ASPHALTopics | Summer 2014 | VOL 27 | NO3

FALL 2014 | VOL27 | NO3 

th 

Anniversary Edition 

THE STRAIGHT GOODS | 10 

Vacuum Tower Asphalt Extenders 

OUT of THE DRIVER’S SEAT | 16 

The rise of AVs 

THE MSCR PROCEDURE | 28 

Improving asphalt binder testing

Cover photo: 

The official publication of the 

Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association, 

Asphaltopics 

is published three times a year. 

Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association 

365 Brunel Rd., Unit 4, Mississauga, ON, L4Z 1Z5 

Tel: 905.507.3707 | Fax: 905.507.3709 

Email: info@ohmpa.org | Website: www.ohmpa.org 

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Editor 

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pdplante.com inc. 

info@pdplante.com 

table of contents 

Presidential Points | 05 

Letters from the ED | 07 

Marcom Matters | 09 

The straight goods | 10 

Out of the driver’s seat | 16 

You’ve come a long way paver | 24 

MSCR procedure | 28 

Go green, go asphalt | 32 

Presidents’ retrospective | 41 

Asphalt cement specifications | 48 

Special Profile: Eddie DeToro | 52 

Technically Speaking | 57 

Environment Committee updates | 62 

Why OHMPA? | 64 

Environmental Essentials | 65 

The Last Word | 66 

Aqualoc Corporation 

975 Fraser Drive, Burlington, ON L7L 4X8 

Call: 905.599.5221 | Mark.b@aqualoc-corp.com 

FALL 2014 3

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PRESIDENTIAL 

POINTS 

by Bentley Ehgoetz 

President, OHMPA 

Forty years later and there’s 

no end to the work in sight 

Welcome to the 40th anniversary edition of Asphaltopics! 

To say the past year has been a busy one would be a 

major understatement. From the early days of January 

through to the last few possible paving days of fall, 

OHMPA has been hard at work representing the best 

interests of the asphalt industry. That task seemed to 

be an especially challenging one on the heels of a brutal 

winter season and a spring filled with what we felt was 

a lot of speculation and innuendo unfairly directed at 

our members. 

By the time we got to the start of the busy paving season, 

there was little doubt about it; our industry was coming 

under some considerable attack and a few were beginning 

to question the quality of the product we’ve proudly stood 

behind as an association for four decades. 

For OHMPA, having our municipal and provincial 

stakeholders start to question the integrity of asphalt 

pavements is simply not an option. The ripple effects of 

any such doubts have the potential to be tremendously 

damaging to each and every one of our members. And 

so, in the face of questions and concerns, we do what 

we do best – we closely examine the issues, we make 

determinations about their cause, and we try to find 

solutions that make sense. Unfortunately, as is often 

the case, that’s much easier said than done. 

Rest assured, OHMPA is committed to working in close 

collaboration with our municipal and provincial partners 

to ensure there is a healthy exchange of information. At 

the same time, we remain firm in our resolve that major 

decisions on specifications need to be based on good 

science using sound technical approaches. To that end, 

over the coming weeks and months a newly formed 

committee will be looking at all of the issues that affect 

the quality of asphalt pavements. We anticipate the work 

of this group will lead to many excellent recommendations 

for both industry and road owners. We’ll keep you 

updated on their work. 

At this year’s Fall Asphalt Seminar in Niagara Falls, we’ll 

have two keynote speakers. Gerry Huber, an associate 

director of research at Heritage Research Group, will 

speak to the hot-button issue of re-refined engine oil 

and the research that’s being done by the Federal 

Highway Administration (FHWA), Asphalt Institute and 

the asphalt industry at-large to address the use of this 

material in asphalt pavements. In addition, John D’Angelo, 

who worked for 27 years with the FHWA and now runs 

his own consulting firm, will be updating attendees on 

the development of the Multiple Stress Creep Recover 

test which is replacing the current AASHTO M320 test 

procedure in the US and is also the basis for the MGAC 

specification (Multiple Stress Creep Recovery Graded 

Asphalt Cement) proposed by OHMPA in the spring 

and introduced during our Road Tour. 

Each year, thousands of kilometers of Ontario roads are 

paved and remediated. The vast majority of these roads 

are smooth, durable and will last many years. Despite the 

occasional negative blow, we should remember that our 

members work very hard to produce a quality product and 

do good work that benefits every single person living in 

this wonderful province of ours. 

Here’s to the next 40 years of excellence in asphalt 

pavements. 

Bentley Ehgoetz is the president of OHMPA for 2014 

and Director of Operations of Lavis Contracting Co. Ltd. 


Congratulations on 40 years 

of commitment to the industry. 

The Asphalt Institute is proud of the OHMPA partnership and the 

joint engineer support for its members. Here’s to 40 more! 

asphaltinstitute.org

LETTERS 

FROM THE ED 

by Doug Duke 

Executive Director, OHMPA 

A special tribute to those 

who make it happen 

As we approach the end of 2014, it occurs to me that we 

haven’t had much time to pause and soak in the celebratory 

milestone that is OHMPA’s 40th anniversary. Twelve months 

ago, we might have predicted a different reality. 

At that time, we were thinking about ways to improve the 

profile and value of each of our events, polish up the look 

and feel of Asphaltopics, our in-house publication, and 

offer up a truly interactive and responsive new website. 

To be sure, I believe we managed to do all of those things 

this year. 

But with OHMPA’s celebration of four decades of 

promoting excellence in asphalt pavements, there 

has also come many challenges. 

Right out of the proverbial gate, one of the worst winters in 

memory wreaked havoc on the province’s roads, especially 

those in heavily trafficked urban centres, leading to a 

lot of unanticipated negative press and misinformation 

surrounding potholes. OHMPA was forced to go on the 

defensive, responding to media calls to ensure people 

understood what was really going on with our roads. 

Meanwhile, there was a sort of upheaval at the homefront 

as OHMPA’s staff started to turn over. Some opted for 

new opportunities, some hung up their gloves, and 

some started families. While it seems a somewhat foggy 

memory now, there were moments during the front half 

of 2014 when the association operated with less than half 

its normal complement of staff. In a matter of months, 

I went from being the new guy to being the seasoned 

vet. It was a strange and oft-times difficult period. 

I’m only just coming up on my own two-year anniversary 

here at OHMPA. To say the very least, it’s been an 

interesting ride. Along the way, I’ve met some fascinating 

people, learned a whole lot about the wonderful world 

of asphalt, and even managed to get out and put my 

‘boots on the ground’ to see what the industry looks like 

firsthand from a plant perspective and out on the road. 

This is an association that should be very proud of what it 

has accomplished over its 40 year history. Thanks in large 

measure to the hard work and dedication of a long list 

of volunteers, OHMPA enjoys a reputation for doing 

good work in careful collaboration with a myriad 

of stakeholders. It has done this under the careful 

guidance of 36 presidents and countless board and 

committee volunteers. 

Many of those people have ‘returned’ so to speak to 

help us with this special 40th anniversary edition of 

Asphaltopics. To them, we say thank you; not only 

for their willingness to help us out with some memories 

from the past, but also for their leadership and vision 

which has quite literally brought OHMPA to where it 

stands today. 

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to thank those 

people who made it easier for ME over the past several 

months as we navigated this ship through some pretty 

choppy waters. To OHMPA’s terrific staff – Sandy Brown, 

Abigail Wright Pereira, Melinda Magee, Princess Buni and 

Donovan Woods – thank you for all you do, often without 

recognition, to ensure OHMPA’s continued success. 


WE KNOW THE ROAD. 

WE’VE BEEN ON IT FOR 100 YEARS. 

At Aecon, our road to success has been a century long. We know about seamless 

road and bridge construction, the importance of exceptional raw materials and 

proven performance value of “just the right” asphalt hot mix. 

Superhighways and super structures require superior expertise. 

8 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS

MARCOM 

MATTERS 

by Abigail Wright Pereira 

Marketing and Communications Director, OHMPA 

The Big 4-0 

The Philadelphia Flyers had won the Stanley Cup, a gallon 

of gas cost 55 cents, bell-bottoms were in, President 

Nixon was out, and a meeting of a small group of 

Ontario’s asphalt producers at Toronto’s Constellation 

Hotel would form what would become known as the 

Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association. The year was 

1974. One thing OHMPA and I have in common is that 

we both got our start that year. 

Those of us who have been around since 1974 or before 

have all heard the clichés that go with the milestone 

birthday – “Forty, now you’re like a vintage wine,” 

“Look who’s over the hill,” and so on. 

Unlike any anniversary before it 

that ends with a zero, 40 signifies 

the transition from youth to middle 

age or maturity. I believe this is not 

a time to bemoan aging, but rather 

is a cause for celebration. 

The forty-year mark held as much 

significance in ancient times as it 

does today. In both Jewish and 

Muslim cultures a person wasn’t 

considered fully mature until the 

age of 40. In addition, forty years was a time period 

designated to fulfill promises and oaths. According 

to the Bible, Moses was 40 years old when he led the 

Israelites out of Egypt, and they had to wait another 

40 years to get to the “Promised Land.” 

In some ways, the same applies to OHMPA. The 

association began as a few asphalt producers who 

set out to change the industry for the better. OHMPA’s 

efforts over the past four decades have brought forth 

several pivotal improvements including standardized 

testing in all asphalt labs, the MTO asphalt cement price 

index, and the Environmental Practices Guide, to name 

a few. OHMPA has grown into some big shoes as it enters 

its fourth decade as a fully staffed, internationally known 

and respected association. Now fitting into those big 

shoes, OHMPA is ready to take on bigger challenges 

and opportunities that the future holds. 

This decade has also unfolded as an exciting chapter 

in my own life. A few weeks shy of my fortieth birthday, 

I gave birth to my first child, Elijah. When he was four 

weeks old, I fell into a fire pit at 

a camp ground and broke my arm. 

I wouldn’t advise anyone to break 

a limb after childbirth. However, 

after 40 years of life’s ups and 

downs, I’m certain I am handling 

it better than I would have 10 years 

ago. As I sit here pecking out this 

column with a brace on my right 

arm that looks like something 

out of RoboCop and listen to my 

son being entertained by Little 

Richard’s rendition of Tutti Frutti, I know that the best 

is yet to come, and the same holds true for OHMPA. 

