AsphaltPro Magazine or on the AsphaltPro website are professionals with sound, professional advice. Views expressed herein are not necessarily the same as the views of AsphaltPro, thus producers/contractors are still encouraged to use best practices when implementing new advice. SUBSCRIPTION POLICY: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the United Sates, Canada and Mexico to qualified individuals. One year subscription to non-qualifying Individuals: United States $90, Canada and Mexico $125.00. For the international digital edition, visit theasphaltpro.com/subscribe/.
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Safety Spotlight
Tips for Optimum Mask Efficacy A
Although the general public has been asked to wear masks for nearly a year, a number of misconceptions about proper use remain. Many of us may be wearing masks incorrectly, unknowingly reducing their efficacy and putting ourselves and those around us at greater risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. Furthermore, we’ve learned a lot about mask usage in the past year. That’s why the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) invited Maryann D'Alessandro, director of the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), a research center of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), to present a webinar sharing best practices and correcting common misconceptions. Here are 11 insights D'Alessandro shared. 1. Who has regulatory authority over respirators in U.S. occupational settings? This depends. Authorities include NIOSH, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). NIOSH certifies respirators, while OSHA oversees workplace compliance. The FDA, however, certifies medical devices and has additional requirements for N95 masks used in healthcare settings. 2. As an employer, what do I need to do to comply with OSHA’s respirator regulations? Proper respirator use in the workplace is outlined in OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910.134, which mandates medical evaluation, formal training and fit testing. D'Alessandro recommends reviewing the variety of resources available to guide compliance efforts. “Construction is already familiar with fit testing because there are many exposures where employees are required to wear respirators in the workplace,” D'Alessandro said. She also recommends conducting a user seal test when a user first puts on a respirator to minimize face seal leakage and increase user confidence, though this does not replace a fit test.
8 // February 2021
“Respirators used in the general public are not subject to the same requirements as those in the workplace,” D'Alessandro added. 3. Am I wearing my mask properly? For a respirator to be effective, it must be put on correctly, worn throughout the exposure, and fit snugly against the user’s face to ensure there are no gaps between the skin and the respirator seal. She points out the possibility of facial hair compromising the respirator’s seal, sharing a graphic of various appropriate and interfering facial hair styles that went viral on social media. For example, soul patches and Zorro mustaches are unlikely to interfere with a respirator’s seal, whereas mutton chops and Fu Manchu mustaches will impact the seal and reduce the protection received by the wearer. See the graphic on this page. 4. Do masks protect me, the people around me, or both? This also depends on the type of mask used, D'Alessandro said. Masks offering source control protect others, while respiratory protection protects the wearer. “There is some evidence,” D'Alessandro said, “that devices worn for source control provide some protection for wearers as well, though they are not equivalent to respiratory protection devices.” 5. How effective are different types of respiratory devices? “Respirators and face masks have a wide range of filter efficiencies,” D'Alessandro said. A device rated P100 has a filter efficiency greater than 99.98 percent; an N95 mask, greater than 98.8 percent; an FDA surgical mask ranges from 12 to 98 percent; cloth masks range from 10 to 26 percent. 6. Do you have any recommendations for selecting a more effective cloth mask? Choose a mask with two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric. Be sure the mask completely covers your nose and mouth, and fits snugly against the sides of
your face. “You see a lot of people out there who have their nose exposed,” D'Alessandro said. “The nose is the entry portal for many viruses, so it’s very important to cover your nose and your mouth.” For people who wear glasses, a mask that fits closely over one’s nose or a mask that has a nose wire can help to limit fogging. D'Alessandro also said to avoid masks intended for healthcare workers, such as N95 respirators and surgical masks. NIOSH is involved in several initiatives to address gaps in non-occupational respiratory protection and source control, D'Alessandro said. She added that the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) is working on a test method to determine filter efficiency for cloth masks. 7. Can I use a respirator with an exhalation valve? “The current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance is that you shouldn’t use a respirator with an exhalation valve,” D'Alessandro said. However, NIOSH published a report in December 2020 (www. cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2021-107/default. html) sharing recent findings that may contradict past guidance. “Our suspicion was that respirators with face valves would provide source control relatively equivalent to cloth face coverings and surgical masks because you don’t have the gaps on the side that you often have with cloth masks. That is what we found in our technical report, so we are working to update the guidance.” Furthermore, she added that some manufacturers of respirators with exhalation valves are working on designated accessories to cover the valve. Some elastomeric respirators (EHMRs) also have exhalation valve covers, and some manufacturers of EHMRs are filtering exhaled breath coming out of the valves. 8. What about gaiters and face shields? “There have been a few studies out there on gaiters that have shown they are not a good product to wear,” D'Alessandro said. “But other studies show that if you have at least two layers, like if you fold a gaiter to make it
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Safety Spotlight
CONTROLS
CONTROLS Some facial hair styles interfere with the efficacy of respirators. AsphaltPro makes no claims as to fashionability of any of the above facial hair styles. Source: CDC, NIOSH
two layers, it could provide similar levels of protection and source control as a cloth mask.” Face shields, she added, aren’t recommended because of the gaps around the sides that allow particles to go around the shield. 9. What about cleaning reusable respirators, such as EHMRs and powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs)? Disinfection is not part of the NIOSH approval of respirators; NIOSH points to the manufacturer’s instructions. OSHA permits employers to use the cleaning recommendations provided by the manufacturer. Under crisis capacity guidelines, the CDC and NIOSH provide guidelines for disinfection, including the Bessessen protocol. Check the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of authorized disinfectants. “We’ve seen an increase in use of NIOSH-approved air purifying respirators (PAPRs) not only in healthcare, but in construction as well,” D'Alessandro said.
10 // February 2021
10. Can I buy respirators from abroad? “Roughly 60 percent of international respirators provide below 95 percent filtration efficiency,” D'Alessandro said. “If you plan to purchase respirators from other countries, I highly recommend looking at the FDA’s emergency use authorization list of respirators because those are the ones we’ve evaluated and we have confidence that they meet the requirements we expect them to meet. There are a lot of counterfeit and substandard products out there.” Visit www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/respirators/testing/NonNIOSH results.html to view the reports. 11. When should I wear a mask? The CDC recommends wearing masks when around any individual not in your household, especially when you are not able to maintain the recommended social distance. D'Alessandro added that
there has been evidence of transmission in outdoor settings when there have been gatherings of a larger number of people in a smaller outdoor setting. “Even if you’re in an outdoor setting, if you’re around CONTROLS others you should be wearing a mask or other device,” she said. “We know the virus can still be spread even if someone doesn’t have symptoms,” D'Alessandro said. “By wearing these masks, they are most likely to reCONTROLS duce the spread in these public settings when they are worn by everyone.”
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MORE THAN MASKS
Even when wearing a mask, D'Alessandro suggests social distancing, washing your hands often with soap and water CONTROLS for at least 20 seconds (or using a hand sanitizer with 60 percent alcohol, if soap and water is not readily accessible), and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces. – BY ASPHALTPRO STAFF
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mix it up
Rejuvenating Agent Maximizes Illinois Tollway Recycle T
The Illinois Tollway is a 294-mile, heavily trafficked, user-fee-supported roadway, which “...seeks to minimize the environmental impact of roadway construction and maintenance by reducing, recycling and reusing materials using green technology, while using best practices to protect and enhance the natural and physical environment,” according to the tollway’s website. One of the most effective ways of achieving these goals is by maximizing the recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled asphalt shingle (RAS) content in the paving mix. The use of high-quality engineered asphalt rejuvenators such as ReLIXER™ from Sripath Technologies®, can increase the recyclables percentage while maintaining performance specifications. This drive for high performance additives comes at a time when transportation agencies worldwide are facing multiple challenges including funding pressures, environmental sustainability issues, higher traffic loads and durability concerns. High quality, proven, engineered rejuvenators offer the potential to address these concerns. ReLIXER is designed to allow mixes with 40–50 percent RAP, even up to 100 percent RAP, while delivering performance equivalent to conventional mixes. ReLIXER has also proven to ease compaction and workability issues posed by stiff, high RAP/RAS mixes. The advantage of using high RAP/RAS levels in road construction is realized through a reduced need for virgin asphalt and aggregate. This reduction lowers emissions and energy associated with existing resource extraction, lessens transportation costs, and avoids the cost of landfilling old pavement while creating significant savings in highway construction dollars. According to the 10th annual Asphalt Pavement Industry Survey on Recycled Materials and WarmMix Asphalt Usage (IS-138) available from the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) website, almost 90 million tons of RAP/RAS were used in 2019. This usage was estimated to have reduced the need for 4.5
12 // February 2021
Since the 1960s, Plote Construction has provided quality hot-mix asphalt, warm-mix asphalt, cold patch, and asphalt paving materials for highways, driveways, runways, and commercial parking lots. million tons of asphalt binder and 84 million tons of aggregate with a total estimated value of more than $3.2 billion. When people think about recycling, they usually think about aluminum cans. Those have an approximate consumer recycle rate of less than 50 compared compared to the near 100 percent recycling rate for asphalt pavements. Rejuvenators have been used for some time with mixed results. Their performance claims are being carefully vetted by contractors, mix producers, testing agencies and independent labs. Rightly so, because their potential is so great, yet the possibility of premature road failure is sizable if mixes are poorly designed. In 2015, after two years of development and testing, ReLIXER was commercialized in the United States. The product was introduced worldwide in 2017. To date, over 10 million tons of high RAP/RAS mix using ReLIXER has been laid down in ports, state/ local roads and well-trafficked highways.
ILLINOIS STUDIES RELIXER A case study of an Illinois Tollway Authority trial project provides lessons on how to bring all interested parties to the table to achieve the goals of creating the best pavement at the lowest cost. In meetings with them, representatives from the Modified Asphalt Research Center (MARC) at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, S.T.A.T.E. Testing, Plote Construction and Sripath Technologies proposed a plan that maximized the RAP/RAS content in mixes with the use of ReLIXER. At that first meeting, the history of ReLIXER was reviewed by Hussain Bahia, director of MARC, who played a key role in product development and introduction. Krishna Srinivasan, president of Sripath Technologies, reviewed the product’s performance and use in a wide variety of settings. Jay Behnke, president of S.T.A.T.E. Testing discussed the role of his third-party testing/auditing lab, which is accredited by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation
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mix it up To date, over 10 million tons of high RAP/RAS mix using ReLIXER has been laid down in ports, state/local roads and well-trafficked highways.
Krishna Srinivasan of Sripath Technologies stated: “Our environmental impact can be minimized through the use of high ABR mixes that are possible using rejuvenators like ReLIXER.”
Paving occurred over an eight-day period, including nighttime paving, on sections of the Illinois Tollway’s Interstates 294 and 88. Table 1. Production Mix Data: 40 Percent ABR (FRAP + RAS)
Source: Sripath Technologies
Officials (AASHTO), in product qualification. Tollway Authorities green-lighted the plan for their two-step validation process for emergent technologies. “It’s always good for progressive agencies, like the Tollway Authority, to investigate and implement performance-based mixes on high volume roadways that deliver performance, while utilizing valuable resources that would have otherwise gone to landfills,” Behnke said. “The use of rejuvenation technologies, like ReLIXER, should help agencies and DOTs gain confidence to employ proven, eco-friendly technologies that promote sustainability and deliver cost savings, while meeting performance specifications.” The first step in the approval process was to obtain representative samples of the asphalt, aggregate, fractionated RAP (FRAP) and RAS that were to be used in the trials. After the FRAP and RAS asphalt extraction and characterization, mix formulations were generated and tested to determine ReLIXER dosages for the two mixes that were employed in the trials. The first mix met the current standard specification of 30 percent asphalt binder replacement ratio (ABR). The second mix was created at 40 percent ABR in an effort to comply with possible future requirements. Testing continued after each plant trial on mix samples to ensure all specifications of the dense-graded Superpave mix design for N70 were met. Plote Construction developed all of the mix designs, which were subsequently verified by the Tollway. Having pioneered technologies like FRAP, crumb rubber (CRM) and RAS in the Midwest, Plote Construction, a construction materials producer and paving company in Northern Illinois, was eager to work on rejuvenation technologies for this project. Dan Plote, president of Plote Construction, stated that he was especially pleased, despite the COVID-19 environment, to see the
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14 // February 2021
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mix it up Plote-S.T.A.T.E-MARC-Sripath team working together, showing a can-do attitude, to demonstrate the effectiveness of ReLIXER in high RAP/RAS mixes. All variables under consideration were evaluated in two plant trials, carried out over eight days, using mixes from two different plants. Trial 1 consisted of 1,600 tons of mix produced in Plote’s Allied Asphalt Franklin Park plant using their Dillman Dual Drum system. In the second trial, 3,800 tons of mix were produced at Plote’s West Chicago plant, which used an Astec Double Barrel® system. In both trials, an AquaFoam® additive pump system was used to meter in the ReLIXER and the mix production temperature of 300°F was held constant. Well over five lane-miles of base and top courses on Interstates 88 and 294 of the Tollway were completed as well as private roads in the area. Depending on the mix placed, a variety of rollers were used including a Caterpillar tandem vibratory, a Sakai static three-wheel and a
Sakai 800 Series oscillating roller. Ambient conditions during placement and compaction ranged between 60 and 85°F. Production samples of the mix were obtained and tested for a range of binder and mix properties by S.T.A.T.E and MARC. Representative data from the production trials is shown in Table 1. Greg Rohlf, Plote’s research and development manager, reported, “The trials mirrored the lab evaluations, and the dosage efficiency was particularly good. The high ABR mix with ReLIXER was very workable and laid down a good mat that compacted easily. The laydown process was no different than any regular mix, nor did we need any specialized equipment to make or lay down the mix.” John Lavallee, lead HMA P.E. at S.T.A.T.E., said, “…We were looking for effective rejuvenation technologies and ReLIXER delivered on all counts—product performance, ease of use in the plant and good finished compaction.”
