Of the pavement maintenance methods available, full depth reclamation (FDR) is one that will add crushed aggregate prior to the procedure of reclaiming and remixing in-place.

Forgive the oversimplification, but for this quick tip, let’s summarize: Additives work as stabilizing agents and play a role in the reclaiming and remixing stage of FDR. Those agents will set up and bond, offering the reclaimed layer as a base for an overlay.

To get proper compaction of the base—or reclaimed—layer, you’ve got to get your compaction train mobilized. You want to achieve final compaction of the reclaimed layer within two hours of reclamation (depending on ambient temperatures) to achieve manipulation of the elements. You’ve got to get at the base layer before the stabilizing agents set up and refuse to allow further manipulation.

With your base layer’s best compaction achieved, you’re ready to pave an asphalt overlay.

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The 60th Annual Convention of the International Slurry Surfacing Association (ISSA) was held February 22-25, 2022 in La Jolla, California. During the convention, ISSA elected its officers and Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 term, honored retired FP2 Executive Director Jim Moulthrop with a Special Recognition Award, and presented the ISSA President’s Award for Excellence to VSS International Inc. for their work on the Yosemite National Park Pavement Preservation Project.

ISSA Elects 2022-2023 Board of Directors

During the convention, ISSA elected its officers and Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 term.

ISSA re-elected President Chuck Ingram, Business Development Manager of Slurry Pavers Inc. Dave Welborn of Ingevity was re-elected as Vice President; Brad Pearce of Viking Construction was re-elected as Secretary; and finally, Eric Reimschiissel, American Pavement Preservation, was re-elected as Treasurer.  Completing the officers is Larry Tomkins, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, Inc., who will continue to serve as the immediate Past President.

The 2022-2023 Board will include elected directors Tim Harrawood, Vance Brothers, Inc.; Jason Lampley, Doolittle Construction; Fabio Mendez, MPI Ltda.; Chris Oakes, Pavement Solutions Inc.; Doug Olsen, Western Emulsions Inc.; Justin Guiles, Vestal Asphalt Inc.; and Jeff Roberts, VSS International, Inc.  Bob Jerman continues his appointment as ISSA’s technical director.

ISSA Honors Jim Moulthrop with Special Recognition Award

During the convention, retired FP2 Executive Director Jim Moulthrop was honored by ISSA with a Special Recognition Award.

Moulthrop was passionate about employing the pavement preservation concept — using the “right treatment on the right road at the right time” — to improve roads nationwide while minimizing the financial challenges associated with the “fix the worst roads first” mentality. He has worked diligently to educate future generations on applying this important concept. He was always looking ahead when it comes to various technologies and designs used to extend service life of roads across America.

Over his long and distinguished career, Moulthrop held positions and/or served in some capacity for other agencies and associations including the following:

Organizations/Agencies

• Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
• Exxon Chemical Americas
• Koch Materials Company
• Fugro Roadware
• University of Texas at Austin
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Expert Task Group

Trade Associations

• AEMA
• Transportation Research Board
• ASTM International
• Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists
• Canadian Technical Asphalt Association
• National Center for Pavement Preservation

Moulthrop was also honored by the Asphalt Emulsion Manufactures Association (AEMA) and the Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association (ARRA).

VSS International Inc Awarded 2022 ISSA President’s Award for Excellence

During the convention, the ISSA President’s Award for Excellence was presented to VSS International Inc. for their work on the Yosemite National Park Pavement Preservation Project by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-Western Federal Lands Highway Division.

The ISSA President’s Award was established to recognize those contracting achievements that best exemplify the highest quality of workmanship and materials, as well as conformance to best practices as defined by the International Slurry Surfacing Association.

This project was accepted in November 2019 and was completed on time and within the owner’s budget. All pavement preservation techniques represented by ISSA were performed by VSS International. This project required multiple crews and precision execution due to the location, limited communications, long material supply line of deliveries and suppliers over 100 miles away, and historic snowfall levels and summer snowmelt limited VSS’s ability to start work in some areas.