Cheers to the big 4-0! 

Abigail Wright Pereira is currently on maternity leave 

from her position as Marketing and Communications 

Director for OHMPA. 


THE 

STRAIGHT 

GOODS 


In the last six months, the use of VTAE 

has become a very hot topic and there 

is a lot of poor information circulating 

in the industry. – Gerald Huber 

on Vacuum Tower 

Asphalt Extenders 

in Asphalt Cement 

by Lisa Fattori 


For approximately 30 years, Vacuum Tower 

Asphalt Extenders (VTAEs) have been blended 

as part of asphalt binders and, until recently, 

no adverse effects on pavement performance 

have been reported. Also known as Re-fined 

Vacuum Tower Bottoms (RVTBs), Re-fined 

Engine Oil Bottoms (REOB), Waste Engine 

Oil Residue (WEOR), and asphalt flux, the 

asphalt additive has recently come under fire. Some 

research has suggested that binders have been mixed 

with 15% to 30% VTAE, while the industry standard 

is generally to incorporate less than 10% of VTAE. 

Conflicting research has led to confusion and misinformation 

about the use of this additive in HMA mixes 

and the performance in the field. 

“In the last six months, the use of VTAE has become 

a very hot topic and there is a lot of poor information 

circulating in the industry,” says Gerald Huber, Associate 

Director of Research for Heritage Research Group in 

Indianapolis. “There’s an impression that used motor 

oil is being poured into mixes, and that it’s a waste 

product, which isn’t accurate. Some researchers are 

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conducting tests and saying that it performs fine; while 

others are doing non-standard tests and saying that the 

additive creates problems. A lot of rumours are flying 

around, with many people not really knowing that VTAE is.” 

VTAE is what remains from the distillation of used 

motor oil. The used oil is recycled at refineries, where 

it undergoes a multiple-stage distillation process to 

return the material to a base oil. VTAE, a co-product 

of the refining process, is a thick hydrocarbon substance 

with properties that have been shown to improve the 

performance of asphalt binder. VTAE contains iron and 

other metals from a vehicle’s engine. The material also 

contains phosphorous and zinc from viscosity enhancers 

and anti-friction polymers, which are present in the engine 

oil. Elevated levels of zinc in an asphalt binder, which 

do not occur naturally in crude oil, is used as one of the 

markers to reveal that VTAE is present. 

In response to conflicting research results on VTAE, 

Heritage Research Group conducted a study for the 

Illinois Department of Transportation last spring and 

presented a paper on the research at CTAA in November. 

The study compared the properties of a Superpave 

binder grade of PG 58-28 that was 

formulated with nine per cent of 

VTAE, as well as another PG 58-28 

formulated without VTAE. A thorough 

set of binder testing, including 

Superpave PG Binder Testing, X-Ray 

Fluorescence, Polycyclic Aromatic 

Compound (PAC) content, gel 

permeation chromatography (GPC) 

and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) 

was performed to compare the effects 

of blending VTAE on binder grading, 

chemical composition, environmental 

impact, and compatibility of VTAE 

with asphalt binder. 

A second portion of the study, 

comparing the mixture performance 

of HMA both with neat PG 58-28 and 

PG 58-28 containing VTAE, provided 

volumetric analysis and examined 

resistance to moisture damage, 

resistance to rutting, mixture stiffness 

and fatigue resistance. The mixtures 

also underwent an environmental 

assessment using leachate testing. 

The results of the study show that 

asphalt binders, with and without 

VTAE, age at a similar rate and ››

“Our study indicated that there isn’t any rapid hardening 

in the asphalt binder or mix with VTAE and ... no cancer 

causing materials.” – Gerald Huber 

“The key thing we need is a national forum to show 

data and make recommendations to the standard 

setting agencies.” – Gerald Huber 


that there was no real 

difference in the thermal 

stability of the asphalt binders. 

The VTAE asphalt mixture had 

better resistance to fatigue. 

Also, compared to the asphalt 

mixture without VTAE, the 

mixture containing VTAE was 

less susceptible to moisture 

damage. Both mixtures 

showed the same resistance 

to rutting. The study also 

concluded that there was 

no significant difference in 

PAC levels between the VTAE 

blended binder and the neat 

asphalts, and that the addition 

of VTAE to asphalt binders 

does not pose any additional 

environmental or health issues. 

“Our study indicated that 

there isn’t any rapid hardening 

in the asphalt binder or mix 

with VTAE and when we 

evaluated the chemistry, the 

data clearly shows that there 

are no cancer causing materials in the VTAE,” Huber says. 

“We are confident that we took an unbiased approach in 

our experiments. Some people are looking at five to seven 

year old field projects, with test sections containing VTAE 

that show cracking. They are assuming that the VTAE has 

caused it to crack, but there are multiple reasons for why 

this might be happening and many have nothing to do 

with the asphalt binder.” 

“In my view, this issue underlines the role of national peer 

groups as a place for presenting data and having debate,” 

continues Huber. “The FHWA Expert Task Groups (ETGs) 

on asphalt binder and on asphalt mixture are a forum 

where research can be presented and debate can occur 

among peers to determine if, or what, specifications 

should address the use of VTAE.” 

For practicing engineers, the conflicting reports 

presented by researchers can be confusing and the 

answer to whether VTAE should be used, in what amounts, 

and under what conditions is unknown. The instinctive 

reaction of agencies is to ban VTAE as the safe thing to 

do. According to Huber, that decision is not technically 

sound. That’s the role of the ETGs and, ultimately, a 

conference should be used to disseminate information. 


“In many ways the current 

issue of VTAE mirrors the 

issue of PPA as an asphalt 

binder modifier that 

occurred a decade ago,” 

Huber says. “As a result 

of ETG activities, the 

FHWA published a best 

practices document and 

the Asphalt Institute held 

a conference. Today, PPA 

is an accepted asphalt 

binder modifier. That’s 

what is needed for VTAE.” 

Greater clarification and 

understanding is needed 

to instill confidence 

about the use of VTAE. 

In June, 2014, The New 

Hampshire Department of 

Transportation (NHDOT) 

issued a ban on VTAE, 

requiring all suppliers of 

PG binder to certify that 

the PG binder supplied 

for use on Department 

projects “does not contain refined engine oil bottoms, 

also known as waste engine oil.” The ban followed 

discussions between NHDOT and the other five New 

England state transportation agencies about the potential 

impacts of VTAE in PG asphalt binder, and became 

effective August 1, 2014. 

The potential for a widespread ban on VTAE is particularly 

concerning to re-refiners who supply VTAE to the asphalt 

industry. The threat to markets for used oil derived 

products has prompted various groups to address 

the issue, including NORA (National Oil Recyclers 

Association), an association of responsible recyclers 

who has been very vocal in defending the reputation 

of the product. NORA represents 400 companies who 

collect and recycle over a billion gallons of used oil and 

related materials each year. Over the last 30 years, it is 

estimated that more than a billion gallons of VTAE has 

been used effectively as an ingredient in asphalt paving. 

“This issue came on our radar in June of this year and 

we’ve had meetings with the Asphalt Institute and NAPA,” 

says Scott Parker, Executive Director of NORA. “We want 

to debunk the notion that VTAE is an inferior product. 

I don’t think a product that has been used for 30 years 

is low quality and, in fact, our members report that many 

asphalt paving companies value this material as a

preferred additive. We have to 

protect and defend the right of 

these companies to use VTAE.” 

NORA credits some of the misunderstanding 

about VTAE to the multiple 

names used to describe the product, 

some of which carry connotations of 

used oil being poured into asphalt 

cement. The Association recently 

coined the term VTAE as a new 

reference to be used industry-wide. 

The Association is also in the process 

of developing the first specification for 

VTAE, which will give operators greater 

confidence about the composition of 

the material that they are purchasing. 

new industry standards to provide greater assurances about the effect 

of VTAE on pavement performance. 

“The key thing we need is a national forum to show data and make 

recommendations to the standard setting agencies,” Huber says. “The 

role of expert task groups – Binder ETG and Mix ETG – is to help define 

standards and specifications that are based upon a collective opinion.” 

Lisa Fattori is a freelance writer, specializing in the construction industry. 

“We brought together all of our VTAE 

producers in the U.S., and some in 

Canada, to create a standardized term, 

and we came up with this definition,” 

Parker says. “Part of the problem was 

calling the product by so many names 

and we’ve fixed that. Our second 

objective is to develop a specification 

by NORA, which we will then present 

to ASTM to have the specification 

become standard.” 

Bans on the use of VTAE not only 

negatively impact the bottom line of 

re-refiners, but also compromise the 

environmental benefits of recycling 

used motor oil to create the product. 

“If the markets are damaged because 

of irrational regulations, that affects 

the economies that drive the collection 

of used motor oil,” Parker says. “If the 

value of recycled products decreases, 

then there will be reduced collection 

of the material. The used oil will be 

disposed of, which would be very 

harmful to the environment.” 

In the U.S., the FHWA Turner Fairbanks 

labs recently tested more than 1,000 

asphalt samples from various parts of 

the U.S., and found that approximately 

20 per cent of the samples contained 

VTAEs. More widespread use of the 

product as an additive to binders will 

require continued testing, the dissemination 

of accurate information, and 



Out of the 

driver’s seat: 

How driverless cars are 

changing the automotive 

landscape 


As car manufacturers race to design the first generation of driverless cars 

or autonomous vehicles (AVs), related industries are anticipating the needs 

of tomorrow and the systems that will have to be in place to support the 

new driving experience. This brave new world of autonomous vehicles 

will quite literally put the driver in the back seat. With the first wave 

of AVs expected to hit the market as early as 2020 to 2025, the next few 

decades will deliver enormous benefits, including new economic spin-off 

opportunities, a greener environment and improved lifestyles. 


For the last 15 years, consumers have had access to 

cars outfitted with driver aids and safety features, such 

as navigation systems, blind spot detection and forward 

collision warning. These precursors to AVs offer a whole 

spectrum of connectivity, giving drivers a degree of 

control, but with better access to information such as 

real-time traffic updates. The next step is for the vehicle 

to take action, say, in avoiding a collision, or to travel 

at the appropriate speed and take the best route to 

maximize fuel efficiency. Cars that are connected to 

one another can warn following vehicles of up-coming 

road conditions, such as snow covered pavement or 

ice patches, for enhanced safety. 