TOP: The dosage accuracy of ReLIXER metered into the mix was assured using a calibrated Aquaflow additive pump system. BOTTOM: Paving occurred over an eightday period, including nighttime paving, on sections of the Illinois Tollway’s Interstates 294 and 88. Bahia from MARC, has been working with ReLIXER since 2011, and was also pleased with the trial results. “We have worked very successfully with Sripath to bring multiple innovative products to the asphalt industry, and it is gratifying to see successful adoptions of ReLIXER. It is really a high-performance product that we have tested over the past few years for multiple customers of Sripath in North America and Asia.” Rohlf, from Plote, summed up the total experience by saying, “We have evaluated multiple rejuvenation technologies and found ReLIXER to be best-in-class from a performance-economics-usability point of view.” – BY STEVEN ROTZ
Steve Rotz, founder and president of Additive Advisors LLC, brings over 25 years of experience in the asphalt and asphalt additives industries to his consulting practice. Sripath Technologies, formed in 2006, is an innovative, technologically driven company serving the asphalt additive needs of the paving and roofing industries. For more information, visit www. sripath.com.
16 // February 2021
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training
Prevent Messes in Front of the Paver P
Paving crewmembers can joke about haul truck drivers buying beer when they make a mess in front of the paver, but the sad fact is dumping a few tons on the ground costs everyone big money. Time, energy, segregated material and bad marketing are just a few of the expenses you can start calculating when you see a mound of hot mix dumped out. It’s no laughing matter. Before we start pointing fingers, let’s look at the remedy. A truck driver can keep his foot on the brake all day long and still have tonnage push the body out of the hopper. This doesn’t take the blame off the driver, but it requires more training. While the truck driver is still at the asphalt plant, he will spray the clean bed with a release agent to assist in the smooth flow of material later. Whether this is done under an automated spray system or at a hand-held wand station, the driver sets himself up for success by ensuring the body is free of caked material and then spraying it with release agent before loadout. After loadout, the truck driver wastes no time dilly-dallying or stopping along his appointed route, but goes directly to the jobsite with the perishable product. When the truck driver backs toward the paver, he comes to a stop within a few inches of the roller bars. The paver operator then gently inches forward to bring the roller bars in contact with the truck’s back tires. This calm and careful operation is the first step in the choreography for charging the hopper perfectly. Next, the paver operator or dump man will signal for the truck driver to put on the brake. The brake prevents the pressure of the tons of moving mix from pushing the truck away from the paver. Next, the paver operator or dump man will signal for the truck driver to raise the body of the truck a certain degree to move the material as a mass, flowing it into the hopper as a constant river of homogenous mix. There should be no mountains of mix falling in segregated clumps. The paver operator can see what is taking place in the body of the truck at this point. He can see whether the material is moving as a mass or is breaking. If a portion of the mix “holds back” or breaks away and stays at the “top” of the truck, it presents a problem. By raising the truck bed higher, the truck driver will merely cause that portion to fall suddenly and violently down. It will shove the body away from the paver. Gravity will pull the material to the ground as the truck lurches forward. You will be left with a mess. To avoid the mess, don’t get greedy. Avoid lifting the body to get that last portion. Instead, the paver operator or dump man should signal the truck driver to lower the bed and drive to the designated cleanout area.
18 // February 2021
To avoid mistakes like this, the paver operator and/or the dump man have to make the tough call to send the truck driver away even if he still has mix in the back of the truck. Don’t let the driver lift the body all the way up to get those last two or three tons out. It’s not worth it. Instead, train drivers how to best charge the hopper before they get on the job. This sounds like you’ve just wasted two tons of material. And, indeed, you have. But you would have wasted that two tons on the ground, along with 20 minutes of back-breaking labor while the traveling public drove by making a note of the company name emblazoned on your equipment. Instead of allowing trouble to brew, send trouble to the designated cleanout area and bring in the next truck to charge the hopper perfectly. – BY JOHN BALL
John Ball is the proprietor of Top Quality Paving & Training, Manchester, New Hampshire. He provides personal, on-site paving consulting services around the United States and into Canada. For more information, contact him at (603) 493-1458 or tqpaving@yahoo.com.
BEST CHARGING PRACTICES
1. Clean out the truck body 2. Use release agent before loading 3. Load out in the three-dump method 4. Go directly to the jobsite 5. Keep your foot on the brake when charging the hopper 6. Follow the dump man’s signals for raising and lowering the body 7. Don’t raise the body all the way to get broken portions at the end of the dump 8. Use designated cleanout areas on the jobsite
AND WE DO THIS... DRUM REPLACEMENT A dependable mixing drum is fundamental to maintain the productivity of an asphalt plant. Replacing an older drum offers opportunities to both maintain operation and improve performance. Astec works with you to integrate a new drum into your existing operation and supports each drum replacement with service and parts.
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Pavement maintenance
For the Babcock Road project in Brevard County, V.A. Paving Inc., Cocoa, Florida, produced an SP 12.5 mix with FORTA-FI reinforcement fibers for the structural lift and an FC 12.5 mix with FORTA-FI reinforcement fibers for the surface layer. All photos courtesy of Forta Corp.
Save a Road with Fibers, FDR I
If you find a roadway caught in a constant maintenance cycle, possibly plagued with base issues that lead to repairs failing too soon, costs associated with the pavement will climb. Recycling has long been a stronghold of American asphalt, with 94 percent of asphalt reused in new pavements during 2019, as reported in the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s sustainability resources. As discussed in AsphaltPro magazine before, full-depth reclamation (FDR) offers transportation officials a way to reconstruct the roadway by grinding up the existing pavement and base in-place, allowing the materials to be recycled and reconditioned into a new
20 // February 2021
stabilized base layer. Then a new, thin layer of asphalt on top creates a brand new roadway. One concern when choosing FDR to reconstruct roadways is the popular use of Portland cement to stabilize the in-place materials. This ingredient tends to promote cracking just like concrete does. Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) officials knew that they had to find a way to extend the life of recycled pavement beyond the capabilities of FDR alone. The use of fiber reinforcement has shown to create a stronger top layer of asphalt; if the underlying materials were to crack, the fiber could help to ensure the durability of the roadway.
PUGMILL SYSTEMS We’ve been designing and manufacturing custom mixing solutions in Tennessee for nearly 40 years.
RCC • CTB • Pugmix • Stabilized Sand
VA Paving Inc. performed the full-depth reclamation (FDR) on Babcock Road at 12 inches depth. Then they placed a 2-inch structural layer and a 1.5-inch surface layer, both of which incorporated fiber-reinforced mix. The use of fiber reinforcement dates back thousands of years. Today, when added to an asphalt mix, synthetic fiber reinforcement offers a cost-effective way to improve durability and longevity. The use of certain fibers, like FORTA-FI, in the top layer of the reconstructed roadway is designed to allow less cracking to reflect through—allowing for longer life of the roadway. Babcock Road in Brevard County, Florida, required FDR. Having used reinforcement fibers on several projects in the past, Construction Manager for Brevard County Bruce Black knew how add life. He stated: “We’re trying to get it put in the rest of our asphalt.” This 3.3-mile-long project was 24 inches wide and used 9,230 pounds of fiber-reinforced asphalt. V.A. Paving Inc., Cocoa, Florida, performed a 12-inch deep FDR and placed a 2-inch thick structural asphalt mix (SP 12.5) using FORTA-FI reinforcement fibers. They also placed a 1.5-inch thick surface asphalt mix (FC 12.5), reinforced with FORTA-FI reinforcement fibers. Al Mallard, a vice president at V.A. Paving, uses reinforcement fibers over other methods due to the ease of use and visual results of test strips performed over past years.
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Pavement maintenance
Bruce Black, the construction manager for Brevard County, Florida, promotes the use of fiber reinforcement in asphalt mixes, saying officials are waiting for testing to catch up to the performance people are seeing in the field. This method will save Brevard County future repair dollars down the road. Scott Nazar, engineering services manager for Forta Corp., Grove City, Pennsylvania, stated: “In lab testing, the use of FORTA-FI has increased the crack resistance of mix by four times, relating to Ideal CT index.” That means the fiber-reinforced roadway will see a three to sixyear pavement lifecycle extension. Compounded over several miles of FDR applications completed every year in Brevard County, extending the life of these recycled roadways will allow them to use future reconstruction dollars more effectively. With transportation budgets tightening across the country, it’s more important than ever to use current resources effectively. This innovative practice of combining FDR with fortified asphalt can help transportation professionals stretch transportation dollars and save resources. – BY KRISTIN CRAWFORD
Kristin Crawford, the campaign coordinator for FORTA, has been with the organization since 2019.
22 // February 2021
Scott Nazar, engineering services manager for Forta Corp., Grove City, Pennsylvania, shared that lab tests show the use of FORTA-FI increases cracking resistance.
QUICK FDR REMINDERS
• Benefits of FDR include low traffic disturbance, allowing drivers back on the roadway in a few hours • FDR application uses minimal amounts of virgin materials • With FDR, the roadway is milled anywhere from 6-18 inches deep depending on existing conditions and traffic loading • The in-place materials are pulverized, mixed with an additive, and compacted to produce a base layer.
FAMILY OWNED, CUSTOMER DRIVEN. As a family-owned and operated business offering state-of-the art portable and stationary asphalt plant equipment, having a personal touch with our customers is important to us. People always come first. When you call, you can speak to an owner. We are large enough to supply your equipment needs, while still being flexible and responsive. Contact us today to learn more about how CWMF Corporation goes the extra mile.
We build long-term relationships by earning the trust of our customers.
• Customer-Driven Equipment & Solutions • Unparalleled Service After the Sale • Complete Product Line Designed & Built In-House
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AND YOU KNOW WE DO THIS... Our commitment to serving our customers in the asphalt pavement industry drives us to be our best, from our full-service engineering department eager work with you to configure a plant to meet your needs, to our logistics and construction crews ready to get that plant delivered and operational. Astec plants are all backed by after the sale parts and service support. You can count on us as your single source for complete plants, component equipment, parts and service.
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producer profile
Martin Marietta, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, opened its third asphalt plant in the Denver Metro Area 8.6 miles from Denver International Airport.
Martin Marietta Invests in Aerotropolis Asphalt Plant Located 25 miles from downtown, Denver International Airport (DIA) has long been subject to complaints that it’s too far from the city. A quarter of a century after its construction, it seems the city is coming to the airport. In 2016, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) funded the Colorado Aerotropolis Visioning Study to identify infrastructure needed to support economic development around DIA. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), which administered the study, an aerotropolis is “an urban plan in which the layout, infrastructure, and economy are centered on and around an airport.” The plan is to populate the 21,000 mostly vacant acres of Aerotropolis’ land with 10
L
26 // February 2021
million square feet of retail space, 30 million square feet of office space, and 40 million square feet of industrial and commercial space, as well as numerous residential developments, according to the Denver Post. A recent Metrostudy housing market analysis estimates that nearly 30 percent of the 220,000 available lots left to build on around Denver are located in the E-470/I-70/DIA corridor, adding an average of 544 new homes to the area each year. Aerotropolis will also be home to at least one asphalt plant. Martin Marietta, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, opened its third asphalt plant in the Denver Metro Area 8.6 miles from DIA and right in the midst of Aerotropolis itself.
“We’ve been running our other two plants in the Denver metro area at maximum capacity for five or six years,” said Martin Marietta General Manager Trevor Norton. “We’d been wanting to add another plant for a while now.” One of the existing plants was producing around one million tons of asphalt per year, and the other, nearly 700,000. “And we still had days where we needed more,” added Area Production Manager Pat Hartshorn. The company purchased the property for their third plant in February 2018. The 500 tph Gencor plant is capable of producing up to 800,000 tons per year, in addition to better-serving jobs east of Denver. The company’s other plants in the Denver metro area include one on the west side of the city along I-70 and one plant right off I-25 and
Highway 76 that covers central Denver. Putting their third plant east of the city was a natural progression, Norton said.
Martin Marietta’s asphalt plant in central Denver is also from Gencor, and its plant on the west side is the largest Astec Double Barrel plant in the world, Hartshorn said.
In the winter of 2020/2021, Martin Marietta added another AC tank for additional flexibility.
Martin Marietta plans to build a rail facility so they can ship aggregate into Denver.