According to Doug Worley, FHWA/Western Federal Lands Highway Division, “VSSI did a great job in scheduling around these late winter season conditions- through coordinating and managing its subcontractors in the rescheduling of various work components and ensuring progress was made in part of the Park where and when work was possible.”

During the 49th Annual Meeting of the Asphalt Emulsions Manufacturers Association (AEMA), February 22-25, in La Jolla, California, AEMA not only elected its 2022-2023 board of directors, but the association also inducted Jim Moulthrop into the AEMA Hall of Fame and recognized a TxDOT project for safety improvements on I-10 using micro surfacing and rejuvenating fog seal.

AEMA Elects 2022-2023 Board of Directors

Bob Huitt was elected President of AEMA.  Huitt is the Senior Vice President of Asphalt Materials for Russell Standard.  AEMA elected new officers that include Vice President Dan Koeninger, Terry Asphalt Materials, Inc, and Secretary/Treasurer Matt Kennedy, McAsphalt Industries Limited. Continuing as Past President is Mark Ishee, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, Inc.

Directors installed for 2022-2023 include Greg Arntson, Albina Asphalt; Arlis Kadrmas, BASF Corp.; Rick Madison, Ingevity; Emmanuel Cornet, Colas S.A.; Scott Dmytrow, Prism Worldwide; Scott Watson, Paragon Technical Services, Inc and new director Cameron Porter, Asphalt Materials, Inc.

TxDOT Wins AEMA Past President’s Award for Safety Improvements on I-10, Using Micro Surfacing and Rejuvenating Fog Seal

AEMA also awarded TxDOT-San Angela District, Junction Area, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, and Intermountain Slurry Seal with the 2022 AEMA Past President’s Award for Emulsion Excellence for their TxDOT Improves Safety on I-10 by Using Micro Surfacing and Rejuvenating Fog Seal project.

This award is presented in recognition of a specific project utilizing asphalt emulsions completed in the past calendar year and is awarded to the agency, contractor, and emulsion manufacturer of the winning entry.

The Texas Department of Transportation works to match surface characteristics to traffic conditions of a road when choosing the appropriate applications. I-10 is a high-speed road which the speed limit is posted as 80 MPH and an ADT of 11,000 with 40% being trucks. Surface friction is critical to improve driver safety and it was determined the best solution for I-10 would be a 10-year-old micro surfacing treatment to produce best results. TxDOT also chose to apply a rejuvenating fog seal to the shoulders as it adds a safety feature of preserving and extending the life of the highway shoulders.

The project started on August 3, 2020 and was completed on September 1, 2020. Micro surfacing was applied at 22 pounds per square yard along the 96-lane mile stretch with the treatment being applied in two-mile increments. Traffic was shifted to one lane during application. The rejuvenating fog seal emulsion was applied to the shoulders at 0.10 gallons per square year. Both treatments cured in less than an hour and traffic was returned to normal.

Jim Moulthrop Inducted into AEMA Hall of Fame

Jim Moulthrop, retired FP² Executive Director, was honored for his lengthy and considerable service to the asphalt emulsion industry and to AEMA and was inducted into the AEMA Hall of Fame.

AEMA’s Hall of Fame Award is given to a person who has made a substantial contribution over a long period of time to the development of AEMA or the advancement of the emulsion industry.

Moulthrop was a pioneer in the asphalt emulsions industry where he remained committed to developing, promoting and supporting initiatives that help preserve America’s infrastructure. Moulthrop was a long-time advocate of the importance of pavement preservation. During his time with AEMA, Moulthrop was instrumental in working with the FHWA to lay the groundwork for broad-based agency support of pavement preservation. He was also instrumental in clarifying federal law to ensure the availability of federal funds for chip seal, fog seal, micro surfacing, slurry seal, hot in-place recycling and cold in-place recycling research and technological advancements.