“Everyone is fascinated with the technology and, while 

we’re still in a walk-before-you-can-run phase, the pace 

is speeding up,” says Stephen Erwin, Head, Intelligent 

Transportation Systems Program, Ontario Ministry of 

Transportation (MTO). “The vehicle is an extension of 

the information world with internet access to support the 

driver. Connected vehicles are here now and we’re starting 

to see subcomponents of automation. Autonomous 

vehicles will take the driver out of the equation with 

automated steering and braking systems. Ideally, we will 

have vehicles that are both connected and automated.” 

Proponents of driverless cars point out the enormous 

benefits of transitioning to AVs, including improved safety. 

Accidents caused by drinking and driving, distracted 

driving and aggressive driving are the direct result of 

human error, which will no longer be an issue in an AV 

dominated society. The self-driving car is aware of itself 

in relation to its surroundings, including its proximity to 

other vehicles and pedestrians, continuously sending 

and receiving information to avoid a collision at all costs. 

According to the US Department of Transportation, selfdriving 

cars would lower car crashes in the U.S. by 80 per 

cent, which would account for a significant reduction in 

fatalities and injuries. Safer roads will reduce the number 

of accident-related hospital emergencies and costs to the 

medical system, as well as the number of first responder 

emergency calls. 

The improved fuel efficiency and reduced vehicle 

emissions of AVs will enhance sustainability. With cars 

travelling at the same speed, in unison, there is no 

rubber-necking, tailgating and frequent acceleration 

and deceleration, which affects fuel efficiency. Vehicles 

will be able to synchronize their speeds to ensure that 

they hit only green lights along a route, and the car will 

take the least congested, most direct roadway to avoid 

any stop and go scenarios. ›› 

The technological 

nerve centre of the 

connected vehicle 

where systems 

communicate 

with each other 

to feed the vehicle’s 

on-screen displays, 

dash board and 

system technologies. 



“When you don’t have to stop for a red light for ten 

traffic lights down the street, your vehicle can achieve 

greater fuel efficiency,” says Bob Burrows, CEO of G4 

Apps Inc., a mobile technologies and services company 

based in Oakville, Ontario. “Synchronizing vehicles with 

traffic signals is of particular interest to commercial fleets 

that stand to save a lot in fuel costs. We’re currently in 

discussions with an Ontario city to conduct a trial using 

this technology.” 

According to G4 Apps Inc., every 100 litres of fuel saved 

will reduce CO 2 

emissions by 270 kilograms. In Europe, 

an automated trucking project called SARTRE tested 

a convoy of trucks with driverless, automated vehicles 

following a lead vehicle, and reported reliable fuel savings. 

In cars, GM has unveiled a Cadillac Super Cruise feature, 

which will be available in a few years. On freeways, the 

vehicle will automatically adjust speeds and keep the 

car in its lane through lane detection technology. 

An elaborate network of shared transportation information 

will enable transportation agencies to better predict 

traffic patterns and to design the most efficient roadways. 

Multiple sub-systems of smart technologies and sensors 

INDUSTRY NEWS 

SAVE THE DATE! 

Join us for OHMPA’s 41 st AGM 

on March 25 - 26, 2015. 

FERMAR PAVING CELEBRATES 

50 th ANNIVERSARY 

OHMPA isn’t the only one celebrating a milestone 

this year. On August 23, Fermar Paving Ltd. celebrated 

its 50th anniversary in style with a party at the company’s 

headquarters in Etobicoke. Hundreds showed up to offer 

congratulations and share in the special occasion. 

in vehicles will report in real-time a plethora of useful 

data, including road conditions and the particular details 

of an accident. 

“In a collision situation, police are collecting evidence, 

which can lead to extended closures,” Erwin says. 

“Connected vehicles will be able to report a collision 

immediately, which means emergency response crews are 

dispatched faster. Also, the vehicles already have the data 

to explain what happened, potentially reducing the effort 

and time of an on-site investigation and allowing the cars 

to be removed right away to get traffic moving again.” 

“Manufacturers are layering on the technology, giving 

cars the ability to adapt to fog, rain or snow faster than 

we could,” Erwin adds. “Algorithms are accounting for 

a variety of road conditions. If traction control engages 

on a number of cars in the same location, I can get a salter 

out to de-ice that area. One of the values for us in having 

connected vehicles is our access to a richer data set which 

will help us to understand what is happening on the road 

in order to manage traffic more effectively.” 

Enhanced mobility, with door-to-door transportation 

options for the elderly, youth and people with disabilities 

who are unable to drive, will improve the quality of life 

for many. Shared vehicle services, such as Zipcar, are 

already popular among urbanites who see no need to 

own a vehicle. This model is a good fit with the driverless 

car era. Along with individual car ownership, public 

transportation could take a back seat to AVs, which 

offer greater flexibility and efficiency. Unlike private 

vehicles that sit in a parking lot for the duration of a 

work day or bus and subway services that operate with 

only a handful of passengers, fleets of AVs will maintain 

full schedules, picking up and dropping off passengers 

continuously, which is a more efficient use of fuel and 

better for the environment. 

Road design and pavement specifications are expected 

to modify to accommodate the changing landscape 

brought about by self-driving cars. If people no longer 

own their own vehicles, it’s conceivable that homes will 

not have driveways, and that there will be no need for 

parking lots and designated street parking in urban 

centres. Without the risk of collisions, cars will be smaller 

and more lightweight, which will affect pavement designs. 

Roadways could be divided into specified lanes, for 

manually driven cars, semi-automated cars and AVs, 

and trucks; each with their own geometric and pavement 

design specifications. Pavement markings might no longer 

be necessary and there will be a greater number of more 

compact lanes due to smaller sized cars. ›› 



An all-Canadian connected car is unveiled in Windsor 

“AVs will help reduce congestion in urban areas where 

there is no room for additional roads,” Burrows says. 

“We’ll have less pavement, but more technology in the 

pavement such as electric charging stations built into the 

roads for electric vehicles. There will be a mixed fleet of 

cars, so I can’t see anyone doing away with barriers or 

rumble strips on roads, and I don’t see a big change 

in interurban roadways.” 

While connected car technology has grown by leaps and 

bounds, and will continue to do so in the next five years, 

the regulatory parameters governing AVs on the roadway 

are still not fully in place. Issues surrounding liability and 

auto insurance and who is responsible in the event of a 

sensor malfunction continue to be debated. With the onus 

removed from the driver of an AV, does liability rest with 

the car manufacturer, the producers of the sub-systems, 

transportation agencies, or all parties involved? 

Pilot projects to test AVs in real life settings are helping 

to shape the practical application of self-driving cars and 

the legal boundaries necessary for their integration. Major 

automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, GM, Ford, Nissan, 

Toyota, Audi and Volvo, all have working prototypes of 

self-driving cars and tests are being carried out in Europe, 

Japan and China. In the U.S., Nevada, Florida, California 

and Michigan have also passed laws permitting the testing 

of AVs on public roads. 

“You can’t reproduce a number of conditions that a car can 

face, so you need to test the AVs in real traffic scenarios,” 

Erwin says. “That means defining the conditions that would 

allow manufacturers to test their AVs. Liability and insurance 

are a big part of this. Jurisdictions want to ensure that 

automated systems are safe.” 

In December, 2013, MTO issued a proposal for a pilot 

project to test AVs, with a deadline for comments and 

submissions by February 24, 2014. In its proposal, the 

Ministry acknowledges that the pilot project “is a first 

for Canada and provides an excellent opportunity to 

showcase Ontario as a leader in technology development 

with the potential to attract new business opportunities.” 

The five-year pilot project provides a similar framework 

for testing as in U.S. jurisdictions, including limiting testing 

to specific roads, and ensuring that the driver is capable 

of taking over immediate manual control. The Ministry is 

currently considering the feedback submitted and is in 

ongoing discussions with industry stakeholders before 

formulating policy for the project. 


“This project tells the Ontario story in its entirety 

with a Lexus that was built in the province and 

technology by Ontario companies.” Flavio Volpe 

Given Ontario’s proficiency in the Information and 

Communications Technology (ICT) sector, as well as 

in automotive parts and vehicle manufacturing, the 

province is well positioned to be a world leader in the 

AV space. In June, an all-Canadian connected car was 

unveiled at the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association 

of Canada (APMA) annual conference in Windsor. The 

APMA Connected Vehicle Working Group is a partnership 

between the Association and Ontario Centres of 

Excellence, and showcases connected vehicle technologies 

developed by 13 Canadian companies. The vehicle is a 

2014 Lexus RX 350, which was donated by Toyota Canada. 

The cross-sector collaboration has produced a vehicle 

that has hand gesture recognition technology; an alcohol 

testing device; a controlled ambient lighting system; 

a wireless charging system for smart devices; and a 

platform that delivers environmental data to drivers in 

real-time. The project demonstrates the expertise of 

Canadian companies in a number of disciplines – computing 

software and hardware, communications technologies and 

the auto sector – and the business opportunities that can 

be gained by being at the forefront of the AV market. 

“This project tells the Ontario story in its entirety, with 

a Lexus that was built in the province and technology 

by Ontario companies,” says Flavio Volpe, President 

of APMA. “It is the first time that these technologies 

have been integrated in such a manner and the project 

demonstrates this country’s collective capabilities in 

developing leading edge technologies for connected 

vehicles.” 


Ladies on a paver. Undated photo from private collection 

You’ve come 

pa 

by Steve Pecar 

Original concepts 

pave the way for 

new innovations 

American military laying down asphalt at airport (US Navy Museum) 

Vintage compactor (National Asphalt Pavement Association) 

Asphalt worker 1950s 


While the roots of paving stretch back even further, the 

first asphalt system appeared on the scene in the late 

1920s to early 1930s when the Chicago Testing Laboratory 

approached the Barber Greene Company for a redesign 

of their material loaders. Although the partnership didn’t 

take off, Barber Greene kept the project alive. 