“That area is rapidly changing,” he added. “Subdivisions are going in, a commercial district is going in, there are warehouses being designed for mass transfer operations through the airport, distribution centers, and a new Gaylord convention center.” Because capacity was the catalyst for the new plant, Martin Marietta also chose to invest in six 300-ton silos for improved product flexibility. “Flexibility is a requirement in this business today,” Hartshorn said. “The asphalt industry used to be one, maybe two mixes per day. Now, things are more complex, and there are plenty of days when we need to produce six different mixes on a daily basis.” To supply increased demand for stone mastic asphalt (SMA) mixes, Martin Marietta plans to equip the plant with a Gencor mineral filler silo over the 2020/2021 winter and an additional Gencor AC tank for added flexibility. Because Martin Marietta performs a lot of cold-weather paving—more than 300,000 tons in some years—it was also important that the use of additives at the plant was easy and effective. To accomplish this goal, the plant will be equipped with an additive injection system in the future. The plant also has its own lab prepared for just about any testing CDOT requires. The biggest challenge to the plant build was turning a grass pasture into industrial land for an asphalt plant. They had to bring in all utilities. “Our gas and electric providers had to run several miles of pipe,” Norton said. However, they knew this part of the project wouldn’t be ready in time for the new plant’s first few months of operation, so they developed a plan to run the plant on compressed natural gas (CNG) from Certarus until the gas pipeline was operational. In the end, the plant ran on CNG for 1.5 months. Even now that they have the pipeline hooked up, Hartshorn said it’s nice to have
www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 27
producer profile the plant set up for CNG in case of emergencies like a burst pipe. “We can be running again on CNG within 24 hours,” he said. “It’s more expensive, but it’s nice to have that flexibility if we ever needed it.” There was also the planning and permitting process that took much longer than anticipated. “Those were the two bottlenecks: utilities and plant permitting,” Hartshorn said. “Getting the plant from Gencor was easy compared to those.” “Another roadblock was when the local fire department said we had to have fire systems out there before we could operate,” Hartshorn said. Since it will be three years before the plant has running water, the company had to place a 50,000-gallon water tank and pumps out at the new plant. “It’s like we have our own little fire department out there.”
Because capacity was the catalyst for the new plant, Martin Marietta also chose to invest in six 300-ton silos for improved product flexibility.
Although the plant is surrounded by fields for now, it’s only a matter of time before new home construction in the adjacent Aurora Highlands reaches the edge of the plant. 28 // February 2021
The plant operator at the new plant, Bernardo Estrada, had worked as a systems operator at Martin Marietta’s plant west of Denver for four years and worked on one of the company’s paving crews for four years prior to that. “He was the perfect candidate to go run the new plant,” Norton said. Bill Oetken, one of Martin Marietta’s construction managers, was also integral to the new plant. He and his team oversaw the site development work and utility installations. Martin Marietta also made sure to design the plant with its neighbors in mind. Aurora Highlands, a large residential development, is located across the street from the plant. Although there are no homes there now, it’s only a matter of time. “It’s growing in our direction as it’s developed,” Norton said. “It’s the quietest plant I’ve ever been around,” Hartshorn said, using variable frequency drives on its fan motors as well as drum insulation and air system silencers. “It’s hard to tell the plant is running unless you’re right there at it.” Although they don’t have to worry so much about their other neighbors—a solar panel field is in the works next door—it’s also a matter of environmental stewardship. The plant’s first day of operation was June 5, 2020. Immediately out of the gate, the plant was doing exactly what it was supposed to do: serving a key infrastructure
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GTB-5208I Cedarapids® Standard Havens Portable Baghouse
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producer profile
The plant’s first day of operation was June 5, 2020. “The plant has already produced 280,000 tons,” Norton said.
project supporting the growth of east Denver and taking on some of the burden from Martin Marietta’s other Denver plants. “An immediate relief was felt at the other two plants and in the field, reduced truck lines resulted in an increase in productivity at the paver,” Norton said. “In early November we were able to place 9900 tons in a single day, which previously wouldn’t have been a possibility with only two plants on a short November day.” Although Martin Marietta had already completed a significant amount of paving on a nearby project on E-470, they still had about 70,000 tons to go. Having the plant located just 5 miles from the project had a major impact and enabled the company’s crews to pave up to 7,200 tons in a single weekend. They also used the plant on a large project for Adams County, even further east of Denver than the plant, as well as a J.A. Green Development project as part of the Aerotropolis growth, and a bit of work within the Aurora Highlands residential development. “The plant has already produced 280,000 tons,” Norton said.
In May of 2019, the Aerotropolis Regional Transportation Authority issued bonds toward what will amount to $200 million in transportation improvements over the next decade or so.
The new plant aims to reduce the burden on Martin Marietta’s existing asphalt plants in the Denver area, both of which have been operating at maximum capacity for years.
On average, about two-thirds of the tonnage produced at Martin Marietta’s plants is used on the company’s own paving projects. However, about 90 percent of the tons produced at its new plant were used internally. Despite the uncertainty in the world right now, Norton isn’t worried about the new plant. “With all the growth out there, it might even become our second-biggest producing plant in Denver metro pretty easily.” In addition to the asphalt plant, the company plans to build a concrete production facility and a rail facility where Martin Marietta will be able to ship aggregate into Denver. They plan to build a spur onto an existing rail line adjacent to the south side of the plant in the next few years. “We have quarries in Wyoming, in Colorado Springs,” Norton said. “The rail facility gives us more flexibility to transport aggregate up and down the front range.” – BY SARAH REDOHL
30 // February 2021
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Women of asphalt
A Woman of Asphalt: Meet Gabriel Contractors’ Kristi Vertucci Kristi Vertucci grew up in the family-owned business of Gabriel Contractors, Amsterdam, New York. She shared that she’s been taking care of the business side of things for over 13 years now, and has worked on-site as a laborer for the past 10. She has completed three degrees that she pulls from to manage the complexities of running an asphalt business: • Associates Degree in Business from Fulton Montgomery Community College—2005 • Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Albany University—2008 • MBA with a concentration in Management from Empire State College—2011 Even with that education in hand, the journey to vice president and co-owner of Gabriel Contractors took a circuitous route. For one, her father wanted “what he thought was a better career that in turn would give me a ‘better’ life,” Vertucci shared. “But he soon realized I was right where I belonged the whole time.” She almost followed a very different career path. “I was a fashion model in high school and always loved fashion, so the only thing I could picture myself doing was something in the fashion industry,” Vertucci explained. She also felt the pressure many youth feel to attend a four-year university. “In addition, my parents always wished I would get a college education so that I did not have to work as hard, as long and in such harsh conditions as they did in the past. So off I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, hoping to make a mark in the fashion industry as a fashion merchandising manager; maybe even designer one day.” Health setbacks halted that path indefinitely. “I had to come home and take a semester off to address my physical health before I could ever think about going back,” Vertucci explained. “After months of reflection and self-care, I realized I needed to start off slowly if I was ever going to be able to achieve an education while taking care of my health properly. From there, I thought a business degree and a double major in psychology would suit any career I decided to go into in the future. “But as I started to help out and complete my college thesis on our family business, I had an epiphany; it was where I belonged.
K
32 // February 2021
Kristi Vertucci, vice president and co-owner of Gabriel Contractors, Amsterdam, New York; all photos courtesy of Andy Ionnotti at Port Jackson Productions “Why was I chasing a career path that was not truly my passion? It was a fun hobby, but I could never picture myself waking up every day absolutely in love with my job. So, after three years…I was able to quit my IT analyst position and finally start pursuing a career within which I always belonged.”
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Women of asphalt AsphaltPro: Could you share what your job as vice president and co-owner of Gabriel Contractors requires of you? Kristi Vertucci: As the vice president/co-owner of Gabriel Contractors of Amsterdam, I am responsible for the following: • Performing asphalt laborer duties such as: acting as screed operator and/or assistant screed operator; operating other equipment such as our rollers and skid steers; utilizing hand tampers, rakes, shovels, and brooms as necessary; working as flagger/ traffic control to direct motorists in and around work zones; • Developing, mentoring and supporting all team members/employees by: overseeing new employee onboarding procedures; creating/maintaining employee work schedules; creating and executing health & safety protocols; delegating team responsibilities; and processing payroll; • Project management (from inception to completion); • Secondary estimator for both commercial and residential customers (including attending pre-bid meetings); • Carrying out finance operations including, but not limited to: financial reporting, banking/lender negotiations, investments, budgeting, accounting (accounts payable, receivable, etc.); • Executing any and all human resource functions (i.e., permits, applications, registrations, insurance parts ordering, taxes etc.); • Ensuring procurement of materials, supplies, and equipment; • Creating networking opportunities through in-person and online avenues such as social media; and • Developing and implementing marketing strategies and advertising opportunities. AsphaltPro: What part of your education relates best to the career track you’re on? Kristi Vertucci: While my BA in psychology was/is extremely useful in helping me to communicate more effectively with different customers and employee personalities, I do not believe any of my degrees truly relates much to me working in this industry. Education or not, being in the field and learning, consistent training, and experiencing all kinds of day to day operations, is what mattered and continues to matter the most. AsphaltPro: What would you say was the most challenging “obstacle” you, as a female on the asphalt crew, had to overcome in the past 10 years, and how did you overcome that obstacle? Kristi Vertucci: I think ONE of the most challenging obstacles I have had to overcome over the past 10 years was, and still is, smashing the gender stereotype and public perception of a female like myself entering and thriving in the asphalt industry. Even though my father is the owner/president of Gabriel Contractors, I was not just given a job or title of VP by any means. He was of the mindset that his daughters should get an education and find a job in a career outside of the trades, so that we did not have to get “down and dirty” on the job every single day; we did not have to struggle as much as small business owners typically do in small towns like ours (Amsterdam); and so that we would not have to work so physically hard, coming home exhausted in all senses of the word. After all, the asphalt industry is not for the faint of heart.
34 // February 2021
Kristi Vertucci works in the office and in the field as a co-owner of Gabriel Contractors of Amsterdam, New York, a proud member of the Better Business Bureau and the Montgomery County Chamber. And the reason my father worked so hard for 53 years in this business was to create a better life for his wife and children. That being said, in order to overcome the obstacle of even having the opportunity to join the industry, I fought for years to prove myself as an asset to our industry, and in turn my father. I consistently chose to advocate for myself every single day. I created my own opportunities by proving through productivity that I could contribute to the business in the office and on the job by being more than “just a pretty face” (as the cliché goes). In addition, I demonstrated on site that I could perform most of the physical duties required of a male foreman/laborer by taking action. I always believed “inaction creates nothing. Action creates success” – Stephen Richards. AsphaltPro: How do you think other women in the industry can incorporate that mindset into their workdays? Kristi Vertucci: Make a conscious effort to contribute in ways that males often fail to do. Where most men lack on the emotional or communicative side of things, we can be the voice of reason. We as women need to make our presence our presents to the company for which we work or are attempting to gain employment.
We need to be proud of the kind of women we truly are, and stop apologizing for having emotions or feelings. We need to embrace the fact that we as women stand out. We need to own the fact that we as women do not look like the majority of our male counterparts. So if we are inevitably going to stand out, considering the still small presence of women in this industry, why not use it to our advantage? Stand tall and proud regardless of who attempts to question you or put you down; speak with confidence knowing you are more than capable of producing results, outworking others, and being a bona fide asset to any team; but also speak humbly and truthfully.
AsphaltPro: Could you tell us about some changes you’ve seen take place in the asphalt team “culture” in the past couple of years? Kristi Vertucci: Over the past few years, there has been a positive shift for reversing gender bias in the construction industry; one that more readily accepts women in typical male dominated construction roles. At the same time, there is still much more work to be done in order to truly change our industry’s culture to reflect women as equals. From my point of view, many men still see women in construction as just “flagger-types” or as administrative assistants who don’t fully encompass all roles of their male counterparts; leaving us to constantly feel like we have to prove ourselves and defend how good we are at what we do. For me personally, my teammates are mostly accepting of my position as “boss” and VP of this company. However, the way they interact with my father versus me while on the job is completely different. And that partly is my own fault. I always feel like I have to walk on eggshells by saying please and thank you in order to avoid them automatically deeming me a “know it all” or “daddy’s little girl.” I am constantly saying “sorry” when I have nothing truly to be sorry about. But don’t get me wrong, I think we as women are just as responsible for the culture shift as men, and we need to start saying what we mean and meaning what we say. For me, I need to own the fact that I have earned my place here and continue to bust my ass in this business, if not more than most men do. So their own insecurities and weaknesses are not my problem or my responsibility to fix. An optimistic shift in gender socialization has started in the asphalt industry but there is a lot of work left to do. So, let’s move full steam ahead. AsphaltPro: What do you think is the most important skill you’ve brought to your position in the asphalt industry? Kristi Vertucci: I am the first female to be a part of Gabriel Contractors of Amsterdam, NY Inc., in all of its 65 years of operation. As such, I really had to learn to NOT fit in. That is right, you read that correctly. What do I mean by that? Well, it is quite obvious that men and women think differently cognitively, not just anatomy wise. Our brains have been scientifically proven to be wired for different optimizations. That being said, our advantage(s) as
www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 35
Women of asphalt
Kristi Vertucci shared that parents tend to resist change when it comes to the future of their children. For her, her father initially wanted to see her pursue a career outside the asphalt industry where the work might be easier. “The fact that he let me, in the end, make the final decision, truly showed his support,” she explained. women in this industry is that we are in fact different. We need to start embracing our differences and show the world what we have to offer. One area we can truly do that is with problem solving. That is because one of the key skills in construction, let alone any industry, is the ability to effectively problem solve. We are able to bring in new perspectives, fresh ideas and a diverse range of solutions where sometimes males lack. We are able to offer up new approaches with new methods all the while communicating more efficiently than some of our male counterparts. Our attention to detail and our tendency to follow patterns, is what will set us apart. Not to mention, if you happen to have tattoos and purple hair like me, these differences often bring diversity to the stereotypical and outdated blue-collar culture. Moral of the story, I would highly encourage every single female to be themselves and not try to conform to what you think you “should be.”