Some of Moulthrop’s many publications and research highlights included the following:

• Quality-Related Pay Adjustment Factors for Pavements
• Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide Flexible Pavement Performance Prediction Models for Montana Volume III–Field Guide Calibration and User’s Guide for the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
• Selecting a Preventive Maintenance Treatment for Flexible Pavements Transportation Research Record, 1999
• Ride Quality of Jointed, Plain Concrete Pavement with Micro Surfacing: Case Study
• Framework for Selecting Effective Preventive Maintenance Treatments for Flexible Pavements
• Guide Specifications for the Construction of Chip Seals, Micro surfacing, and Fog Seals Project No. NCHRP 14-37 FINAL REPORT Prepared for NCHRP Transportation Research Board of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Moulthrop was also honored by the Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association (ARRA), International Slurry Surfacing Association (ISSA) and FP².

During the 47th Annual Meeting of the Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association (ARRA), February 22-25, 2022 in La Jolla, California, ARRA named its 2022-2023 board of directors. The association also honored several individuals with awards for their contributions to the industry.

ARRA Names 2022-2023 Board of Directors

Kimbel Stokes, The Miller Group was elected as President of ARRA.  Stokes is the General Manager for The Miller Group. ARRA also elected new officers that include Vice President Jason Wielinski, Asphalt Materials Inc/Heritage Research Group and Secretary/Treasurer Bryan Ray, Allstates Pavement Recycling & Stabilization. Jonathan Pease, RockSolid Reclamation & Stabilization will serve as Past President.

Directors installed for 2022-2023 include Trevor Moore, Miller Paving Limited; David Peterson, Caterpillar Paving Products, Inc.; Mark Stahl, Wirtgen America; Marco Estrada, Pavement Recycling Systems; Chris Gallagher, Gallagher Asphalt Corporation; Nick Ware, Alpha Milling Company and Eric Baker, Astec Industries will return as a director. Steve Cross, PE, will continue as ARRA’s technical director.

Tom Kiernan Receives 2022 ARRA Richard E. Lowell President’s Award

ARRA honored Tom Kiernan for his lengthy and extensive service to ARRA and the recycling and reclaiming industry by naming him as the recipient of the 2022 Richard E. Lowell President’s Award.

Each year, the Richard E. Lowell President’s Award is presented to an individual who has, through long term involvement, worked to advance the goals of the Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association and to promote the growth and technological advances of the industry.  Kiernan promoted the industry through seminars and educational resources. He had a passion for stabilization.

ARRA President Jonathan Pease stated, “Tom had an overall love for the industry and believed in all the processes of ARRA.”

Kiernan recently retired from LaFarge, Inc where he was a Sales Specialist.

ARRA Honors Jim Moulthrop with 2022 Special Recognition Award

ARRA presented Jim Moulthrop, retired FP² Executive Director with the 2022 Special Recognition Award.

Moulthrop understood the importance of consistently working toward new and improved technologies to help agencies make the most out of their road budgets. He met with hundreds of policymakers in Washington and in state capitols across the country to explain the value and importance of pavement preservation.

Moulthrop contributed to articles on various pavement preservation topics, including standards and best practices, to numerous print organizations throughout his career, and was a regular contributor for FP²’s Pavement Preservation Journal.

Moulthrop was also honored by the Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association (AEMA) and the International Slurry Surfacing Association (ISSA) for his efforts.

ARRA Names 2022 Special Recognition Award Winners

ARRA congratulated three individuals as recipients of 2022 ARRA Special Recognition Awards. Each year, through the ARRA Special Recognition Awards, ARRA recognizes public officials and consulting engineers who have made outstanding contributions to the asphalt recycling and reclaiming industry.  Nominations are submitted by ARRA members and the ARRA technical committees review all nominations and selects the award winners.