After first developing a system based on one used for 

traditional concrete paving, the company found that 

asphalt needed its own method of delivery. Their 

engineers, designers and Barber himself went back 

to the drawing board. By 1933 they had their answer. 

What they came up with (to coin a phrase) paved the 

way for asphalt to become the most effective material 

for building roads and highways across North America. 

The machine they introduced, the Model 79, was 

certainly innovative, but also well enough conceived 

that the original concept is still the basis of all paving 

machines. Self-propelled, the laydown machine could be 

loaded with material which was carried along conveyors 

to the screed. It used a floating screed with a tamper bar 

that not only allowed for a uniform thickness, but also 

a consistent density. 

Of course, there has been more to it than that. From the 

pick and shovel to the sophisticated plants, the evolution 

of the use of hot mix asphalt has been at times technical, 

quirky, lucky, and scientific, yet always innovative as the 

industry toys and tinkers with improvements to get to 

where they are ultimately going. 

John Loughnan spent 57 years in the industry at various 

workplaces and with numerous job titles. Recently retired 

from Miller Paving Limited and a past president of OHMPA, 

Loughnan has viewed the industry from several different 

vantage points. With a background that includes Ontario’s

a long 

ver 

way 

Ministry of Transportation, Cedarapids Asphalt Equipment 

dealer for Blackwood Hodge, and Miller Paving, he has a 

unique perspective. 

“I’ve seen quite a bit over the years. A lot has changed, but 

many of the basic concepts are the same,” he says. He adds 

that advances in the production process have been key to 

moving the industry forward, as have the pollution controls 

that are now in place. The introduction of RAP at higher 

percentage and the addition to the plants of hot mix 

surge/storage silos has improved the process. 

The first fuel used was heavy bunker oil; from there we 

moved to light fuel oil and natural gas, and now include 

propane and butane. Originally, the exhaust from the plants 

was released directly into the atmosphere. The introduction 

of cleaner burning fuels was followed with washer/ 

scrubbers and fabric filter baghouses to satisfy stringent 

environmental controls which also included recirculating 

gases to the burner. 

Loughnan goes on to explain that back in the 1950s the 

pace was a lot slower and that a paving company employed 

more people than used today. More attention to detail was 

required with all the handwork. 

“You couldn’t do as much with that older equipment and 

lot of workers were necessary,” Loughnan says. Despite the 

equipment used 60 years ago, he’s quick to point out that 

the workmanship was at a high level. “Workers just had 

a different skill set back then, often using whatever tools 

they had.” 

Loughnan says paving equipment has evolved to keep up 

with the demands of the industry such as new materials, 

bigger projects and worker safety. Varying specifications 

also call for more versatility. He believes that one of the 

best advancements was the introduction of the vibratory 

steel roller which replaced three-wheeled static tired 

steel rollers. This allowed contractors to achieve 

desired compaction. 

“With the vibratory roller you could always achieve the 

desired compaction which made roads last longer and 

helped contractors enjoy performance bonuses by ›› 

1970s crew roll out material (The Asphalt Institute) 

1955 crane loading at hot mix plant 

(National Asphalt Pavement Association) 

1960 paver doing road work (National Asphalt Pavement Association) 

Cleaning out 

the truck box


HMA plant from the 1970s (Gencor) 

Milling machine from the 1970s 

getting the desired specified results,” he says. Loughnan 

says rubber rollers can now be equipped with propane 

heaters on the tires to lessen pickup on cooler days. 

Other key advancements for paving, according to 

Loughnan, include the hydraulically extendable screeds 

that were introduced in the 1970s to replace the old bolt-on 

extensions to the paver screed. This allowed for paving up 

to 24-feet in width and minimized the handwork required 

on variable width lanes and tapers. 

According to Doug Woods from Cope Construction and 

Contracting Inc., it’s the little things have led to innovation 

on the job. He says when he first started in the industry, 

diesel oil was used to coat the truck boxes and help the 

hot mix to slide out. 

“The old trucks weren’t made to specifically deal with the 

asphalt industry,” he says. “They had old steel boxes that 

were banged up with a lot of dents. To keep their truck 

boxes clean, the drivers had to climb into the truck box 

and brush on diesel fuel with the misconstrued concept 

that more would be better. Often there would be puddles 

of diesel fuel on the floor of the truck. 

In retrospect, he says, it was a bad process as the diesel 

oil would get mixed in with the hot mix asphalt and that 

would have affected the final product. “We didn’t have 

much choice back then though,” he continues. “If we 

didn’t use it there would be too much asphalt left stuck 

in the box.” 

Woods says the introduction of asphalt-friendly sprays, 

and trucks designed for the material, make that task 

easier, more efficient, and better for the pavement. As 

for advancements in paving, Woods believes the electronic 

controls on the equipment have been the biggest leaps 

in technology. 

“The controls on spreaders have improved the industry,” 

Woods says. “In the past, workers used to have to match 

curves visually. Now you can set the controls to manage 

the curves and the slopes. It’s all done automatically.” 

However, he adds, the changes have been more of a fine 

tuning instead of a complete overhaul. “If a company is 

forced to use a backup, they can still turn to equipment 

that is 15 to 20 years old,” he says. “It still works the same. 

Not too many industries outside of asphalt can do that.” 

Down the road, Woods predicts an age of even more 

precision for paving equipment, one where GPS devices 

and other technology will be relied upon rather than the 

skill of the crew. “It’s exciting, but kind of sad at the same 

time,” Woods says. “At one time, a company was known 

for its good operators, screed men and rakers. It was the 

calibre of the crew that made you proud of the industry.” 

Still, he knows competitive demands will push paving 

technology further and he is excited at the prospect 

of what the future has in store for the industry. 

Steve Pecar is a Mississauga-based writer, 

editor and designer.

FALL 2014 27

Multiple Stress 

Creep Recovery 

procedure 

improves testing of asphalt binders 

MGAC project north of Guelph on Wellington Road 7 


y Lisa Fattori 

in 

April 2014, OHMPA published Ontario draft contract language for the new Multiple Stress 

Creep Recovery (MSCR) graded asphalt cement. The material specification replaces the Superpave 

Performance Graded (PG) asphalt binder specification and has been identified as MGAC (MSCR 

Graded Asphalt Cement) to avoid confusion. The MSCR procedure improves upon previous testing 

methods to provide information about both the performance and formulation of the asphalt binder 

through a single test. For heavy traffic areas that require elastomeric polymers in the binder, 

the test provides a more accurate assessment of how the asphalt cement will perform. 

“We’re always looking for improved tests for both 

high and low temperatures, and the existing test didn’t 

capture all of the characteristics of modified systems,” 

says John D’Angelo PhD., CEO of D’Angelo Consulting 

LLC in Washington D.C. “This test is an improvement 

because it looks at both modified and unmodified binders. 

The previous test used the same equipment, but just 

looked at low stress levels – small loading and movement 

– and didn’t capture how the AC would react under high 

traffic or stress levels. This test gives us a lot more detail; 

performance characteristics under high temperatures 

and if elastomers have been added to the mix.” 

While working at U.S. Department of Transportation’s 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), D’Angelo was 

part of the research team that developed the MSCR 

specification. The research project began in 1999, 

with finalized test results submitted to the American 

Association of State Highway and Transportation 

Officials (AASHTO) in 2008. AASHTO published the 

MSCR test procedure as a provisional specification, 

and conducted trials for another six years. Since 2009, 

the MSCR test has been available, with a number 

of jurisdictions developing their own methods of 

implementing the specifications. 


The MSCR test uses the creep and recovery testing 

method and is carried out in the Dynamic Shear 

Rheometer (DSR), which is the same equipment used 

for the existing PG specification. Unlike the PG system, 

however, the MSCR test measures higher levels of stress 

and strain through 10 cycles of creep/recovery. The test 

better represents what occurs in actual pavements, and 

captures both the stiffening effects and the delayed 

elastic effects of the polymer. 

To accommodate heavy traffic, the MSCR method 

tests binders at the environmental temperature that 

the pavement is expected to experience, and requires 

higher stiffness unlike the current high temperature grade 

bumping PG practice. Because polymers soften at high 

temperatures, the results can be misleading. Under the 

MSCR grading, the specification values for standard, 

heavy, very heavy or extreme traffic are changed, and 

the temperature remains the same at 58°C or 52°C for 

Ontario. The test identifies the rut resistance of both 

modified and non-modified binders, and verifies the 

presence of a polymer and the characteristics of the 

polymer in the binder. As such, it is no longer necessary 

to run additional tests, such as elastic recovery, toughness 

and tenacity, and/or force ductility to ascertain polymer 

modification of asphalt binders. 

“We produced several materials that had a lot of different 

properties, and then tested them in the lab,” D’Angelo 

says. “We then added them to aggregate mixtures to 

validate that the properties were 

evident in the mix. The material was 

applied on multiple test sections to 

test the asphalt binders in real road 

conditions, and to make sure that the 

results correlated back to the binder 

testing. The biggest challenge was 

identifying the true properties of the 

material. We found that the mixture 

test was not capturing the same 

properties as the binder test, which 

required further testing. You need 

to duplicate the results in order to 

validate your findings.” 

At the FHWA’s Accelerated Loading 

Facility (ALF), test sections were 

constructed using unmodified, airblown, 

SBS-modified, crumb rubbermodified 

and Elvaloy-modified binders. 

The rutting of the high temperature parameters for both 

PG and MSCR were compared after heating the sections 

to 64°C and trafficking the sections with a super-single 

tire loaded to 10,000 lb (4,535 kg). The study showed 

that the MSCR parameter did a better job correlating with 

rutting and could identify the rutting performance of both 

the modified and non-modified binders. Further testing 

on test sections on I-55 in Mississippi confirmed a better 

correlation between the MSCR parameter and rutting, 

when compared to the PG parameter. 

“MSCR testing gets you a better 

product in the end,” D’Angelo says. 

“In the U.S., there are approximately 

10 to 12 state highway agencies that 

are making the test standard. Some 

have used it for two to three years and 

others are just starting. I expect that 

MSCR testing will roll out and become 

more mainstream next year.” 