AsphaltPro: It’s a fact that asphalt paving can be hot and dusty. How do you respond to people who say it’s a “dirty job?” Kristi Vertucci: It is. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. But no matter what industry you are in, hard work is always going to be hard work; whether you are getting “dirty” or not. It may not always be physically easy, but it damn sure is worth it. Plus, there is value and an intangible reward in knowing you feel accomplished and valued in contributing to a job well done. That is why I do not understand why Millennials, naysayers and our country as a whole, seem to avoid working in the trades. It seems like earning a living by working hard became frowned upon or unattractive for some reason, and the perception became “get good grades in school so
36 // February 2021
that you can get a good job and make more money” without working hard. Why aren’t we celebrating and valuing those in the skilled trades like we tend to do when people graduate college? One does not trump the other. We need to stop focusing on the “cons” and negative perception being pushed by society and start concentrating on developing a strong work ethic, a driven mindset, and cultivating the will to work in the trades. Skilled labor isn’t cheap, and cheap labor isn’t skilled. There are so many opportunities for us, especially financially, that getting dirty should be the least of anyone’s concerns.
AsphaltPro: What is the most rewarding aspect for you, personally, of being in the asphalt business? Kristi Vertucci: For me, the most rewarding part of being in the asphalt business is the opportunity to do what I love to do every single day. I know that may sound cliché, but I really do love this industry. Of course, it can be stressful, exhausting and challenging (like any other job), but the rewards always outweigh the negative aspects. Plus, the smell of diesel fuel and asphalt in the morning is one I oddly love. From serving as a proud partner alongside my father and vice president of Gabriels’, to being active as an operator/laborer in the field, to completing all types of administrative duties, I am really able to be hands-on in all aspects of the asphalt world. This allows every day to be a new adventure; keeping me on my toes and engaged with learning. Some days you will see me running our Weiler paver and hand tamping edges, and other days I will be running off to estimate and/or take care of the business side of things (human resources, accounting, marketing, etc.). I really am
able to learn and grow in all areas of the field and not limit myself as a woman in construction. I mean how amazing is it that? I get to achieve so many goals all in one single day. So can you imagine how much is accomplished in one single season?
AsphaltPro: Tell us about someone who served as a mentor for you. Kristi Vertucci: My father, Terry, and mother, Tina Growing up, my parents always instilled in us that we truly can do and be whatever we want to. (Even though that did not hold true for the “Mariah Carey voice” that I swear I had as a child.) But most importantly, we were always encouraged to engage in any and all types of activities or work, regardless of the gender bias or stereotype it came along with. Our parents cheered us on as human beings, not just in women roles/activities. We took karate lessons, rode dirt bikes and four-wheelers with the boys, raced snowmobiles, played in the sand pit, and sat on our dad’s lap while running equipment in the yard. We did not see a separation between what men and women should typically be doing, because we were not taught it. Then as I got more involved in our family business, my parents never once said or insinuated that I may not be able to handle the work, the grueling schedule or the stresses that come along with it being an operator/laborer/business owner. They were supportive of me from the start, and always had my back regardless of their own opinions. I mean come on, most people do not get the opportunity to work with a family member constructively in a family business, without butting heads; let alone as a father/ daughter duo in the asphalt industry. AsphaltPro: Is there a piece of advice that you would share with other women in the industry/other operators? Kristi Vertucci: All that being said above, I would highly recommend that all women follow their own path, and I mean their path only. As hard as it may be to hear and do, we as women really need to listen to our instincts when it comes to doing what we genuinely love. We need to follow our instincts, even if it means going against what our parents, friends, and co-workers believe and think we should be doing. Although I am proud of the fact that I attained three degrees, I would have never completed college if it wasn’t for the “pressure” I felt to get an education from all sides (family, bosses, old friends); as I hated every minute of school. And I truly believe I would be further along in this industry if I had not gone to college. Of course, I do not regret my choices as they put me where I am today. But I would like to use my situation to inspire other young women coming up in this industry to stay true to their own paths. Please do not succumb to the consistent peer pressure thrown at us from all angles (especially through social media). Just listen to yourself, even if that means you lose friendships, relationships or business partnerships along the way. Those who are meant to be in your life will end up supporting you and being your biggest cheerleaders. Besides, this is YOUR life and you only get one. There are no re-dos.
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James Keene Fred Weber, Inc. General Manager Asphalt Operations (FRED WEBER has been a valued customer for over 22 years)
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www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 37
International snapshot
An integrated, parallel drum system directly above the mixer optimizes the material flow and at the same time minimizes wear and tear within the recycling system. In the RAH100 system, the recycled asphalt is heated by a counter-current process.
International On-site Recycling R
Renovating a section of the Swiss N2 Motorway required an unconventional, creative approach. The motorway is the north-south connection from Basel to Chiasso. South of the well-known Gotthard Road tunnel, the 10-kilometer (6.2mile), four-lane section of motorway is undergoing a complete renovation that will be completed in 2022. The total cost of the project is CHF 250 million (US 285 million). The existing road base consists of material created during the excavation of the Gotthard tunnel. That aggregate has a fine-grain content of more than 8 percent and is therefore not frost-resistant. In addition, the existing asphalt structure required reinforcement to handle today’s heavy loads. The current project includes many nods toward sustainability. The aim of the Federal Roads Office (Astra), the project’s owner and builder, is to ensure that the existing materials can be processed on site and reused in the new mix. The use and transport of materials was a key consideration during project planning.
ENORMOUS MASSES AND DISTANCES
Planners calculated the following quantities of materials would be required for rebuilding the N2 section: • 55,000 tonnes of gravel
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• 119,000 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt from the construction site • 21,000 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt from other construction sites • 256,000 tonnes of asphalt for placement These material quantities would require 25,000 truck journeys. That was itself a substantial number, and it became more problematic when considering that a high-performance asphalt recycling plant was required—and the nearest such operation was 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the jobsite. Traveling between that plant and the jobsite would have created some staggering numbers. For starters, 25,000 truck journeys of 70 kilometers (43 miles) would equal the distance of roughly 50 trips around the center of the earth. Distance wasn’t the only challenge. The trucks would have to travel to the jobsite either via the motorway itself or a cantonal road. Each had problems. The motorway has such high traffic volume, even without construction, that traffic jams occur frequently, especially on summer days. The passage of the mix trucks would therefore not be guaranteed and cycles impossible to calculate. Use of the cantonal road had issues of its own. The road runs through the villages in the narrow Leventina Valley and the 25,000 truck journeys would create noise, congestion and safety problems—not to mention road damage.
recycled materials without having to accept rejuvenation agents or quality losses. It also shows that bituminous-bound foundation layers can be produced with almost 100 percent asphalt.
GETTING STARTED
The production site was created in spring 2018, with the installation of the plants beginning the following August. The asphalt mixing plant was ready for operation after four months. It could supply mix for the construction site in May 2019—after the approval of the test pavements.
FIRST PAVING RESULTS
The HRT ABP asphalt mixing plant from Ammann Group is rated at 240-310 tons per hour, with high RAP percentages, depending on moisture content.
ON-SITE SOLUTION
For all these reasons, an area next to the motorway was provided for asphalt preparation and production. The space includes an old military airfield for the installation of an asphalt crushing plant, an asphalt mixing plant and a gravel washing plant with sludge press. In addition, a temporary entrance and exit to the motorway and thus to the construction site was constructed to reduce transport routes. The construction work, including these temporary installations, was put out to tender with the condition that required recycling percentages for the asphalt pavement would be met. In addition, the plants may only produce material from that specific site for the N2 project. After its completion, the plants must be dismantled and the site restored to its original condition.
STRUCTURE FOR THE FUTURE LOAD
The new asphalt pavement structure consists of the following layers and required percentages of recycled materials: • 3 cm SDA 8-12 (semi-dense rolled asphalt) with 0% recycled asphalt • 8 cm AC B 22 H (binder course) with 50% recycled asphalt • 8 cm AC T 22 H (base course) with 50% finishing asphalt • 11 cm AC F 22 (bitumen-bound foundation layer) with 90% finishing asphalt • 11 cm AC F 22 (bitumen-bound foundation layer) with 90% finishing asphalt • A 5 cm thick seal on a 33 cm frost protection layer The target bitumen of the individual recycled pavements was determined, as were the bitumen additions: • AC B and T 22 H: PmB 45/80-65, addition bitumen PmB 90/150-85 • AC F 22: B 30-55, addition bitumen 330/430 • And in all cases, no rejuvenating agents In total, around 250,000 tonnes of asphalt will be produced for this project. It proves that it is possible to use very high percentages of
In 2019, about 80 percent of the pavement in the central portion of the motorway section was laid. The first efforts showed good quality across all the layers. Adjustments have to be made when milling the existing asphalt layers and when subsequently crushing the milled material to ensure that the grain curve of the recycled asphalt is not excessively fine. In addition, the quality of the binder to be added to the AC B and H pavements is also very important and requires a great deal of attention. The penetration of this polymer-modified binder must not vary too much and must never fall below the lower value of 90 1/10 mm. In 2020, the pavements were laid on the two lanes and the hard shoulder in a south-north direction. In 2021 it will be in a north-south direction so that the rehabilitation can be completed by the end of the year. Residual work, such as the erection of noise barriers, will occur in the following year.
MIX PRODUCTION ON SITE
Ammann Group, Lagenthal, Switzerland, supplied the asphalt mixing plant, which will produce a total of 250,000 tonnes of asphalt on site, in the form of an ABP HRT mixing plant. The suffix HRT stands for High Recycling Technology and indicates that the compact plant is suited for production with a high proportion of recycled asphalt. An integrated, parallel drum system directly above the mixer optimizes the material flow and at the same time minimizes wear and tear within the recycling system. In the RAH100 system, the recycled asphalt is heated by a counter-current process. Thus rocks and bitumen are indirectly and evenly heated and protected from overheating. RAP addition rates of 100 percent are possible. The plant is capable of producing between 240-310 tph of asphalt, depending on moisture. The aggregates are stored in hoppers of 15 m³ each. Two silos (120 m³ and 60 m³) store the self-filler, while another (55 m³) houses lime hydrate. The four bitumen tanks hold 80 m³. Mixing is done in a 4-tonne mixer. The loading silo holds 300 tonnes in four chambers. Ammann, through its dealer Avesco, also supplied an ARP 95 Pivot-Steer Roller and an ART 280 Pneumatic-Tyred Roller for the construction project. – BY HANS-PETER BEYELER
Hans-Peter Beyeler is the director of Eurobitume, Switzerland. This article appears courtesy of Ammann Group. For more information, contact hans-peter.beyeler@eurobitume.eu or simone.franz@ammann.com.
www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 39
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BUSBY RECLAIMS IN THE GRANITE STATE BY SUE LUSE
For this industrial park job, the Busby Construction team used two Roadtec SX-8 stabilizer/reclaimers.
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Recently, a longtime commercial customer came to Busby Construction Co. Inc., Atkinson, New Hampshire, with a problem: its industrial park in Salem needed pavement rehabilitation. Unfortunately, the pavement had been neglected for almost three decades. This surface hadn’t had any overlay or preventative measures performed at the recommended intervals, so the entire surface had declined to the point where it required complete reclamation, re-grading and re-paving.
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Paul Busby, president of Busby Construction, explained, “In New England the surfaces deteriorate based on the freeze/ thaw cycles that we go through. During the thawing period in the springtime, the base underneath the pavement becomes weakened and that can enhance the deterioration process.” Fortunately, the company has built a strong reclamation business with the Roadtec SX series and is a leader in reclamation in New England.
“It’s not about getting a job done as fast as possible,” Busby explained. “It’s about giving a quality job to the customer and making sure the pace is appropriate for the conditions.” He said, “I’ve tried to champion reclamation throughout our area by doing quality jobs that perform well and last…It’s not just a side business for us. It’s something for us to go out and promote to the industry.” In fact, if a customer is new to reclamation, or if they don’t understand the pro-
then reclaim twice that depth. But, they also consider the base material and make modifications when necessary. “We don’t want to get down into the sub base material that’s underneath the gravel layer.” For this industrial park they aimed for an 8-inch reclaimed base.