The first recipient was Mike Ristic, P.E., California Department of Maintenance District 8, for the 2022 Charles R. Valentine Award for Excellence in Cold Recycling. As Branch Chief, Ristic has been instrumental in promoting and coordinating training for new, cost-effective treatments to enhance road performance throughout the Caltrans District 8 network.  Ristic’s emphasis on implementing cold in-place recycling has helped Caltrans rehabilitate asphalt roadways through the district, while meeting the state’s goal of reducing the carbon footprint. Using CIR, District 8 has also been able to minimize user delays and reduce wear and tear on the roadway network during construction.

The 2022 Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Full Depth Reclamation was presented to Saul Romero, Texas Department of Transportation- Odessa District. Romero has been a strong advocate for the use of emulsion-based Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) treatments to strengthen road bases long term. In the early 2000s, FDR was not very common in Texas, and they virtually stopped using this treatment with only one project being laid between 2010 and 2015. Knowing the benefits of FDR, Romero embarked on a journey to promote its performance, cost and environmental benefits among fellow engineers and other TxDot-Odessa District personnel. Under his leadership, the TxDot-Odessa District has been able to reintroduce FDR as a worthwhile solution for more durable roads within the Texas Market. Romero was lead engineer for four FDR Projects since 2015.

The final receipt was Lindsey Chieduko with the City & County of Denver for the 2022 Special Recognition for Excellence in Hot In-Place Recycling. The Citywide Hot In-Place Recycling and Repaving project was the largest asphalt paving project in Colorado completed in the 2020/2021 construction season. There were approximately 130 lane-miles resurfaced which treated over 910,000 square yards of city streets, incorporating nearly 63,000 tons of HMA, while recycling 50,000 tons of existing asphalt pavement. This project was a continuation of Denver’s decades-long Hot In-Place Recycling program, which utilizes this Pavement Preservation technique to resurface large amounts of City streets, while devoting budget/resources to other infrastructure projects.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) completed assembly on the world’s largest heavy vehicle simulator (HVS), the “Titan,” at the end of January. The HVS is a critical research tool used to evaluate new materials, design methods and construction techniques that can help optimize new infrastructure facilities.

“We are excited to receive the HVS Titan from our industry partner, Dynatest,” said Jeb Tingle, senior scientific technical manager from ERDC’s Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.  “This new accelerated pavement testing capability will keep ERDC at the forefront of transportation infrastructure research for the foreseeable future and equip the ERDC with the required tools to provide effective sustainable infrastructure to the Army, the Department of Defense and the Nation.”

“The Titan is the world’s largest HVS and has the unique capacity to simulate ground vehicles, aircraft and rail traffic up to 120,000 pounds,” said ERDC Director Dr. David Pittman, who also serves as chief scientist and director of research and development for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “It was developed in partnership with Dynatest. This new capability expands ERDC’s ability to support a wide range of unique military vehicles to help develop better transportation infrastructure solutions.”

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) mission is critically reliant upon its transportation infrastructure, including road networks, bridges, airfields and railroads. The DOD manages billions of dollars in transportation infrastructure assets and invests millions of dollars each year in the design, construction, evaluation and maintenance of its transportation infrastructure to ensure that its transportation network is capable of supporting critical mission requirements.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s newly assembled HVS Titan has the unique ability to apply a dynamic impact load to simulate the load induced at aircraft touchdown. No other heavy vehicle simulator includes this full-scale vertical impact loading capability. The Titan is a critical research tool used to evaluate new materials, design methods and construction techniques that can help optimize new infrastructure facilities. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo)

Like the aging civilian infrastructure networks, the DOD’s vast infrastructure investment is aging, creating significant budgetary demands in a budget-constrained environment.  Compounding the issue is the evolving and complex configurations of new military and commercial vehicles and aircraft that require innovative transportation facilities to ensure safe operating conditions.

In order to meet the demands of maintaining an aging infrastructure and developing new design requirements for modern military vehicles, DOD and civilian engineers must take advantage of new materials and methods for infrastructure design and construction that allows them to maximize the impact of limited funding.  Thus, advancements in materials, design methods and construction technology offer opportunities to improve the condition of the current infrastructure while optimizing the investment in new infrastructure.