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In Ontario, the Ministry of 

Transportation (MTO) has specified 

the MSCR test to be performed on 

all MTO contracts since 2011. The 

acceptance criteria for the MSCR 

in these contracts was only for 

standard traffic, and MTO still uses 

high temperature grade bump-ups 

based on the traffic levels on a given 

highway. MSCR has not yet been 

used on any MTO contracts in place 

of high temperature bump-ups for

“It’s much more economical to pay a 

premium up front now, than to have to pay 

even more later for a failed pavement that 

has to be repaired or replaced.” 

– Mark Eby 

heavy traffic. The Ministry plans, however, to tender select 

contracts over the next few years to evaluate the use of 

the MSCR acceptance criteria in place of high temperature 

grade bump-ups. Other AC tests used by MTO include the 

Ash Content, Double Edge Notched Tension (DENT) test, 

and Extended Bending Beam Rheometer (ExBBR) test. 

Both the MTO and Ontario municipalities have had 

performance issues with Superpave designs in recent 

years, and are looking to improved specifications to 

extend the life of pavements and minimize costly repairs 

and replacements. Some municipalities have incorporated 

MSCR testing for select projects in their road construction 

programs. In the Region of Waterloo, an urban road 

expansion on the west side of Kitchener/Waterloo is 

including the MGAC specification. On a three kilometre 

stretch of arterial roadway, two lanes are being expanded 

to four lanes and the work is being completed in separate 

stages; the first phase of the work is being constructed 

with conventional paving specifications and the second 

phase is being constructed using the MGAC specification. 

The project is expected to be completed before the end 

of this year’s paving season. 

“Premature cracking has shown up in pavements that 

were constructed only two or three years ago,” says Gary 

MacDonald, Head of Transportation Rehabilitation for 

the Region of Waterloo. “Last winter certainly exacerbated 

cracking, but there are inherent performance issues. There 

are a number of tests out there, and we want to verify that 

this is the best testing method. It will likely take a number of 

years to conclusively assess and compare the performance 

of the paving that we’re completing this year.” 

In Wellington County, one project using the MGAC 

specification has been completed and another one is 

underway. On Wellington Road 124, for a span of five 

kilometres between Guelph and Eramosa, MGAC graded 

asphalt cement was used for an additional surface lift once 

base repairs were completed. Increased volumes of car 

and truck traffic would benefit from the addition of an 

elastomer in the AC, which created ideal conditions to 

use the MGAC specification. 

A second MGAC project, north of Guelph on Wellington 

Road 7, is the construction of two passing lanes for each 

direction of the road. The project requires 16,000 tonnes 

of HMA to construct the base and surface layers for a 

section of the roadway that spans three kilometres. The 

MGAC includes an elastomer so that the pavement will 

have the necessary flexibility to perform better under 

heavy traffic conditions. 

“The MGAC is more expensive than PG graded asphalt 

cement, but it is worth it in the long run,” says Mark Eby, 

Construction Manager for Wellington County. “For the 

Wellington Road 7 project, the premium was between 

$1.75 and $4.55 per tonne, which is reasonable. An 

additional $50,000 for a $2.4 million project is a minor 

increase if the pavement will perform better. It’s much 

more economical to pay a premium up front now, than 

to have to pay even more later for a failed pavement 

that has to be repaired or replaced.” 



Asphalt industry 

continues its green 

path towards 

environmental 

sustainability 


In the last 40 years, the asphalt industry has made significant gains 

in efficiency, making it one of the most environmentally responsible and 

sustainable sectors in the construction industry. According to the National 

Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) in the U.S., production of asphalt 

pavement material increased by 250 per cent between 1960 and 1999, 

while total emissions from operations decreased by 97 per cent. ›› 


Only Astec has the patented Double Barrel Green ® System.

In the Middle 

of Nowhere, 

Or in the Middle of Everything. 

Astec can configure a plant to fit your site, whether 

that site is in the middle of nowhere or in the middle 

of a major metropolitan area. 

And every Astec plant, no matter where it is located, 

is also backed by the Astec Service and Parts 

departments available 24/7 anywhere. 

Astec is the right choice. 

On the big island of Hawaii.

Pennsylvania State Route 462 in Lancaster County 

was resurfaced last summer using a warm-mix asphalt 

that included 15 per cent reclaimed asphalt pavement. 

Congratulations to 

OHMPA on 40 years 

serving the 

asphalt industry! 

On the materials side, approximately 70 million tons of 

reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is collected each year 

and more than 99 per cent of that is reused or recycled. 

Innovations in warm mix asphalt technology and porous 

asphalt pavements are raising the bar in environmental 

sustainability, as is continuing work in developing 

more stringent standards such as industry-specific 

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). 


One of OHMPA’s most 

significant contributions 

to the industry is its 

Environmental Practices 

Guide (EPG) which has the 

endorsement of the Ontario 

Ministry of the Environment 

and Climate Change 

(MOECC) and has been 

adopted by various industry 

organizations in the U.S.

The impressive reduction in facility emissions can 

be attributed to improvements in control equipment, 

including higher efficiencies in baghouse capture, more 

efficient burners, and ultra low pollutant emissions 

controls. To assist operators in quantifying their gate-togate 

greenhouse gas emissions, NAPA has developed an 

industry Greenhouse Gas Calculator. Users can calculate 

emissions by inputting data for fuels used by a rotary 

dryer, additional fuels used inside the 

facility, electrical use, and fuel used for 

on-site power generation. 

from 100°C to 137°C, can reduce energy consumption 

by an average of 20 per cent, which decreases total 

lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent. Total 

lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions decrease by 15 to 

20 per cent when a warm mix contains 25 per cent RAP 

for a potential savings of three million tons per year of 

greenhouse gas emissions. ›› 

In 2012, NAPA revised the Greenhouse 

Gas Calculator to include emission 

off-set credits for fuels and practices 

that reduce overall CO 2 

emissions. 

The update awards credits for biofuels 

and other materials. Cradle-togate 

credits are also calculated for the 

use of recycled materials, including 

RAP and shingles. Warm mix asphalt 

technologies also earn credits based 

on user defined mix temperature. 

“The Greenhouse Gas Calculator 

helps asphalt facility personnel 

quantify changes that they’ve made 

to their operations, such as the energy 

type used to dry aggregate, mix 

discharge temperature, and the type 

of energy used to operate facility 

machinery,” says Howard Marks, 

Ph.D., Vice President for Environment, 

Health and Safety for NAPA. “Current 

regulations are focused on large 

source emissions. In the event that 

the industry is regulated for CO 2 

emissions in the future, we’ve 

identified these off-sets or carbon 

credits as part of the calculator. If 

a facility implements or increases its 

use of warm mix technology, or if a 

facility increases its use of RAP (which 

decreases the need for virgin binder 

and aggregate), then credits should 

be allowed for those improvements.” 

According to NAPA’s 2009 publication, 

Black and Green: Sustainable Asphalt, 

Now and Tomorrow, the manufacturing 

of warm mix asphalt (WMA) 

pavements, at temperatures ranging 


The Ohio Department of Transportation won a 2013 

Perpetual Pavement Award for a 4.5 mile section of 

I-275 near Cincinnati. Constructed in 1972, the road 

has carried approximately 100 million equivalent 

single-axle loads (ESAL) since then but received only 

two resurfacings, most recently in 2000. 

Since warm mix technology was first introduced in the U.S. 

ten years ago, WMA has been used in paving projects in 

49 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto 

Rico. In addition to lowering greenhouse gas emissions 

on the production side, WMA provides several benefits, 

including extending the paving season in northern 

climates, providing a longer window for compacting 

pavement, and improving pavement performance. 

“Every year we do a survey on the use of warm mix 

technology,” says T. Carter Ross, Vice President for 

Communications at NAPA. “In 2009, warm mix usage 

was 16.8 million tons, and that number jumped to 

106.4 million tons by 2013. In 2013, warm mix tonnage 

increased by 23 per cent over what was produced in 2012. 

Industry has really embraced the use of warm mix and this 

has all been done without any mandate or requirements.” 

Porous and open-graded asphalt pavements have also 

made inroads in proving their environmental benefits. 

As effective storm water solutions, porous asphalts 

provide natural filtration systems so that contaminants 

are not washed away directly into waterways and streams. 

They also reduce road spray for greater safety and have 

been shown to reduce traffic noise. 

Perpetual Pavements, with an expected life span of 

40 years, have also received a lot of interest in the last 

15 years, with several research projects initiated to study 


Interstate 24 in Georgia was resurfaced with Porous 

European Mix, a permeable surface layer with a 

larger aggregate that allows for efficient shedding 

of rainwater from the roadway. 

the engineering features and performance characteristics 

of these long lasting pavements. Because only the surface 

layer of pavement needs replacing, greenhouse emissions 

associated with the processing and placement of raw 

materials is reduced. Roadways don’t require complete 

removal and replacement and traffic delays or road 

closures are minimized, thereby lowering the greenhouse 

gas emissions associated with large construction projects. 

New green initiatives for the asphalt industry include 

the move toward product transparency and measuring 

a product’s impact on sustainability. A new program at 

NAPA is working to develop an ecological protocol for 

asphalt pavement mixtures and asphalt ingredients. The 

NAPA Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) Program 

was developed in conformance with ISO 14025, which 

establishes the principles and procedures for developing 

Type III EPDs, which are similar to nutrition labels for 

packaged food. Just as a nutrition label reports on the 

nutritional value of the product, EPDs report the potential 

environmental impact of a product. NAPA-certified EPDs 

will provide engineers, specifiers, users and producers 

with comparable environmental data so that they can 

make better comparisons about asphalt mixes and 

ingredients and the potential environmental impact 

of those products. 

“We’ve seen EPDs in a number of sectors, such as food, 

retail and building materials, and now it’s trickling down to 

Departments of Transportation,” says Heather Dylla, Ph.D., 

Director of Sustainable Engineering for NAPA. “EPDs are 

an additional tool to support agency decision-making in 

accounting for the potential environmental impacts.” 

EPDs require Product Category Rules (PCR) in order 

to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a product. 

NAPA’s EPD Program is currently developing a North 

American PCR for asphalt mixtures. The draft is expected 

to be complete by spring 2015, with a public review to 

follow. The final stage is third-party verification that the 

PCR is ISO compliant and technically sound. 

