On April 13, the VDOT/VAA Statewide Asphalt Co-Op met in Charlottesville to discuss several, wide-ranging asphalt-related topics. These items ranged from timely submission of lab results and production flags to round robin testing and proposed ride specification changes. VDOT’s Construction, Traffic Engineering, Research (VTRC), and Materials Divisions provided updates. Specification changes related to 2018 maintenance paving contracts will be finalized soon after the July Co-Op meeting. Currently, very few changes are anticipated, but those expected are related to operations, contractual language and traffic engineering items. Changes to the SM-4.75 and SM-9.0 will be considered as part of a sub-division mix initiative.
The VAA provided a summary on the VECAT program since all classroom sessions had been completed. VAA also expressed a desire to collect and report field data such as density testing results electronically. Finally, VAA gave an overview of the plans for the 2017 and 2018 Fall Conferences. Many issues addressed by the Co-Op are being effectively resolved through the use of small sub-committees chaired by VDOT and VAA members.