The new year brings resolutions — I’m going to drink less, travel more, lose weight, and so on. After a holiday season filled with eating, most of us are a little bulky after all. In the asphalt world, however, bulky is not necessarily a bad thing — it helps us know if we have the proper amount of air voids in the compacted mix. Last month’s article was about the Theoretical Maximum Specific Gravity or Rice Value of an asphalt sample; this month we will discuss the Bulk Specific Gravity and the Round Robin results.

Innovation begins with an idea. An idea often springs from a need to solve a problem or answer a new question. Each January for nearly a 100 years, people converge on Washington, D.C., for the TRB Annual meeting. They come by different modes of transportation (planes, trains and automobiles) and numerous aspects of each mode like materials, construction, driver behavior and management. In 2018, more than 14,000 people registered for the meeting.

While the Commonwealth of Virginia has typically focused its attention on the annual cost of college tuition and mandatory fees, a study conducted by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in 2017 shows that students and parents are equally, if not more, concerned about the total cost of college in general. An in-state undergraduate student attending a 4-year public comprehensive college paid approximately $11,000 in the 2016- 2017 school year, while a student attending a public 2-year program paid approximately $5,000. The RJS Scholarship fund was established for the purpose of assisting VAA members or their dependents in furthering their education beyond high school and to help offset these very costs.

NAPA needs your help in gathering data for the 2017 construction season survey on the use of recycled materials and warm-mix asphalt. Visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/RMWMASurvey2017 to provide information about the use of recycled materials and WMA at your plants in Virginia. NAPA would like to have as many responses as possible by April 1, with participation from all 50 states and the U.S. territories. It is recommended that respondents download a printed version of the survey from NAPA to ensure that all relevant data is on-hand before beginning the process. Information provided is kept fully confidential and only reported at the state-level if more than three producers in the state participate. If you have any questions, please contact Brett Williams at bwilliams@asphaltpavement.org, NAPA’s Director of Engineering & Technical Support.

CHANGE IN ADMINISTRATION Governor Ralph Northam was sworn in on January 13, 2018. With his swearing in, his administration appointments become effective. As previously reported, Governor Northam appointed Matt Strickler as his Secretary of Natural Resources. The current Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources, Angela Navarro, has been reappointed. The Governor has also added Ann Jennings, formerly with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, as a second Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources.

Former Governor Terry McAuliffe announced that the commonwealth has accepted Transurban’s proposal to deliver the extension of the I95 Express Lanes south to Fredericksburg.

Governor Ralph Northam announced key appointments for senior leadership positions within his administration. Rob Cary will serve as Deputy Commissioner to the Virginia Department of Transportation. He has served with the department since 1992 and most recently as the Chief of Innovation.  

 

 

NAPA Annual Meeting February 11-14, 2018 San Diego, CA	Women Of Asphalt Council (During World Of Asphalt) March 6 & 7, 2018 Houston, Tx

DIAMOND Allan Myers American Paving Fabrics Associated Asphalt Bitumar USA Boxley Branscome, Inc. Branscome Paving Company Chemung Contracting Corp Colony Construction, Inc. James River Equipment National Asphalt MFG. Corp.

Slurry Pavers Superior Paving Corp. S. L. Williamson Co., Inc. PLATINUM Astec, Inc. B & S Contracting, Inc. Blacklidge Emulsions, Inc. Carter Machinery Company, Inc. F. O. Day Lee Hy Paving Corp. Virginia Paving Company