In Ontario, the emphasis on best practices to lower 

emissions has been a mainstay for several decades. 

OHMPA’s Trillium Award, created in 2002, is a coveted 

distinction that is awarded to plants that exceed the 

standard required by industry regulation. Candidates 

undergo a rigorous assessment of operations, including 

fuel storage Emergency Response Plans, spill prevention 

and attention to visible emissions. To date, 55 plants have 

earned the Trillium Award. The award expires after three 

years and 35 past recipients have been recertified. ›› 


One of OHMPA’s most significant contributions to 

the industry is its Environmental Practices Guide (EPG) 

which has the endorsement of the Ontario Ministry of the 

Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) and has been 

adopted by various industry organizations in the U.S. EPG 

is designed to assist plant operators in the operation and 

maintenance of their facilities by providing best practices 

in environmental management. 

The comprehensive EPG covers environmental 

regulations governing HMA production and HMA 

production emissions that are generated on-site. 

Environmental best practices are provided for all 

aspects of HMA plant operations. The EPG covers air 

and noise emissions management, waste management, 

and water management, and recommends that each 

plant have a site specific Dust Management Plan and 

Spills Contingency Plan. Sample checklists are provided 

to assist plants in incorporating best practices. A complaint 

response form ensures that operators gather all of the 

necessary information in the event of a complaint so 

that a comprehensive response can be provided. 

OHMPA’s EPG is so influential it is referenced in 

applications for Environmental Compliance Approval 

(ECA) (air & noise) by the MOECC and is a mandatory 

component of qualifying for a Trillium Award. The EPG 

helps operators to not only improve their environmental 

stewardship, but also to become more efficient and 

competitive for an improved bottom line. 

“The Environmental Practices Guide is a very progressive 

tool,” says Bridget Mills, a Partner with BCX Environmental 

Consulting in Newmarket. “It’s so successful that, as part 

of the ECAs (air & noise), facilities must follow the air and 

noise components of the EPG. Through this the Ministry 

acknowledges that the hot mix industry has developed 

very good environmental best practices to minimize air 

emissions.” 

This parking lot is porous on the right and 

impervious on the left. The difference in how 

water is handled is immediately obvious. 


1974-1978 1979 1980 1981 

1982 1983-84 1984 

1985 

1986 

In their own words 

OHMPA has had 36 presidents since it was formed in 1974. 

Here’s what they had to say about the key issues of the day. 

Compiled by LARA HENRY 

1974 to 1978 John (Ed) deToro, Toro Asphalt 

Current Status: Semi-retired and living in Richmond Hill, Ontario 

We had a very specific objective when we formed OHMPA. It was the time 

of the Arab oil embargo and hot mix producers and paving contractors were 

under a lot of pressure. We won on two fronts: we got relief from a PST tax 

increase of three per cent from previous years and we got asphalt cement 

price relief from the municipal carry over work. 

I don’t think that when we had those first meetings, any of us realized that 

we were actually creating an industry association that would become such 

a thriving organization all these years later. 

(Ed DeToro is widely credited as the driving force behind the formation of 

the Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association in 1974. He was president of the 

association for five years and is an Honorary Lifetime Member of OHMPA.) 

1979 Kenneth Rowe, 

Consolidated Sand and Gravel 

(deceased) 

1980 Michael J. O’Connor, Repac 

Current Status: Retired and living in Burlington 

At the time I was the youngest president of OHMPA, which was probably 

no coincidence. 

OHMPA was getting a bit tired and it needed a shot of youthful enthusiasm 

and energy. The oil price issue had been put to bed and the organization 

had been languishing. My boss at Repac, Val Raponi, decided that as his 

new young and energetic marketing manager, I was the perfect candidate 

to put OHMPA back into a more active mode. 

My task was to set OHMPA on a new path, using the strength of the 

organization to promote hot mix asphalt as the material of choice for 

pavements. It was a time consuming task and one that I couldn’t have 

completed without the help of people like Ken Rowe and Don Budd and 

Russ Daigle, but it became our main focus and remains one of OHMPA’s 

key objectives to this day. 

1981 Douglas McLeish, Fermar Asphalt 

Current Status: Owner of Kontiki Landscaping, Schomberg, Ontario 

The year I was president, the price of asphalt cement doubled over the winter. 

My biggest challenge was meeting in government chambers, which seemed 

to be weekly, to try to resolve this issue for all our members who had to fulfill 

the contracts they had bid at half the price. 

Through hard work and persistent dedication, I and our committee 

members were able to bring this issue to a satisfactory conclusion which, 

of course, helped make OHMPA an association to be reckoned with and 

earn a respected place in the industry. 

1982 Donald E. Budd, Warren Bitulithic 

Current Status: Retired and living in Oakville 

One of the big issues was the lack of consistency in asphalt testing. 

Each testing company seemed to have different equipment and procedures. 

We formed a technical committee to establish a certification program for 

asphalt laboratories and testing companies. 

(Don Budd is an Honorary Lifetime Member of OHMPA.) 

1983/84 Earl Kee, Red-D-Mix 

(deceased) 

OHMPA was starting to gain popularity and with it a few new members. 

Our biggest challenge was to establish the credibility of the association 

in the industry. 

Provided in 2004 for the 30th anniversary issue. 

1984 Peter Anderson, Ambro Construction 

(deceased) 

At the time, the association was still a part time organization and there 

weren’t any pressing issues, but for me being connected to a great group 

of people was what was most memorable. 


1985 David Semley, Hard Rock Paving 

Current Status: Construction Industry Consultant

1987 

1988 

1989 1990 1991-92 

1986 Larry Brown, Standard Industries 

(deceased) 

This was the year that we held our first Golf Day at Glen Eagle Golf Club. 

We named the trophy in honour of Ken Rowe, who was president in 1979. 

We have always been an industry that works hard and plays hard. Starting 

an annual golf tournament demonstrated just how important OHMPA was 

becoming to everyone associated with the industry. 


1987 Carmen Alfano, Ontario Paving 

(deceased) 

1988 Donald Wilson, Dufferin Aggregates 

Current Status: Sales and Marketing Representative, 

Dufferin Aggregates 

Dealing with the Ministry of Transportation of 

Ontario on end result specifications was probably our 

most important issue and indicative of how OHMPA 

as an organization was becoming the key industry 

representative on a broad range of issues. In fact, 

the demands on OHMPA were increasing so rapidly 

that we started to consider the need for a full-time 

operation and developed a five year plan to define 

just what sort of an association we needed. 

Rob Bradford, who had been working for us on a part-time basis, became 

our first full-time executive director and OHMPA set up shop in offices 

shared with the Ontario Road Builders’ Association. 

1991/1992 Gary Sidlar, Standard Asphalt 

Current Status: Road Supervisor for the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake 

Environmental issues dominated our work in 1991. There was a move 

to label asphalt pavement from old roads that were being rehabilitated 

or reconstructed as a hazardous waste. It was an issue that we couldn’t 

ignore and so with the help of Rob Bradford, now our full-time executive 

director, and several volunteers from the industry, we mounted a public 

campaign, appearing before Ministry of the Environment panels in several 

municipalities. The result was that asphalt concrete was designated a 

recyclable product, an entirely justifiable conclusion considering that 

asphalt is the most recycled material in North America. 

1989 Terry Waites, 

Steed and Evans 

Current Status: President, J.C. Rock Ltd. 

OHMPA was beginning to gain size and influence 

in representing the industry’s interests and issues. 

At the time, the PCA and the RMCAO were aggressively 

promoting the use of concrete pavements. 

We rallied our membership and the associate 

member suppliers to fund an initiative to take 

our story about the benefits of asphalt around 

the province. We told our story to townships, 

municipalities and cities about how asphalt 

pavement was the best solution. And we used 

Life Cycle Costing as one of our tools! 

1990 Phil Gignac, 

Armbro Construction 

Current Status: Retired 

As the association continued to grow, it was clear 

that we needed professional full-time help to deal 

with all the issues that were facing the industry. 


LVM, a division of EnGlobe Corp. 

Soil Pavement and Materials Technology Engineering 

Environmental Geotechnical Engineering 

Building Materials Science Engineering, Inspection and QA/QC Testing 

Supply Environmental Chain Quality Engineering

1992 

1993 

1994 

1995 

1996 1997 

1992 Robert Cumming, Fermar Asphalt 

Current Status: Retired 

We had heard rumblings that the hot mix producers in eastern Ontario were 

thinking of setting up their own organization. It was too good an opportunity 

to pass up. 

I persuaded the Board of Directors to hold our next meeting in Ottawa 

so we could show the producers just what our association had to offer. 

It only took one meeting. The only concession that we were asked to make, 

and one that we were happy to comply with, was that the eastern Ontario 

producers would have a representative on the board. OHMPA was now 

truly a provincial association. 

Coincidentally, we also strengthened our Toronto base at the same time. 

Joe Boccia, then head of TARBA, asked if we could provide management 

services for their association as well, and TARBA is still working closely 

with OHMPA to this day. 

1993 Steve Cruickshank, Frontenac Aggregates 

Current Status: Chief Executive Officer, Cruickshank 

It was a year of firsts - the year we started planning our first issue of 

Asphaltopics; the first year for MTO’s material transfer vehicle trials; and 

the first year for a new end result compaction specification. It was also a year 

in which people tried to turn roads into ‘linear landfills’, trying to recycle just 

about anything they could think of into asphalt (the industry joke was: What’s 

next? Recycled diapers?). And it was the year that I got married, which is why 

it is so indelibly fixed in my memory. 

1994 Tom McLeod, Towland-Hewitson 

Construction 

Current Status: Retired and living in London, Ontario 

1995 Doug Kirton, D. Crupi & Sons Ltd. 

Current Status: President, Royalcrest Paving & Contracting Ltd. 

In order to improve quality control, quality assurance and testing in general 

of hot mix products, we introduced certification of testing laboratories, 

technicians and technologists in conjunction with the Canadian Council 

of Independent Laboratories – the successful completion of an industrywide 

effort that OHMPA had initiated back in 1982. 

1996 Gordon Lavis, Lavis Contracting Co. Ltd. 

Current Status: Co-President, Lavis Contracting Co. Ltd. 

