Garrett joined VDOT in 1999 after retiring from the US Marine Corps as a Lt. Colonel. As a UC-Berkeley (Bachelor’s Degree) and Virginia Tech (Master’s Degree) Graduate, he started his career at VDOT as an Assistant Resident Engineer in Fredericksburg. From Fredericksburg, he moved on to be the Resident Engineer in Warrenton, Staunton District Administrator, and NOVA District, Administrator. In 2013, he was named VDOT’s Chief Engineer. Through all of his positions in VDOT, Garrett has been committed to working with industry and emphasizing the need for quality in all aspects of maintenance and construction Over the next 11 months, VAA looks forward to continuing the relationship with Garrett and his staff as well as those chosen to replace him. He has set the tenor and the example for effective VDOT and industry partnership. VAA would like to congratulate Garrett on his 2nd retirement and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

The weather has been a bear for VDOT and the paving industry in 2018. From cold days to torrential downpours, mother nature has not been kind. On October 10, members of Virginia Asphalt Association met with VDOT’s Chief Engineer, District Engineers, and other senior management at the third annual Discussion with the Department. Held in Richmond, the 60 plus attendees focused on the current paving season as well as the plans and size of the 2019 paving season. Of immediate concern for the group was the completion of the 2018 paving schedules. Various contractors discussed the impacts of rain on completing paving, challenges of installing pavement marking, and concerns for completing quality paving late in the year.

Since the inception of SUPERPAVE™ mix design, a multi-level design process was envisioned. This process would be as simple as AC content, gradation, and volumetrics to a performance mix design. The issue then and the issue now is – how do you measure the performance of a mix and know that it will work (or not work)? Millions of dollars have been spent trying to answer this question. Much of the challenge has been with the equipment, but challenges such as specimen preparation and testing procedures were just as great. So what has changed? Technology! Recently, VDOT announced the formation of a task force to address performance-based mix design. Unlike the current approach, asphalt mixes will be designed and tested in the lab to assess their properties against certain thresholds. Eventually, these thresholds will be compared to the condition of the mixes in the field to ascertain performance, i.e., do they crack, rut or have durability issues?

Meyer Laboratory

New Contact for Students Completing MCS Courses Online If you have completed an online class and are ready to schedule your proctored exam, please contact Judith Calvert (Germanna CC) at 540- 937-6757 to set up your session.
2018 Final Exam and Proficiency Testing Deadline – Please Read The 2018 class year is slowly winding down. If you are in the middle of completing an online MCS class OR have Plant I, II or Mix Design proficiency tests to complete, please be sure to have your class, final exam and proficiency tests completed by December 1. Germanna closes for the holiday in mid-December, so classes need to be completed early to allow them time to send grades over to VDOT.

NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHES CONSERVATION CABINET Continuing his focus on environmental issues, Governor Northam signed Executive Order 22 creating a Governor’s Conservation Cabinet. The purpose of the Conservation Cabinet is to improve coordination across state government agencies to better protect Virginia’s natural resources and improve environmental quality across the Commonwealth. Notably, Virginia’s transportation projects are specifically referenced, and the Secretary of Transportation is part of the designated Conservation Cabinet.

photo & article reprint from DBIA website Congratulations to Lane Construction Corp. for being chosen one of the top Design-Build Transportation projects of 2018. They were the General Contractor on the I-66/Route 15 Interchange Reconstruction. Congratulations are also given to Branscome, Inc. for their recognition as a key sub-contractor on the winning I-64 Capacity Improvements Segment I. Both of these VAA members were chosen as top 2018 Design-Build projects in Transportation by the Design Build Institute of America.

Gary Jennings has returned to VDOT as the Interstate Maintenance Administrator for the Richmond District Interstate Maintenance Office (IMO) This office manages and delivers all maintenance and emergency operations on Virginia's interstate & limited access road network. The IMO operates as a Interstate Residency. This position is the same model used by Hampton Roads and Nova district.

REGISTRATION OPEN 

	Governor's Transportation Conference October 30 - November 2, 2018 Norfolk Hilton the Main
	SMA International Conference November 5-7, 2018 Atlanta, GA

SAVE THE DATE

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