The Busby team split the 30,000-square-yard project into two phases to accommodate the client’s tenant parking needs. cess, Busby will spend time with them and explain it. “It’s a vital part of the business. I like to go see my jobs 15 years after they were done…I like to be able to send customers to those jobs as examples of our work.” It’s not just customers who come to Busby Construction for expertise. “We get a lot of calls from engineers because we are known for accepting the new process and working with it and trying to use it when it’s needed,” said Busby. Busby Construction crews have been using Roadtec stabilizers since 2012. They previously used the SX-7 and have moved to the newest model, the SX-8. For this industrial park job, they used two Roadtec SX-8 stabilizer/reclaimers. Busby Construction has been a leading force in reclamation in the New England area with their finger on the pulse of the reclamation process; they’re able to spot potential complications or obstacles. Busby said, “We experimented with the SX-7 and our guys like it.” After running the SX-7 for two seasons they moved to the SX-8. “We’ve been real happy with quality of the product that the machine puts out and speed at which we can go.” The fact that the Roadtec SX line is made in America is also important to Busby. “American-made means something to me. I like the fact that it is made in Chattanooga with American steel.”
CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT
Part of the reason Busby selected the SX-8 was due to the challenges the New England region presents: hard rock and varying depths. To deal with these challenges, they need machines that have high horsepower but remain maneuverable. The SX-8’s 755 horsepower and 83,000-pound weight is ideal for the New England reclamation jobs Busby Construction completes. • Hard Rock “I like to say that New Hampshire is the granite state for a reason,” Busby said. “Our rock is very hard and the rock under that pavement is very hard. We do have certain things we deal with that other parts of the country don’t.” Not only is the rock hard, it is also abrasive, which causes a lot of tooth wear on the stabilizers/reclaimers. “We have had many tooth experts come here and watch us and they are amazed with what happens and how much rock we deal with,” Busby said. • Varying Depths In addition, New England jobs present the challenge of dealing with varying depth thickness in the same job. “A lot of our roads are old cart paths that got paved and widened and then paved again.” That process is generally repeated until the surface is reclaimed. As a result, Busby said it is not unusual to see pavement depths up to 18 inches. Typically, Busby explained, they measure the thickness of the base of the pavement and
People don’t often hear about stabilization in New England. The base in New England is comprised of gravel and rock, so additives are not necessary in the reclamation process. Paul Busby of Busby Construction stated, “We don’t get into as much soil stabilization and cement or lime additives because we usually have better granular material. Adding the ground up pavement into the gravel layer enhances the base.” The angular fracture of the pavement also helps to bind the material together. Then the Busby team smooths out the material, grades it, compacts it, waters it, and achieves the 95 percent density needed to re-grade the road and make it a smoother surface.
COVID CURVEBALL
Once the depth of the industrial park project was determined, the Busby crew and the SX8s were ready to get to work. However, due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the industrial park owner was not certain all of his tenants would be able to submit their rental payments on time. This uncertainty caused him to consider delaying the much-needed project, due to budget constraints. Busby quickly found a solution. The road in front of the business park was undergoing paving at the same time. Because Busby Construction had an established relationship with the asphalt supplier, they were able to negotiate pricing, based on volume. Then, Busby was able to extend payment terms to their customer. “That made the difference in him doing the job right now,” said Busby. The customer was flexible, understanding the road and the industrial park needed to be on a similar schedule. However, his tenants still needed a place to park while the reclamation was happening. Again, Busby came up with a solution. They split the approximate 30,000-squareyard job into two phases and two sections. Because they were using two SX-8s on the
www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 43
WE HAVE YOUR HAULING NEEDS COVERED
Paul Busby and his team view Busby Construction and Roadtec as partners, partly because both companies have a solid understanding of the unique challenges reclamation presents. “I truly see it as a partnership,” Busby said. “It’s a very different business than excavation and earthwork. It’s rough.” Since 1977, Busby Construction Co. Inc., has offered services ranging from asphalt reclamation to utility installations to site work. The company is a member of the New Hampshire Good Roads Association and the Associated General Contractors of America.
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job, they were able to work twice as fast. Tenants were able to park on the old pavement while the Busby Construction crew paved the first section—phase 1. “And then we shifted parking to phase 1 and we were able to get in and get phase 2 reclaimed,” Busby explained. “Everything has gone with the schedule that we gave to the owner. We have also been able to reach production goals that we wanted,” Busby said. Busby and his team tackled this job in the same way they approach all reclamation jobs, with a focus on quality. However, due to the pandemic, he had to think creatively. He relied on Roadtec machines, as well as his established partnerships with vendors, to achieve a quality result, on time. Sue Luse is a writer for Roadtec Inc., an Astec company. For more information, visit www.roadtecinc.com.
MAINTENANCE IS KEY TO RECLAMATION
Reclaimers, especially those working in New England, take a beating. The rock is very hard and the rock under that pavement is also very hard. Paul Busby, president, stated, “These machines beat themselves everyday into the ground. They bounce off rocks and grind things up.” Busby Construction relies on Roadtec service and support to help them maintain proper and regular maintenance on their SX series. Busby explained, “Reclaimers require daily, weekly and winter maintenance. At all those stages, the Roadtec factory has been great support.”
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How to Make Asphalt the Real Green Deal
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BY MALCOLM SWANSON, P.E.
With a new presidential administration, changes are coming. Things like higher corporate and personal taxes, the “Green New Deal,” and higher energy prices are much more likely to happen than was perceived just a few months ago under President Trump. Hopefully, a new infrastructure deal will be somewhere in there too; but with higher taxes and energy costs, it may be harder to make a reasonable profit on new work. That means working efficiently will be even more critical than it has been over the last few years, including during the height of the pandemic. Let’s discuss a few of the most likely places to be able to improve operational efficiencies at the asphalt plant.
EFFICIENCY WITH TIMING To say “it’s all about speed” might seem simplistic, but is a good point. Speed, maybe even more so than energy consumption, is a critically important key to the profitability of paving operations. One reason speed at the asphalt plant is so important is that there are paving crews out there on the roads. In many cases, especially with an open-graded friction course (OGFC) or high recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) mix, the plant may have trouble keeping up with the capacity of the paving crews. Slow progress on the road is obviously not a good thing. A paving crew and its equipment costs the same dollarsper-hour whether they put down 400 tons of mix or 100 tons of mix; but they can’t put down any more mix than the plant provides.
EFFICIENCY WITH UPTIME In many cases, the lowest hanging fruit is to be found in operational practices. One good practice is to keep the plant running. The shutting down and starting up of operation involve using energy and wear and tear on the equipment without making mix. Once you have the plant hot and running, keep it that way as long as you can. Store mix and slow down if necessary but keep going. Midstream stops are not good either. Midstream stops should be treated as emergency stops. Don’t do it unless you have no alternative. It’s tough on the equipment and, therefore, costly. To say “slow it down” right after saying “run fast” sounds a bit odd; however, if you look at the average production rate resulting from alternately running fast and shutting down and then starting up only to
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do it all over again, it is likely to be slower than the rate that results from keeping it going.
EFFICIENCY WITH DRYING
Another good place to look for efficiency is in the water. Keep the aggregates and RAP as dry as possible. Most often, the resulting production capacity gain matters even more than the fuel savings. Of course, the gold standard is to put stockpiles on sloped, paved surfaces. In wet regions like the Southeastern United States, covering stockpiles is worth looking at. Something that is used in the frac sand business, which could benefit asphalt producers, is a French drain type system under the aggregate stockpiles, particularly under the sand piles. Some frac sand producers are using this method to drop the moisture content of washed sand piles from 22 percent to 5 or 6 percent in 24 hours or less. Of course, you need to make sure your dryer is working as efficiently as possible at all production rates with all mix types. This also goes to productivity and energy efficiency. You can ensure the dryer is doing a good job when you check for these clues: 1.Steam Is the mix really dry or do you see steam coming from the drag conveyor or silos? Pull a shovel full of mix out before it goes up the drag. Is it bubbling? Does the mix lose temperature in the silo? Does the mix look dull or does it look shiny black? 2.Baghouse Temps Is the baghouse too hot? The exhaust system capacity often sets the capacity of the whole plant. One way to say it is, “When you are out of air you are done.” Open-graded mixes and high-RAP mixes are challenging when it comes to keeping baghouse temperature down. Most plants are rated based on exhaust gas temperature of about 250oF. If your plant produces 300 tons per hour with this exhaust gas temperature, it is producing an exhaust gas volume of about 50,000 acfm. Gases expand with increasing temperature. This same amount of exhaust gas becomes a little more than 57,000 acfm if its temperature increases to 350oF. So, if the capacity of the exhaust system is 50,000 acfm, you have to back the production rate down to a lower tonnage per hour to get back to what
the exhaust system can handle. It takes some expertise to optimize dryer performance but the results are worth some investment. 3.Baghouse Mud The baghouse could be still cooler. There is more to be gained from controlling exhaust gas temperature than we usually think about. Most experienced operators have had a bad experience, or know of another operator who did, with making mud in a Baghouse. When that happens, it’s a bad day. Operators want to run, of course, at a temperature that stays safely away from the exhaust gas dew point. What few people in the industry know is that the dew point is typically about 167oF, almost 100 degrees lower than where we tend to think we have to run. We could run safely, in most cases, at 185oF with the results of increased productivity and energy efficiency. Insulating the baghouse and ductwork would add insurance against the possibility of getting condensation. This brings us back to the dryer. To take advantage of this opportunity also takes some expertise in optimizing dryer performance.
EFFICIENCY WITH REGULATIONS New government directions will bring challenges and opportunities. There are always ways to adjust to do our jobs better and be more profitable. When things change, we have to change, too. Expertise is available from numerous sources in this industry. Use that expertise to make wise, informed changes to your plant equipment and operations.
Once you have the plant hot and running, keep it that way as long as you can. Store mix and slow down if necessary but keep going. By the way, we have been hearing “sustainability” a lot and will, I think, be hearing it much more. There are numerous definitions of that word in use but I think the best one has to do with not using up or destroying that which will be needed by future generations. The concepts discussed here go in that direction. Operating more efficiently conserves energy as well as improves profits. Getting on and off the road more quickly frees up traffic sooner, thus conserving fuel that cars and truck use. The asphalt industry can and often does provide “the real green deal” when it comes to operating efficiently. Malcolm Swanson, P.E., is the proprietor of e5 Engineers, Chickamauga, Georgia. With at least 33 innovative patents and a career in asphalt plant engineering solutions, he can be reached at (423) 667-6781 or malcolm@e5engineers.com.
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www.kencoengineering.com www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 47
Intelligent Compaction Finishes Maintenance Project BY JANIE GALLAGHER
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Taking on a high-profile project adds pressure for a contractor. When All Roads Construction Ltd., Surrey, British Columbia, won the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s asphalt road resurfacing contract for Highway 1, the company knew all eyes would be on them. As reported in the November 2020 and January 2021 editions of AsphaltPro magazine, All Roads is no stranger to adopting new technology to accomplish big jobs. Practice on a ½-mile mill-and-overlay job on Airport Road in Chilliwack, British Columbia, and a host of new tech prepped them for the 47-lane-mile job on Canada’s Highway 1. All Roads won the contract to resurface the stretch of Highway 1 from Willingdon Avenue to Gaglardi Way, which required 53,000 metric tonnes (58,422 tons) of EPS asphalt paving. This portion of the highway is one of the most travelled on roads in British Columbia’s lower mainland. The project came with significant challenges and penalties related to controlling traffic flow and delays. “It came with some really stringent criteria and some really big penalties, if you exceeded those timelines,” said Denis Labelle, operations manager for All Roads. “The penalties were $2,500 for the
48 // February 2021
first 15 minutes per lane and then $5,000 for every 15 minutes or portion thereof after.” Counting multiple closed lanes and time, “if you were on the highway an extra hour, it could cost you over $50,000 in unauthorized lane closure fees.” To avoid getting hit with those penalties, the company ensured they were well organized and equipped with some of the best technologies to tackle a tough project. “We still managed to put out an average of about 1,700 tonnes [1,874 tons] per shift. We were paving in excess of 350 to 400 tonnes [385 to 440 tons] per hour, which was pretty impressive considering the traditional methods we usually used on the highway,” Labelle said. “I think the technology we got with the Wirtgen equipment— the Vögele paver, the intelligent compaction, the Smooth Ride system we purchased from Topcon—really helped get us to where we needed to be, and get the job done on time and efficiently.” Max Spedding, superintendent at All Roads, said the tight work windows combined with keeping the traffic flowing presented the biggest challenges to the project.