Co-President, Frank Kling Ltd 

Vice President, Jennison Construction Ltd. 

Director, The Ontario Aggregate Resources 

Corporation Board (TOARC) 

President, Radar Auto Parts 

Semi-Retired 

Being involved with OHMPA in the late 80s and 90s was a real eye opener 

for me. It made me aware of the larger world within our industry. In my 

opinion, life cycle costing was manipulated and used on the initial 407 work 

to help the powder companies win the supply of cement usage on this project. 

I quickly found out that other asphalt companies had similar problems to 

deal with and by coming together within the association we could fight the 

battles with a stronger voice. The importance of networking and sharing of 

ideas became very clear to me early on. 

Superpave became a contentious issue during my time on the board. I still 

believe to this day that there should be better refinement to create a madein-Ontario 

specification for Superpave to better use local aggregates in this 

province. Presently, we are adding cost and adding significantly to the carbon 

footprint by bringing in aggregates to our plants in Southwestern Ontario 

from “Timbucktoo”. Recycling of asphalt by virtue of introduction to asphalt 

mixes at the plant and Cold-in-Place Recycling has become big business and 

should be considered a huge selling point for our industry going forward. 

Personalities on the board varied and created some interesting dynamics – 

some combative, some congenial and some just plain colourful. It was just 

great getting to know everyone. Rob Bradford exited as OHMPA Executive 

Director, Carl Woodman came for one year, then Mike O’Connor came in for 

a long tenure in and around my time. 

I was asked to come back on the board a few years ago, but I said that 

I had done my time and we had a great guy to go on the board instead 

of me. His name is Bentley Ehgoetz, your current OHMPA president. 

OHMPA is the voice of the asphalt producer in the Province of Ontario. 

Let’s lend it our support and keep it strong for the many years to come. 

1997 Ashton Martin, Fermar Asphalt 

Current Status: Vice President, Fermar Asphalt 

When Rob Bradford left OHMPA to become ORBA’s executive director, it 

marked a turning point for the association. In fact, it called into question its 

very existence. Did we really need a hot mix producers association in Ontario? 

The consensus of the association members that I canvassed was yes, but it 

was also clear that the association we needed was not necessarily the one that 

we had. 

We needed to reinvent the association. Thanks to the help of a number of key 

players such as Wayne Carson, Teri McKibbon, John Loughnan, Ray Legault, 

John Emery and Robin Beamish, we did a lot of soul searching. We defined 

the goals and aspirations of the association, introduced a more business-like 

approach to the association’s affairs and decided to strengthen our technical 

capabilities and administration, all of which led us to Mike O’Connor as our 

choice of executive director. I am confident that we succeeded in large part 

because I was followed by a series of strong and able presidents who had been 

involved in the re-engineering process and who were determined to see the 

association succeed. 


1998 

1999 2000 2001 

1998 Teri McKibbon, Armbro Construction Ltd. 

Current Status: President & Chief Executive Officer, Aecon Group Inc. 

Someone told me that I would be remembered as the president who “hired 

the engineer” and I hope he was right. The asphalt industry is mature and 

evolves relatively slowly, but Superpave was completely different. It was like 

having to learn a whole new language and we needed someone to help with 

the translation. In retrospect, it was the right decision. Not only did we gain 

the expertise that we needed, but by doing so in conjunction with the Asphalt 

Institute in the U.S., we also cemented our relationship with our colleagues 

south of the border. 

1999 John Loughnan, Miller Paving Limited 

Current Status: Semi-retired 

My years of work and research for OHMPA’s Environmental Committee 

eventually led to the creation of the Environmental Practices Guide (EPG) 

that helped producers manoeuvre their way through the maze of regulations. 

My involvement in this field gave me a renewed respect for the preservation 

of our natural environment. Along with my past dozen years or so in the 

aggregate resources field, there has been a natural fit for me in the work 

of the Cornerstone Standards Council. 

There will be a rocky road ahead for this initiative, but I firmly believe we can 

come together and find common ground to protect our environment. 

2000 Robin Beamish, K.J. Beamish 

Construction Co. Ltd. 

Current Status: President, K. J. Beamish Construction Co. Ltd. 

I had just started my term as OHMPA president and as Yogi Berra said, 

“its deja-vu all over again”. The cost of a barrel of oil had increased from 

around $11 a barrel to $34 a barrel in half a year and asphalt producers 

were caught in a squeeze. 

Compared to 25 years ago when OHMPA was formed to respond to a similar 

jump in oil prices, however, we had a couple of advantages. First, we had been 

through this before and knew what we had to do. Second, we were organized 

and had the support of virtually every producer and user in the province. 

We developed an Asphalt Cost Index in conjunction with the MTO along 

with model contract language to qualify hot mix asphalt prices based 

upon changes in the cost index. No one likes price increases, but many 

municipalities and owners accepted the validity of our case and used the 

asphalt index to make adjustments and to compensate for the increased 

costs. It was a big change in a quarter of a century and a testament to the 

effectiveness of the hot mix producers association. 

2001 Wayne Carson, Lafarge Canada Inc. 

Current Status: President, Kilmer Developments 

We faced three distinct challenges: increasing costs, new product 

development and increasingly stringent environment regulations – 

all of which affect the long-term viability of our industry. Life cycle costing 

clearly demonstrated the value proposition of the new mixes such as Stone 

Mastic Asphalt and Superpave, but it needed an industry-wide effort using 

sophisticated tools to demonstrate that the benefits of these products are 

measured in decades not years. 

We also needed to act collectively to promote environmental responsibility 

and educate our members on the impending changes to environmental 

regulations. That’s why, at our strategic planning session in 2001, we 

introduced a new initiative that specifically stated that the association 

is “to advance member interests to ensure the long term viability of the 

industry.” As an association, it is one of our most important initiatives. 

2002 Adrian Van Niekerk, Gazzola Paving Ltd. 

Current Status: Manager, Estimating, Gazzola Paving Ltd. 

Since I was a member of the Plant and Paving Committee that originally 

came up with the idea of an award to set the standard by which good 

operations would be judged, I was particularly pleased that the first 

Trillium Awards were presented when I was president. 

The Trillium Award recognizes good plant operators who also 

demonstrate good corporate citizenship in environmental responsibility, 

safety, community relations and industry participation. It is an award 

that not only recognizes individual plant performance, but also 

demonstrates the maturity of our industry. 

2003 Mark Rivett, Lafarge Canada Inc. 

Current Status: Executive Vice President, Aecon Infrastructure 

The hot mix industry tends to focus on internal short-term issues and there’s 

nothing wrong with that, but every now and then we have to look up and see 

how we can shape the future. 

I was very proud that the OHMPA board recognized this with a commitment 

to the University of Waterloo’s Centre of Excellence for pavement design, 

materials and construction. OHMPA agreed to donate $100,000 to the 

university’s test facility spread out over the next five years, and immediately 

and successfully set out to raise the funds through donations and a silent 

auction. Any additional funds will be used to support other research efforts. 

This research collaboration will help us to deal with our unique geographical 

and climatic conditions, share innovative ideas, develop improved products 

and state-of-the-art processes, solve technical problems, and help develop 

our next generation of engineers. The OHMPA mission statement clearly 

states that our association is “dedicated to excellence in asphalt pavements”. 

Our commitment to research demonstrated just how seriously we have taken 

those objectives to heart. 

The asphalt paving industry in Ontario continues to evolve, member 

companies change, individuals advance through their respective careers, 

and issues continually develop. Yet the Ontario Hot Mix Producers 

Association remains a constant, an association with the dedicated purpose 

to the advancement of an unwavering principle – “dedicated to excellence 

in asphalt pavements”.

2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

I am proud of the time I spent as part of OHMPA and I am confident that 

whatever challenge arises, OHMPA will be there to represent its members well. 

2004 Tony Gaglia, D. Crupi & Sons Limited 

Current Status: Operations Manager, D. Crupi & Sons Limited 

It is not often in our lifetime that we can say that we experienced involvement 

in something that inspired, humbled and challenged us; OHMPA was that 

for me. 

I am proud to have been part of a committee that successfully lobbied 

Enbridge for a modified rate classification to allow our members better 

control over their energy costs. 

Issues that challenged our industry in 2004 are replaced by new ones now, 

but what has remained constant is that our association will always be there 

to support and educate our members. 

2005 Doug Woods, Cope Construction and 

Contracting Inc./Lambton Hot Mix 

Current Status: Retired in 2008 and living in Brights Grove, Toronto 

The OHMPA Board has, through its succession planning and Nominating 

Committee, maintained board representation from throughout all of the 

provincial regions and from all sizes of producers. I may hold the record for 

being elected president of OHMPA with the smallest annual production. This 

speaks wonders for our association because it proves the point that we truly 

represent the industry throughout Ontario regardless of location or size. 

During my term we held the first round table meeting where we invited 

producers from an area to get together for an informal meeting where we 

could discuss issues concerning them. Many staff members of local producers 

do not have the opportunity to be on OHMPA committees and some do not 

attend OHMPA functions often held in the GTA, so I thought that a round table 

would give them an opportunity to participate in identifying the issues of the 

day. I made a faux pas at our first round table when I had decided to hold it 

at the FireRock Golf Course just west of London – Mike O’Connor gave me 

proper “%*#&” because the cart paths were concrete. 

We also published our first position paper titled Tire Scuffing and 

Indentations. Cope Construction, unlike many OHMPA members, paved 

much of its hot mix in commercial parking lots or industrial sites where sharp 

turns were more common than on municipal streets and roads where vehicles 

drove in straight lines. PG 58-28 was ‘softer’ than the 85-100 we had previously 

used and scuffing or indentations had become quite common in Area 9 which 

is known as the banana belt of Ontario. This position paper went a long way in 

explaining to clients that their parking lot was not compromised when some 

scuffing occurred. 

2006 Murray Ritchie, Construction and Materials 

Manager, The Murray Group Limited 

Current Status: General Manager, The Murray 

Group Limited 

During my tenure as president, the Board faced many issues with the rapid 

increase in asphalt cement pricing topping the list. I can recall many meetings 

with MTO to hash out changes to the AC index to ensure our members were 

protected against sometimes twice-monthly increases. The changes made 

during those many meetings in 2006-2007 are still in place today having 

been adopted by MTO and most municipalities in the province. This speaks 

volumes to the commitment of OHMPA members and the respect OHMPA 

had developed and maintains today. 