Prior to acquiring the new HVS Titan, the ERDC possessed two aging HVS systems, a small unit HVS designed only for ground vehicle loading and a larger HVS-A designed to simulate ground vehicles, aircraft and rail traffic.

ERDC researchers saw the need to replace the larger HVS-A system to enhance and modernize the DOD’s ability to perform meaningful infrastructure research on roads, bridges, airfields and railroads.

On Jan. 31, 2022, crews at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Miss., prepare to move the HVS “Titan” to its new, permanent testing location at the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory. The Titan is a critical research tool used to evaluate new materials, design methods and construction techniques that can help optimize new infrastructure facilities. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo)

“The new HVS Titan includes a total travel span of 75 feet and is capable of applying over 18,000 simulated vehicle passes per day, providing the ability to perform multiple pavement tests simultaneously and maximizing testing efficiency,” Tingle said. “The HVS Titan also includes a unique ability to apply a dynamic impact load to simulate the load induced at aircraft touchdown.  No other heavy vehicle simulator in the world includes this full-scale vertical impact loading capability.”

The HVS Titan is equipped with a powerful climatic control unit capable of maintaining a constant programmable test temperature selected from 20 degrees to 110 degrees. The ability to control test temperature for a wide range of operational conditions ensures the ability to conduct meaningful testing under relevant environmental conditions.

“I am proud that this work is taking place in the 2^nd Congressional District,” said U.S. Congressman Bennie G. Thompson. “I look forward to seeing how this critical research will assist in the modernization of infrastructure efforts and create transportation solutions across the state of Mississippi.”

“ERDC’s expanded capability to test and prove better transportation infrastructure techniques will benefit not only our national security, but also states and cities as they ramp up upgrades to highways, bridges, and airports,” U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith said.  “I have every confidence in the Army Corps researchers in Mississippi who will put this new heavy-duty simulator to work.”

Associated Builders and Contractors today released the following statement criticizing a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. departments of Labor and Transportation advancing workforce policy initiatives on DOT-funded infrastructure projects, including controversial project labor agreements.

“Project labor agreements will exclude 87.4% of America’s construction workforce from competing for and building infrastructure projects funded by the Department of Transportation, increasing construction costs by 12% to 20% and undermining taxpayer investments in public works projects,” said Ben Brubeck, ABC vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs. “PLAs and other exclusionary policies in this MOU will exacerbate the construction industry’s workforce shortage of 650,000 this year.

“If the Biden administration is serious about creating opportunities for a diverse and local construction workforce, it should abandon PLA schemes, which disproportionately exclude nonunion local, minority-, veteran- and women-owned businesses and their employees from bidding on and building public works projects,” said Brubeck.

Since President Biden signed Executive Order 14063 on Feb. 4 mandating PLAs on projects of $35 million or more, numerous business groups and lawmakers have objected to the administration’s push for government-mandated PLAs on both federal and federally assisted public works projects.

On Feb. 15, ABC and 15 organizations representing tens of thousands of companies and millions of employees in the construction industry sent a letter to the administration outlining these concerns. On Feb. 28, ABC and a coalition of 19 organizations from the construction industry and the business community sent a letter to Congress in support of the Fair and Open Competition Act (S. 403/H.R. 1284), which would restrict government-mandated PLAs on federal and federally assisted construction projects.

On March 7, Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., led a group of 42 Senate Republicans in sending a letter to the administration opposing Executive Order 14063, saying that “a fair and open bidding process for federal construction projects would guarantee the best value for hardworking taxpayers located in all geographies and regions across the United States.” Today, Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and 59 House members signed a letter to the administration saying that PLA mandates and preferences will “deny critical construction jobs to local workers and small businesses,” urging the White House to refrain from “attaching strings to infrastructure funding that create discriminatory barriers to recovery.”