“We had to remove all the concrete barriers off the highway because we had to pave underneath them, so there was a lot of coordination. There was a lot of complicated sequencing to the project,” Spedding said. “Then, of course, there’s the logistics of being able to set up for your evenings. You’ve got cranes moving barriers, the milling machine out there, you have the pavers out there, sweeper trucks and a bunch of extra work off to the periphery, so there are a lot of moving parts to stay on top of. That, to me, was my biggest challenge—making sure everything was going off without a hitch and the wheels kept spinning all night; because we didn’t have the luxury of having an abundance of time to sit back and not pave to our maximum capabilities. The Wirtgen equipment, just by virtue of their design and the technology they incorporate, was extremely valuable in helping us achieve this project in a timely manner.” Leaning on technology to enhance efficiencies within the paving operation was vital for the success of the project. “There was a seven-hour window and three of those hours were dedicated to traffic control,” Labelle explained. “We kind of left our working window to about four or five hours a shift, so it’s not a very big window when you have up to 10 pieces of iron setting up. All the equipment had to be low-bedded into the project and low-bedded out of the project all within that seven to eight-hour window, so it was a coordinating nightmare. To have everything go off without a hitch was an accomplishment on a daily basis. To have all those operators, all those pieces of equipment, and have them all on and off the highway without getting penalties was quite challenging.” All stakeholders’ eyes were on them constantly due to the resurfacing being the highest profile active project at the time with the highest traffic volumes, but also because of the Wirtgen equipment they used to tackle the job. “Because we were using new technologies, they were concerned at first, so we had all eyes on us constantly,” said Rod Stephens, president of All Roads. All Roads recently invested in several Wirtgen technologies to complete tough jobs like the Highway 1 project, including a Wirtgen W 210i milling machine; a HAMM HD+ 140i double steel roller; an HD+ 110i combination roller; an HD+ 70i combination roller; and a Vögele Super 2000-3i paver. Spedding said that all of Wirtgen Group’s equipment was important for getting the job done, but the intelligent compaction technology played the biggest role. “Intelligent compaction maximized our efficiency, so we were not over-rolling,” Spedding explained. “One of the biggest challenges of a roller operator is over-rolling and under-rolling. With this particular project, it was very efficient for keeping the paving going. “Another added value to that is you’re able to monitor that on the paver,” Spedding continued. “The foreman is able to keep tabs if rollers are falling behind. It was part of the whole train going as a concerted effort. The intelligent compaction had a vital role in putting down the amount of tonnage we were able to put down in that amount of time. Its value was quite evident for us, in getting us off the highway in time.” Another unexpected bonus All Roads gained from the intelligent compaction technology is that it helps operators from a training perspective. “It gives roller operators a better idea to know how many passes it really takes,” Spedding said. “It’s keeping everybody honest.” “Four hundred tonnes an hour is not a typical production for us in the lower mainland with such a high volume of traffic, so when you do achieve it, the big concern is that the rollers aren’t able to keep up,” La-
LEFT: Max Spedding shared the HAMM rollers minimize blind spots compared to other machines the operators have used. Combining that with the intelligent compaction technology, “makes things easier for all the operators,” Spedding said. TOP: The team worked together to get the work zone set up and taken down quickly, leaving a window of about four or five hours each night for actual mill-and-overlay pavement maintenance work. BOTTOM: All Roads’ Denis Labelle spoke highly of the W210i milling machine. “This thing is very efficient,” he said. “We’re upgrading that machine to have the same Smooth Ride technology as the Vögele paver, so it’s going to be even more efficient when we set it up with the GPS. It takes all the guess work out of how deep you should be milling. It will grind it out automatically… and that came ready to plug and play from Wirtgen.” belle added. “To have the rollers know they achieved compaction and they don’t have to make an extra one or two passes to make sure it’s good, I think the intelligent compaction was vital.”
STRONG SUPPORT FOR PRODUCTIVITY All Roads purchased its Wirtgen technologies from the local Brandt dealership near its head office. Labelle said the support they received from their dealer was impressive. “We bought our Vögele and HAMM this year and the whole team was really good,” he said. “Especially at the beginning, coming out and helping us. We had calls talking about screeds, they advised us on why we should or shouldn’t do certain things…there was very good communication.”
www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 49
One of the reasons All Roads invested in Wirtgen Group technologies was to minimize downtime on their equipment. Over the course of the Highway 1 project, they achieved that goal. “We had no mechanical issues,” Labelle said. “There was 53,000 tonnes of asphalt put down and we had zero downtime.”
THE NEXT GENERATION Stephens said that having these types of technologies not only keeps the company ahead of the curve in terms of competitiveness, but they are also a big draw for attracting the next generation of talent to the construction sector. “We have a very young group at All Roads, mid-thirties, if that,” Spedding said. “A lot of young guys are not afraid of these technologies. I’d say 95 percent of our employees were excited about them.” “New millennials aren’t attracted to the shovel,” Stephens added, saying that if companies want to have workers 10 to 15 years from now, they will need to invest in technologies that draw young people’s attention. Thanks to the hard work of the crews at All Roads and the incorporation of Wirtgen technologies, the team completed the high-profile Highway 1 project in September, a few weeks ahead of its October 2020 completion deadline. “The Ministry didn’t receive any complaints over the tenure of the project,” Labelle reported. “I think it was a great success. People were going on our website complimenting us on the work. Our competitors never thought we would get the production we got. They said we would never get 800 tonnes [880 tons] of production per shift, but
TOP: Even paving in excess of 385-440 tons an hour, the crew placed a gorgeous mat. BOTTOM: While the extensive lighting on the haul truck is impressive in this image, also notice the Smoothride road resurfacing solution bailer from Topcon Positioning Systems, Livermore, California, also has lights.
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PROJECT AT A GLANCE
Highway 1: Willingdon Ave. to Gaglardi Way 78 lane kilometers of asphalt road resurfacing of highways in Burnaby, B.C. area
Remember when you’re paving at night that your work zone is only as big as your light source. Here the crew moves with the light and you can see the stark difference between light and dark working conditions. Use best reflective personal protective equipment and lights on your body when working at night, such as those you see on the All Roads Construction team members. Please visit the Safety Spotlight tab at www.theasphaltpro.com for additional safety tips. we doubled our production on average of what the industry standard would be. This is a big reason why we got finished ahead of schedule. If we didn’t have that Wirtgen equipment and that technology, we would probably still have 15,000 tonnes [16,500 tons] to put down…the Ministry is now a firm believer in the capability of the technologies and the equipment. It was an all-around success.”
Owner: British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Project Description: • 53,000 metric tonnes of EPS asphalt paving • Asphalt milling • Storm drainage improvements • Concrete barrier Re & Re • Granular base shouldering • Supply and installation of crash attenuators • Inlaid durable pavement • Markings/wet night high visibility • Extensive traffic control and quality management Scheduled start date: May 2020 Scheduled completion date: October 2020 Actual completion date: September 2020 Original contract value: $7,435,500 CDN Team Members • Lafrentz Road Marking • Metro Testing • GOTraffic Management • Verrault Lowbed Service • Eagle West Crane & Rigging
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Product Gallery
Maintain Plant Production
The redesigned EX 120 HMA plant from ADM takes up less real-estate on the job site. Refinitiv hosted a webinar Dec. 1, 2020, titled “Caribbean Energy Outlook” in which Senior Energy Analyst Corey Stewart and Proposition Sales Specialist Michael Sahrman presented impactful issues for the Caribbean region as a whole. The information offered education to North American asphalt mix producers in a number of ways, including potential pricing of liquid asphalt cement (AC) products in the near future. The presenters looked at the relationships between prices and the many factors that affect them—demographics, group preferences (such as owning/ driving a car) and population growth rates. What I found most intriguing from the presentation was Stewart’s discussion of corruption’s effect on environmental stagnation. The presenters shared that the Annual Corruption Perceptions Report ranked Venezuela at 173 out of 180 countries, and Stewart shared that Venezuela’s problems are affecting refineries and storage facilities in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, to name a few. When environmental disrepair is allowed to reach a critical point—as Bonaire’s BOPEC experienced—shut-down is the only responsible course of action. Shut-down in one area, of course, influences price elsewhere. Also consider the effect COVID-19 had on the region. Stewart and Sahrman shared that COVID’s impact on the Caribbean had been less than 1 percent as of Dec. 1, yet still wreaked havoc on infrastructure. “From a direct-impact perspective, the Caribbean has fared better than other areas of the world,” Stewart shared. “The story of Caribbean refining is one of hardship. First, Caribbean refining was af-
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54 // February 2021
fected by Coronavirus.” Workers did get sick, which affected maintenance schedules. “Schedules were largely put off. If you don’t maintain a refinery, it breaks down.” This same scenario is taking place around the globe. Apply this concept to the hot-mix asphalt plant. Consider the maintenance schedule(s) at your asphalt plant or quarry. Have you allowed routine maintenance to slide as worker rotation has changed in the COVID-19 climate? It may be difficult to schedule workers for their optimum safety with distancing and still get all the components of the plant double-checked this winter, but you can bet the extra effort in scheduling and maintenance now will pay dividends in uptime this spring and summer. Safe, smart scheduling of winter maintenance is paramount to optimum summer production. Let the manufacturers and service providers listed on the next few pages help you make the most of each worker’s time and expertise.
ADM
Producers in dozens of countries have experienced firsthand the high-quality asphalt plants manufactured by ADM, headquartered in Huntington, Indiana, including the EX 120 asphalt plant, part of the ADM EX Series of plants. Recently redesigned with a reverse air baghouse (in lieu of a pulsejet), the single-drum EX 120 with counterflow technology is more compact and portable than ever. With its shorter length, the plant’s new design makes it easier than before to transport. Plus, the redesigned EX 120
BROCK Industries now supplies most non-proprietary parts and components for all makes and models of HMA plants. takes up less real-estate on the job site, making the plant ideal for remote and demanding locations worldwide, according to the manufacturer. For customers with smaller production requirements who need to meet all federal and state environmental specifications, the EX 120 asphalt plant gets up to 99.99 percent efficiency with the baghouse when normal clean aggregate materials are used, according to the manufacturer. The counterflow technology also enables the EX 120 to achieve the highest level of heat transfer and fuel efficiency, using separate drying and mixing zones for highest quality asphalt production. Affordable and ruggedly built, the EX 120 offers producers a fast return on investment at a low cost per ton. With up to 50 percent RAP usage, ADM customers who currently use ADM’s SPL Series of asphalt plants, and who require more RAP usage and environmental soundness, will want to explore the EX 120. A wide range of components is available to customize the plant to meet customers’ specific production needs. For more information, contact Carlos Cardenas or Jeff Dunne at (260) 637-5729 or visit www.admasphaltplants.com/ex-series/.
work environment with total focus on providing quality products and outstanding service along with building great relationships. We would not have the start we have had without our customers—and we thank each one for their business and support. Stay tuned for more announcements as we move ahead.” For more information, contact Travis Sneed at (423) 476-9900 or visit www.brock.industries.
BROCK
COLORBIOTICS
BROCK, headquartered in Georgetown, Tennessee, and established July 1, 2020, after the acquisition of 30-year-old JBK Enterprises, is pleased to announce it now supplies most non-proprietary parts and components for all makes and models of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) plants. BROCK also provides in field construction services for HMA plants including repairs, maintenance and plant relocation services. Commenting on the announcement, Ben Brock, president and CEO, said, “In addition to our expanded product line we couldn’t be happier with our results so far. Our team, which together now carries a combined 238 years of hot-mix asphalt plant experience, is having fun in a great
CARDINAL SCALE
Cardinal Scale, Webb City, Missouri, announced the acquisition of BeltWay Scales, one of the industry’s leading conveyor belt scale manufacturers, based in Rock Falls, Illinois. Belt-Way Scales has a partner network that spans multiple continents and 34 countries and has been manufacturing conveyor belt scales since 1992. The acquisition adds an additional product line to Cardinal Scale’s wide variety of scales and weighing equipment that the company manufactures. Belt-Way Scales’ employees, operations and manufacturing will remain in Rock Falls to continue with their own dedicated engineering, technical service and manufacturing departments.
Colorbiotics, Ames, Iowa, has launched Invigorate™ rejuvenator to increase the use of recycled asphalt and extend asphalt service life. The company has long served landscaping and sports/recreation industries, and was part of the former BASF Construction Chemicals business. Now, Colorbiotics and other former BASF brands make up MBCC Group, a supplier of construction chemicals and solutions worldwide. Invigorate rejuvenator is a new soybean oil-derived additive that triggers chemical reactions inside recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and stiff binders to break down asphaltene aggregation and reverse the effects of oxidation in the final mix. The Invigorate additive is designed
www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 55
Product Gallery
The Eagle Crusher 1200-CC with pre-screen feeder comes with a lifetime rotor warranty in North America on its solid-steel, three-bar, sculptured rotor. to improve the chemical properties of lower-quality binders, addressing aged elements within RAP. This new technology, developed at Iowa State University, is designed to improve recyclability of asphalt while still meeting PG and performance-testing specifications. “With Invigorate rejuvenator, we have been able to meet specifications and increase usable RAP material to as much as 50 percent, well beyond the standard 20 to 25 percent used today,” said Dan Staebell, Colorbiotics asphalt business development manager. “That obviously has environmental and economic benefits.” For more information, contact (888) 663-6980.
CWMF
CWMF, Waite Park, Minnesota, announced in August 2020, the expansion of their facility. They are currently in the process of adding on an additional 6,300 square feet. The new area will house two more overhead cranes and a brand new 10-foot by 50-foot HD cutting table. The new table will double the size of the previous table, which will greatly increase cutting capacities. In addition to the expansion, CWMF also announced the purchase of 11 acres, which will be utilized in conjunction with their future growth plans. For more information, contact Travis Mick at (320) 267-3805.
E5 ENGINEERS
To focus on improving plant operations, Malcolm Swanson has begun e5 Engineers, headquartered in Chickamauga, Georgia. The company builds upon Swanson’s decades of experience in engineering, innovating and environmental sustainability to assist clients with both sustainability efficiency concerns and quality control issues at the asphalt plant. Swanson explained that he intends to visit and inspect sites to offer clients a written set of recommendations, including potential value statements and actionable designs, to improve the asphalt plant operation with an eye toward environmental as well as quality control aspects. As a consultant, Swanson is not selling equipment, but is assisting asphalt production professionals in improving operations to meet all manner of environmental standards as well as production goals at asphalt plants, sand drying systems, environmental control systems, combustion systems and more.
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For more information, visit the e5 website or reach out to Swanson at (423) 667-6781.
EAGLE
Introduced at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020, the UltraMax® 1200-CC with pre-screen feeder from Eagle Crusher Co., Galion, Ohio, is one of the company’s newest plant innovations, designed to increase asphalt producers’ overall production while reducing equipment wear. This closed-circuit plant is equipped with all the features of the Eagle Crusher 1200-CC, the company’s best-selling plant, with the added benefit of an integrated pre-screen feeder that allows material ator near-spec to be discharged before crushing. The plant was specifically designed for larger-sized jobs with high volumes of at- or nearspec material. The plant features a two-deck inclined screen for producing two cubical spec products, and is also available with a twin-shaft screen option with third reliever deck. Top-deck retained material is returned to the crusher for further processing. The 1200-CC with pre-screen feeder is available in tri-axle, tri-axle with tag axle, or quad-axle version, making the plant highly portable. The hydraulic lift and leveling system enables quick set up and tear down at the job site, using the hydraulic run-on legs. An available in-line magnet removes for transport. The 1200-CC does double duty, with crushing and screening on one chassis, and because most of the product may be removed for crushing when processing at- or near-spec product, equipment wear and tear is reduced, and overall production, greatly increased. For more information, contact (800) 253-2453 or visit: https:// eaglecrusher.com/products/1200-25-cc-pre-screen-feeder.
EVOQUIP
Whether you are a fleet or service manager, staying connected and keeping track of your equipment helps to optimize machine performance and contribute to a positive impact on the bottom line. In recent years, telematics has enabled crushing and screening equipment owners to monitor work progress, manage logistics, access critical machine information, analyze and optimize machine performance, and perform remote operator support.
Product Gallery Mobile Screening & Crushing (MSC), an EvoQuip distributor in New Zealand, is no stranger to this concept, with telematics proving to be an essential tool in efficiently managing their hire fleet. Dan Meikle, MSC operations manager said, “We have had telematics fitted to make it easy to evaluate machine usage, billing and scheduled maintenance. This also enables us to show the customer their downtime and billing hours at the end of the month. In the past, this would have been a manual, time-consuming process.” Paul Morris, Terex materials processing telematics manager, said, “Crushing and screening equipment operates in busy, challenging work environments. Telematics enables equipment owners to stay connected and keep track of their equipment, the information available can show you precisely what areas you can improve in to remotely optimize profitability, for both the equipment owner, but in the MSC case, the profitability of their customers too.” Data is great, but value is created when data is transformed into information. “The goal of telematics is to make life easier for equipment owners, to reduce the total cost of ownership and not inundate them with meaningless data. It is about useful information that can be used to mitigate downtime,” Morris added. MSC is well versed in this, Meikle explained. “If we are keeping up with planned maintenance, downtime is no more than one to two days per month on a long-term job. Telematics helps us monitor the machines remotely, which allows us to schedule maintenance and service intervals.
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Accordingly, we also give the machines a full inspection and clean after every hire. This enables us to pick up on problems before failure.” Many of the EvoQuip crushers and screens are fitted with telematics, with new crusher customers benefiting from a 7-Year Free Subscription and 3-years on new screens from EvoQuip. The subscription includes the ability to consume the data through weekly customer report emails. The reports display information at a glance on metrics and diagnostics, allowing the operator to act before damage occurs; predetermined maintenance intervals are signaled, and error messages are displayed in plain text messages. For more information, contact the EvoQuip team via Terex.
H&B
Haver & Boecker Niagara, St. Catharines, Ontario, introduced its TyDeck Ultra modular screen media. The polyurethane screen media offers accelerated screening action without the use of water. Ty-Deck Ultra screens feature H-shaped openings made up of individual strips of polyurethane. Each opening is separated by two independent extensions parallel to each other. The strips vibrate independently to increase material acceleration, improving material separation and cleanliness, and often eliminating the need for a rinse screen. The rapid movement of the strips also virtually eliminates pegging and blinding. The screen is designed for handling abrasives with a top size of 50 millimeters on the second deck in non-impact areas. The polyurethane is poured open cast, allowing it to permanently harden when cured to maintain its chemical properties, and resulting in a 1.5-2 times longer wear life than injection molded screen media. For more information, contact Kristen Randall at (905) 688-2644.
KESPRY
Kespry, headquartered in Menlo Park, California, announced Dec. 3 its Winter 2020 Aerial Intelligence platform updates aimed at helping businesses across the mining, aggregates, energy and other industries launch successful enterprise visual intelligence programs. The enhancements strengthen the platform's field-to-finish usability and ensure automation is a part of the entire stack—from capturing data to identifying critical business insights from it. Kespry’s Winter 2020 Aerial Intelligence platform updates include: enhanced inspection reporting; and image navigation and WingtraOne RX1 PPK support.
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Magna Tyres Group has launched the 18.00-25 Magna M-Stacker (IND4) tire for use on reach stackers, empty container handlers and heavy-duty forklifts. The Magna M-Stacker has been developed starting from the already proven MB01 tread design. The 18.00-25 M-Stacker and 18.00-25 M-Stacker+ are now in production and with immediate effect, being offered to the market.
MAJOR
MAJOR, Candiac, Quebec, appointed Premier Equipment, based in Bellingham, Massachusetts, as its new aggregate and mining screen media authorized dealer. For more information, contact Bill Boland at (508) 902-7752.
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Product Gallery MCCLOSKEY
McCloskey® International, Keene, Ontario, has introduced the new RF80 and RF80R feeder stackers. The RF80 feeder stacker is designed to facilitate the handling and stockpiling of materials including aggregates and sand. Materials can be fed into the feed hopper with large loaders or excavators, while variable speed prevents material from building up. Both the RF80 and radial RF80R are designed for low-level rear feeding, making them more accessible for various loader sizes. The track mobility of the RF80 ensures the machine is versatile on-site. It’s available in dual power and diesel/hydraulic. For more information, visit the McCloskey site.
PLANTDEMAND
A small company out of the United States and Germany, PlantDemand, has released a new feature with API integration that allows plant operators to integrate documentation to create custom dashboards with the company data. Custom reports with a data visualization tool can be created through a workflow using Microsoft Power BI and other tools. Most businesses keeping up with digitization are using expert agencies in User Interface, which help foster software to make technology easy and useful to their specific needs. PlantDemand conducted User Interface tests and interviews and was iteratively built, tested and optimized for construction material planning. Because of this, it’s designed to be easy and efficient to enter, edit and move orders. Daniel Mekis, who has more than 12 years of experience in asphalt industry materials operation, was an early adopter, and helped partner with PlantDemand, said, “For the first time, people could check what was on the schedule for the next days, know what aggregates and oils they needed to bring in, or who to contact on the job, all while viewing their smartphone and sitting on the couch in the evening. For the first time, our sales manager could pull to the side of the road, view the plants’ calendar and schedule (or move) a customer’s order on his iPad, while on the phone with the customer. Plant operators and supervisors had the important information at their fingertips. And for the first time, I could give my suppliers a detailed forecast with the click of a button.” Organizations are working hard to reduce manual methods of completing repetitive tasks and are turning to technology to help. This will give time for the team to work on more important issues. Powerful, quick and simple tools that address these specific problems are perfect to add momentum to this journey. PlantDemand is an online plant scheduling and forecasting software for the asphalt and aggregate industry. It’s available for desktop computer and on your iOS or Android phones. For more information, contact Paulina Schaaf at PlantDemand.
RELIABLE
Reliable Asphalt Products, Shelbyville, Kentucky, is proud to introduce a revolutionary new era in burners, the Vulcan burner. Vulcan burners are a true combination fuel gas and oil burner, capable of running on multiple fuels, simultaneously if required, according
60 // February 2021
Reliable Asphalt Products is the official distributor of the new Vulcan burners, which are a true combination fuel gas and oil burner, capable of running on multiple fuels, simultaneously if required. to the manufacturer. Other game-changing features include a total air burner with a single motor and a coaxial blower to provide a near-linear fan curve, allowing for more accurate control over air delivery to the burner and less excess air required. The Vulcan burners are available in surface mount and long-nose configurations and in 80 MMBTU, 120MMBTU and 150MMBTU variants making it available for retrofit applications. There are also optional blower mount configurations allowing for the burner to fit into unconventional spaces. The surface mounted combustion box is double walled and stainless steel, with an air venting system to help cool the unit. Vulcan burners are designed to be low maintenance—the direct driven fan has no belts or pulleys, meaning no misaligned drive belts or adjusting of those components. When maintenance is needed, the Vulcan burner opens completely to allow for easy access. Vulcan burners come equipped with an over-temperature safety switch for automatic shut down in case of overheating. A second safety switch protects the unit in case the burner and fan/motor sections were to separate while in operation. The VFD driven motor moves the same amount of air as other burners with larger motors, according to the manufacturer, meaning energy efficiency and cost savings. The fan intake is sound insulated for quieter operation. The adjustable and automated flame shaper can be adjusted while the burner is in operation and is completely profile-able. The burners are competitively priced, energy-efficient and simply designed with minimum moving parts. For more information, contact (866) 647-1782, j.ferguson@ reliableasphalt.com or visit www.reliableasphalt.com.
RUCKIT
Command Alkon, Birmingham, Alabama, has acquired Ruckit Inc. This transaction combines Command Alkon’s comprehensive
construction materials toolset and CONNEX platform for heavy work with Ruckit’s innovative solutions for digital ticketing, invoice reconciliation, and third-party management for aggregate, asphalt, paving, and trucking companies. Financial terms were not disclosed. For more information, contact Command Alkon at (800) 624-1872.
STANSTEEL
Clogging and sticking of recycled asphalt products (RAP) on the screen deck can be a thing of the past. With the Turbo RAP Gator® from Stansteel, Louisville, Kentucky, RAP millings are shattered to one inch or less. The Turbo RAP Gator is designed to shatter clumps of material to help meet gradation specs and allow for processing 250 TPH of millings without plugging or clogging. It maintains specified milling sizes by breaking materials that have stuck together. The Turbo RAP Gator has hardened steel teeth with chrome carbide plated tips that break up settled RAP piles. The two rolls are designed to also reject scrap metal and other unwanted items, keeping production going. The RAP Gator is placed inline on a recycle system and can be retrofitted to any manufacturer’s system on any drum or batch plant, portable or stationary, according to the manufacturer. For more information, please call Jeff Mitchell at 502-631-0162 or 800-826-0223 or at jmitchell@stansteel.com.
The small RAP millings produced by the Stansteel Turbo RAP Gator allow for improved heat transfer from virgin aggregate during production. This saves energy by using less heat and reduces the temperature of exhaust gas that feeds into the air system.
www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 61
new tech
The Future of Fuel Did you know that it would take 23 of today’s clean diesel backhoes to equal the emissions from one backhoe sold in 1997? Facts like this one, shared by the Diesel Technology Forum, illustrate how far equipment manufacturers have come in a relatively short period of time, and yet the industry continues to raise the bar. In the fall of 2020, experts from Caterpillar, CNH Industrial and Volvo Construction Equipment shared their thoughts about the future of fuel types and machine efficiency during a webinar presented by the Diesel Technology Forum.
D
MACHINES & FUEL EFFICIENCY
Already, equipment with Tier IV Final emissions technology reduces criteria pollutants and fuel consumption in many applications. However “a clean and productive power source” is only the beginning, according to David Milam of Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Illinois. Also important are electric drive powertrain systems, which decouple the engine speed from the vehicle speed, enabling optimized engine operation that results in lower fuel consumption and improved productivity. Caterpillar already offers a number of products with this technology and have several more planned for the future. “Machines with electric drive powertrains are just another way customers can improve the efficiency of their diesel powered equipment.” Fuel-efficiency has been integral to the way CNH Industrial, the parent company of Case Construction Equipment, has approached Tier IV equipment. For example, the company utilizes selective catalytic reduction technology that doesn’t require exhaust gas recirculation. “This helps create the most efficient combustion that we can and still meet the emission standards,” said Regulatory Affairs Manager Chris Walters, “so fuel efficiency is maximized with the selection of those technologies.” Despite these significant improvements, the panelists agreed that the focus of their efforts is beginning to shift to solutions beyond the machine itself. “When you look at the machine and the combustion process itself, there’s a limited return on more research and development with-
62 // February 2021
in that focus,” said Ray Gallant, Vice President of Product Management and Productivity at Volvo CE. “We’ll keep making them better, but we’ve gotten most of the big benefits.”
OPERATORS & FUEL EFFICIENCY
“We are now looking more towards operators and how we can help them operate the machine more efficiently and let the machine do what it does the best possible way in terms of fuel use,” Gallant said, citing the value of autonomous systems. “The more we can automate, the more we can help the operator do their job efficiently. The more efficiently they do their jobs, the less fuel they’re going to consume.” Volvo CE’s Assist System is one such example, Gallant pointed out. Another is Cat’s Accugrade system, which Milam said results in up to 50 percent better grading productivity. Telematics can also assist with improved efficiency, Walters added. Case’s Sitewatch telematics system, for example, allows users to remotely monitor their fleet’s data, including uptime, productivity, fuel consumption and more. Sitewatch can also be used to automatically and remotely shut off equipment that has been idling for long periods of time. “Historically, we’ve seen a lot of diesel engines idling,” Walters said. “That just isn’t necessary with today’s technology and it’s something we try to discourage, but old habits die hard. Technology like this can help overcome those habits very easily.”
DATA & FUEL EFFICIENCY
Another aspect of fuel efficiency beyond the machine itself, Gallant said, is improving overall site efficiencies and operation, including interconnectivity of the machines on any given job site and matching productivity rates between machines. “As we get the machines tuned to be the best they can be, and the operators operating in the best possible way, then we have to look at how to get the machines on the site to work together in a more coordinated way,” Gallant said. Reducing the overall fuel use of a job site by a few percentage points, he added, will have a much bigger impact than reducing a machine’s fuel use by a fraction of a percentage point. “That’s where we see big benefits. ...There are a lot of doors opening up in the next few years that will help us move to the next frontier.”
ENERGY ALTERNATIVES & FUEL-EFFICIENCY
Although there are numerous strategies to reduce fuel use, at the end of the day, every machine needs power. That’s where alternative energy and fuels may come into play. Gallant has seen a big push to develop more electric machines. However, electric isn’t the only alternative. For example, Case’s methane-powered wheel loader nicknamed Project Tetra for construction and waste management applications. CNH is particularly interested in progressing natural gas engines, Walters said, adding that its FPT Industrial branch has been developing the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) in other sectors, such as commercial vehicles and agriculture products, in Europe. Milam mentioned that a number of Cat customers are already successfully using biofuels and renewable diesel for their offroad machines. “For these customers, these fuels are providing a similar power and performance as traditional diesel, but without the carbon emissions,” Milam said. “The challenge is with energy density.” “Diesel now has the advantage that its power density is high which means you have to transport less fuel to the job site,” Gallant said, “but we see a bright future for some of these alternative fuels, especially as the technology develops and we make the machines, operators and job sites more efficient.” Alternative fuel and energy use will also vary from machine to machine. “Construction products are built to do different things and sometimes the particular propulsion system necessary for one machine is different from another,” Walters said. “It won’t be one size fits all, especially with off-road equipment.” According to Milam, the projects of the future will likely use a variety of fuel and energy sources and OEMs will have a variety of equipment capable of operating on various types of fuel and energy. “We’ll see an array of energy sources, power conversion technology, smart machines, connected equipment, and control solutions all working together to build a better world,” Milam said. “The future will increasingly be a story of ‘and’ rather than a story of ‘or.’” – SARAH REDOHL
off the mat
App Your Way to Better Pay Core is an online and app-based construction labor marketplace that aims to help trade workers find better-paying jobs. Here’s how it can be used within the asphalt industry.
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Core is a new online and inapp construction labor marketplace that aims to take the guesswork out of trade-based job searches. Launched September 2020, the platform was co-founded by tech entrepreneur DiAnn Eisnor, formerly of the navigation app Waze. Eisnor, who comes from a family of truckers and tradesmen, had seen the success of vertical labor marketplaces in industries such as retail and nursing. Furthermore, she recognized the ever-increasing difficulty of finding skilled workers in the trades and the nuances of job seeking in the construction industry. “The labor issue is one of the most important challenges facing every general contractor and worker we talked to,” Eisnor said. “There are a number of nuances of construction that distinguish it from other industries.” This includes a higher turnover rate than many other industries and a larger proportion of contingent workers. It’s also an industry that requires a great deal of skill, training and certifications, and one where references are extremely important. “Most people in this industry find work based on a small network of people they know,” Eisnor said. Although LinkedIn and Indeed can help broaden those networks, Eisnor said it can be hard to find your place and your people on such general platforms. Another feature unique to the construction trades is that many workers don’t have a resume, and if they do, Eisnor said, they may not contain the right kind of keyword matches that are integral to illustrating their capabilities in digital labor marketplaces. That’s why after job seekers join Core and complete the initial form with their skills, work experience and certifications, a staffer at Core will reach out to have a brief one-on-one conversation with the user to tie up any loose ends.
64 // February 2021
“The best we can do is make that more transparent so people can know what’s standard in their own area so they can make the best decisions,” Eisnor said.
Some of the larger commercial contractors that use Core have begun using its algorithm internally to promote from within. “Knowing who is right for each specific job in a large company can be hard because that kind of information is usually wrapped up in peoples’ heads and can be hard to access,” Eisnor said.
Although the Core website is useful for setting up profiles or posting jobs, the app is meant to be a simple tool to find work, a use Eisnor sees as particularly valuable for contingent and seasonal workers. “We take care to vet prospective employees manually—checking their certifications, but also gathering referrals from peers and their community—so users have a high level of credibility and the references are ready to go for the prospective employer,” Eisnor said. From there, Core’s matching algorithm matches workers to jobs based on skill, pay expectations and availability. The marketplace also aims to make it easier for workers to weigh the pay and benefits of various jobs.
Core is also working on long-term incentives that might reduce turnover rate in the construction industry. “In tech, there are stock option plans and co-op models where you can own a piece of the company or get a big reward for staying there a long time,” Eisnor said. “I would love to see some version of that in the construction trades, as well.” Core also offers training delivered by partner educators and trainers. Its first course, on reading blueprints, launched in November. Eisnor said they intend to grow the Core library of training opportunities in the future to include diversity and inclusion training, personal protective equipment courses, and training on new technologies, among other topics. “We’re learning what skills workers need to learn to get higher-paying jobs,” Eisnor said. “We want to know where those opportunities are, train people on the skills they need to get those jobs, and match skilled workers to good jobs—the whole cycle.” In the fall of 2020, Core was surpassing 500 qualified applicants per week. The platform is seeing a surge of users in Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York, New Jersey and Ohio, as well as Core’s home state of California. “One of our pilot partners in California told us we are the first channel to give them so many qualified applicants in such a short period of time,” Eisnor said. – BY ASPHALTPRO STAFF
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here’s how it works Step 5 The conveyor can swing up to 60 degrees of center to fill trucks as the PM800 series cold planer travels the cutting path.
Step 1 The operator drives forward at a speed of up to 328 feet per minute.
Step 2
Step 3
The rotor turns at a speed of 100, 109, or 118 rpms, depending on the machine model.
A rotor chamber water spray system, fed from the 898-gallon onboard water tank, cools the rotor and keeps dust down.
Step 4 When the cold planer approaches an obstacle in the cutting path, the operator uses the “obstacle jump” feature to clear it.
Caterpillar’s PM800 Series Cold Planers Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Illinois, introduced its PM800 series cold planers to offer efficient performance and high production with three milling widths to customize your machine. The PM820’s milling width is 79.1 inches with 178 bits; the PM822’s milling width is 88 inches with 185 bits; and the PM825’s milling width is 98.6 inches with 203 bits. Here’s how they work: The machines operate at a speed of 328 feet per minute down the lane to be milled, cutting at a maximum depth of 13 inches. To cool the rotors, which feature speeds of 100, 109 and 118 rpm respectively, the onboard water tank holds 898.2 gallons, features a side water fill valve and rotor chamber water spray system.
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66 // February 2021
As the cold planer travels forward, the 27.49-foot conveyor can swing +/- 60 degrees from center to fill the truck, which can travel in the adjoining lane if necessary. When coming up to an obstacle in the cutting path, such as a manhole cover, the operator uses the “obstacle jump” feature to clear the obstruction. When coming to the end of the lane—or when starting the job— the operator can set and automate grade and slope transition for the tapered end cut over a specified distance with “automated cut transition.” He saves the input to recall it for the next day. Additional automated tasks such as plunge-cut capability and 3D milling controls are designed to make the operator’s job easy. When it’s time for maintenance,
the tapered, dual-retention design of the Cat System K rotor secures the toolholders to the rotor without retaining pins, bolts or setscrews, which saves times when replacing bits. For more information, contact your local CAT dealer.
SHOW US HOW IT WORKS If you’re an original equipment manufacturer with a complex product, let us help you explain its inner workings to asphalt professionals. There’s no charge for this news department, but our editorial staff reserves the right to decide what equipment fits the parameters of a HHIW feature. Contact our editor at sandy@theasphaltpro.com.
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EPA Gives Final Decision on Particulate Matter
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Given this month’s focus on recycling, thus the positive influence the asphalt industry has on the world around us, it is fitting to remind readers that the finalization of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) rule makes no changes to current allowable particulate matter (PM). At a virtual press conference Dec. 7, 2020, with Governor Jim Justice, U.S. Congressman Alex Mooney (WV-02), West Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Austin Caperton, and Senior Deputy Attorney General Douglas Buffington, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the agency’s final decision to retain the existing NAAQS for PM without changes. “The EPA, under the Trump Administration, has continued America’s leadership in clear air, lowering our particulate matter levels to well below those of many of our global competitors,” said then-EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Maintaining these important standards will ensure Americans can continue to breathe some of the cleanest air on the planet.” “Today's announcement by the EPA of the finalization of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards rule is a big win for West Virginia. As crafted, this rule well balances the need for a cleaner environment with the need for continued economic development. Under the leadership of President Trump, America has cleaner air and is energy independent, with West Virginia serving as the backbone for our nation's energy production,” said Congressman Alex X. Mooney (WV-02). The U.S. has some of the lowest fine particulate matter levels in the world—approximately five times below the global average, six times below Chinese levels, and 20 percent lower than France, Germany, and Great Britain. Between 2000 and 2019, average PM2.5 concentrations in the United States fell by 44 percent and average PM10 concentrations similarly fell by 46 percent.
68 // February 2021
BY ASPHALTPRO STAFF
Modern asphalt plants are equipped with advanced technology to capture and re-use dust as part of the industry’s commitment to clean operations. Here, the Harding Group installs a new Astec hot-mix plant with the latest environmental controls and features. Photo courtesy of Harding Group The decision to retain existing standards, which applies to the NAAQS for both fine and coarse particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), comes after careful review and consideration of the most recent available scientific evidence and technical information, consultation with the agency’s independent scientific advisors, and consideration of more than 60,000 public comments on the proposal. Under President Trump, EPA has re-designated 57 nonattainment areas to attainment with standards for six key criteria air pollutants: carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone, lead, nitrogen oxides, PM, and sulfur oxides. This includes 9 areas for PM2.5 and 12 areas for PM10. These re-designations mean cleaner air, improved health outcomes, and greater economic opportunities for cities and communities across the country.
In May 2018, EPA issued a “Back-to-Basics” memo to improve EPA’s process for reviewing the NAAQS. The memo laid out goals to get EPA back on track with Clean Air requirements, statutory deadlines, and the issuance of timely implementation rules, to ensure continued improvements in air quality across the country. Monday’s action follows the principles established in the earliest days of this administration to streamline the NAAQS review process. By implementing these principles, EPA was able to issue the final PM standards earlier than initially anticipated. The agency expects to meet the five-year review deadline going forward. For more information about the decision to retain the standards, visit https://www.epa. gov/naaqs/particulate-matter-pm-air-quality-standards.
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Teach Your Crew What it Takes to Pave a Bonus-Worthy Mat
AsphaltPro magazine joined forces with hall-of-fame paving consultant John S. Ball III of Top Quality Paving & Training to bring you the newest online training resource for your crew: Asphalt Paving 101. The course is available on any device, anytime, anywhere to train your entire crew. Your single subscription to the best curriculum of all time gives you access to train all of your employees, each time you bring in a new hire.
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In this course, your crew will learn: • How to stay safe on the job site • How to build a takeoff ramp • How to determine fluff factor • How to determine yield • How to prep for real paving in the real world • How to maintain equipment the right way • Job responsibilities for each paving crew member • and so much more…
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72 // February 2021
advertiser index Ahern Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Almix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Ammann America Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Asphalt Drum Mixers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Astec Industries . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover, 11, 15, 19, 24 B & S Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Blaw Knox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Blue Roads Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Brock Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Clarence Richard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 CWMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 67 Dynapac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Eagle Crusher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 E.D. Etnyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Fast Measure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Forta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Gencor Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Green Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Homestead Valve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Hot Mix Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Ingevity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Kenco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 KPI-JCI-AMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover Meeker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 NCCP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Process Heating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Pugmill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Reliable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover Stansteel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 65 Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16, 63 Tarmac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Tele Radio Wireless Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Top Quality Paving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Trans Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Wirtgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
AsphaltPro’s advertiser index is designed for you to have quick access to the manufacturers that can get you the information you need to run your business efficiently. Please support the advertisers that support this magazine and tell them you saw them in AsphaltPro magazine.
www.THeAsphaltpro.com // 73
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