In addition to dealing with the AC index in 2006-2007, I am most proud of 

having been part of the task group looking at the construction of longitudinal 

joints. First brought to the Board’s attention by past president Tony Gaglia 

in 2004, a task group made up of OHMPA members Joe Bunting and ›› 


2007 

2008 

2009 2010 2011 

2012 

2013 

Gary Sidlar, OHMPA staffer Sandy Brown, and MTO represented by Kai 

Tam, Pamela Marks and Steve McInnis volunteered to study the issue. With 

meetings commencing in early 2007, the task group spent countless hours 

discussing every aspect of joint construction resulting in the publication 

of MERO-033, Construction of Longitudinal Joints in Flexible Pavements 

Design Guidelines in November 2008. The changes developed through this 

(pardon the pun) joint venture with MTO are in full force today having saved 

the taxpayers countless traffic delays and improved the life of our asphalt 

pavements through better design and construction practices. 

2007 Joe Bunting, The Miller Group 

(deceased) 

2008 Paul Lum, Lafarge Canada Inc. 

Current Status: Director, New Product Development, Innovation 

& Solution, Lafarge Canada Inc. 

I joined the OHMPA Board in 1993, and looking back on the years the asphalt 

industry has grown tremendously. I am proud of how the industry adapted 

with the evolution of the asphalt specifications which the Ontario Ministry 

of Transportation developed in collaboration with the industry. Each new 

challenge, with the changes in the specifications, brought forward the best 

in the industry to provide solutions. For instance, the introduction of End 

Result Specifications required paving contractors to develop and introduce 

quality systems with trained technical staff and utilize material transfer 

vehicles to improve ride and reduce mat segregation. PGAC, Superpave and 

SMA were other innovative technologies introduced during this time which 

industry was able to adjust to and excel at. 

During my term as president, sustainability was very much alive with asphalt 

being the most recycled construction material in the world and Ontario doing 

its part by leading with the use of RAP and shingles in asphalt mixes when 

compared to other provinces and the U.S. Another sustainable innovation 

was the introduction of warm mix asphalt. McAsphalt led the way followed by 

Lafarge because of the environmental and constructability benefits in using 

warm mix asphalt. Today warm mix asphalt is more widely used and has 

allowed the paving season to be extended and still deliver on quality. 

One of the highlights that stands out for me during my term as president 

was the establishment of the joint MTO/OHMPA Warm Mix Specification 

task force to develop specifications for this new pavement technology. 

The work of this committee has been essential for the successful use and 

promotion of warm mix asphalt in Ontario. 

The federal government’s introduction of the Infrastructure Stimulus 

Funding to combat the 2008 economic downturn was an exciting time for 

our association and its members. The government issued an economic call 

to arms and our industry stepped up to the challenge. Road construction is 

one of the best ways to stimulate a struggling economy for two reasons. First, 

no other infrastructure projects could be “shovel ready” as quickly as road 

rehabilitation and construction projects completed with asphalt. Second, 

virtually every product we grow or produce must at some point travel on 

a road to get to the consumer, so a modern and efficient road network is 

essential for all businesses to remain competitive in a global market. 

2009 Larry Wilson, Capital Paving Inc. 

Current Status: Vice President, Capital Paving Inc. 

In celebration of its 40th anniversary I would like to wish OHMPA and all 

it members continued success in the future and acknowledge the time and 

hard work of all the past committees, boards and presidents. OHMPA has 

provided our members with a common voice that represents our industry 

to all levels of government and the public. The relationships and knowledge 

that I have gained through my involvement in OHMPA has been invaluable 

to both my career and our company. I encourage all who have the opportunity 

to participate to get involved. You will get more out than you put in. 


On my first day on the job as president, we launched our first meeting 

of the OHMPA/OGRA Liaison Committee. This was the culmination 

of a great idea brought to the Board by my predecessor, Larry Wilson. 

OHMPA recognized that although we had developed an excellent working 

relationship with the Ministry over the years, that same relationship was 

missing with what could be argued was our biggest customer base – the 

municipal sector. Since that first meeting, the committee has done a lot 

of good work to foster better quality and better specifications. I am proud 

of the work started by the Liaison Committee in 2010 and am proud to still 

be on the committee today representing OHMPA members. 

Finally, as a result of feedback from our members and municipal owners 

during our province-wide Partners in Quality seminars, initial work was 

started on the establishment of the OHMPA/OGRA Municipal Liaison 

Committee. This came out of a request by all stakeholders for a more robust 

and productive relationship to improve specifications and provide consistently 

high quality products. 

2010 Fernando Magisano, K.J. Beamish 


Current Status: Vice President, Technical Services, K.J. Beamish 


The year of my presidency OHMPA was operating like a well-oiled machine. 

By then, OHMPA was well respected for developing excellent seminars and 

educational presentations by industry and road authorities alike. This was 

reflected by the record or near record turnout at all our events that year 

culminating in the Fall Seminar that had over 500 people registered. 

2011 Bruce Armstrong, Canadian Asphalt 

Industries Inc. 

Current Status: President, Canadian Asphalt Industries Inc. 

In the face of growing propaganda from the cement industry, the Board 

felt it was time that we took the gloves off to maintain hot mix asphalt’s 

market share. Consequently, OHMPA became the first non-American hot 

mix/paving association to join the Asphalt Paving Alliance (APA), and we 

immediately re-worked their tag line to “Asphalt – Ontario Rides on Us”. 

More importantly, the Board recognized the need for in-house marketing 

and communications expertise, and supported the creation of a new staff 

position – Director of Marketing and Communications. 

2012 Murray Ritchie, Construction 

and Materials Manager, The Murray 

Group Limited 

Current Status: General Manager, The Murray 

Group Limited 

In my role as “president squared”, my 2012 tenure as president was 

focused on finding a replacement for Mike O’Connor who would retire 

in December 2012. The search group consisted of Bentley Ehgoetz, Steve 

Smith, Colin Burpee and Bruce Armstrong. Following countless meetings 

and interviews with a strong group of candidates, we chose Mr. Doug Duke 

to replace Mike as Executive Director. Doug remains in place today as 

Executive Director and along with some new staff members continues 

to maintain the high standards expected by all OHMPA members. 

It has been my pleasure to serve on a number of committees since 1993/94, 

on the Board since 2001, and as president in 2006 and 2012. I will carry the 

memories and friendships gained during this time for the remainder of 

my days. I would highly recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to 

participate with OHMPA at any level to do so – the experience is priceless. 

2013 Colin Burpee, Aecon Construction 

and Materials Ltd. 

Current Status: General Manager, Construction & Materials, 

Aecon Construction and Materials Ltd. 

The general theme that I remember while I was president of OHMPA is 

change. It was the first year with our Executive Director, Mr. Doug Duke, 

and it was an interesting time with a new E.D. who had new ideas and who 

was also brand new to our industry. Doug, being a non-industry person 

and unaware of industry politics, had a fresh set of eyes for the association. 

His strength through his past association experience helped spark changes 

in our way of thinking, particularly along the lines of governance and 

helping to make our Board meetings and committees more efficient and 

functional. 

Lara Henry is a communication specialist 

and editor of Asphaltopics. 


Asphalt Cement 

Specifications 

in Ontario 

by TONY KUCHAREK 

A summary of the AASHTO M320 PG 

Specification tests and their significance: 

· A group of tests to address handling 

(Brookfield Viscosity), safety (Flash 

Point ) and purity of the AC ( Mass 

Change, Solubility/Ash Test) 

· Two stages of conditioning of the 

asphalt cement (AC) - RTFO (Rolling 

Thin Film Oven) test which simulates 

the aging of the AC while it undergoes 

mixing at the HMA plant; and the PAV 

(Pressure Aging Vessel) test which 

simulates aging during a number of 

years of service on the road. 

· DSR (Dynamic Shear Rheometer) to 

measure the complex shear modulus 

and related parameters at all three 

conditioning stages. 

· On the un-aged binder and 

on the RTFO residue, the G*/ 

sin(d) is tested at the high PG 

temperature to quantify the rutting 

susceptibility of the pavement. 

· On the PAV residue, the G*·sin(d) is 

tested at intermediate temperature 

to address fatigue properties. 

· BBR (Bending Beam Rheometer) – 

measures the stiffness and stress 

relaxation capacity of the AC at the 

low PG temperature. It is a measure 

of predicting thermal (transverse) 

cracking in pavements. 


What is happening to asphalt cement 

(AC) specifications in Ontario today? 

Why do we see so much confusion and 

such a wide proliferation of specification 

versions and flavours? The answer – 

both industry and agencies are seeking 

performance criteria that better predict 

pavement behaviour. Specifications are 

utilized by road agencies for controlling 

the parameters of the asphalt cements 

they purchase. The closer a specification 

correlates with pavement performance, 

the better an agency can control what 

type of asphalt cements they purchase. 

For a long time, paving asphalts were 

graded by their penetration at 25°C. 

In Ontario we used 85/100 and 150/200 

penetration grade in Southern and 

Northern Ontario (respectively), and 

300/400 for mixes with high RAP. When 

it became obvious that the simple 

penetration was not correlating very 

well with performance in the field, a 

variety of other tests and specifications 

were introduced in the United States – 

Viscosity, Penetration Viscosity Number 

(PVN), Penetration Index (PI), Aged 

Residue (AR), etc. 

Ontario, along with most of Canada, 

continued to use penetration-based 

specifications; some provinces still do. 

During the 1980s there was a change 

in the vehicles on our roads. Traffic 

increased and tire pressures increased 

with the change to radial tires, both of 

which caused increased and more rapid 

pavement distress. A new effort in the 

form of the Strategic Highway Research 

Program (SHRP) in the U.S. and its 

Canadian counterpart, C-SHRP, resulted 

in the current PG (Performance Graded) 

specification for asphalt cements. 

The PG specification is the first one that 

can be defined as performance-related. 

All previous specifications were empirical, 

meaning there is no direct relationship 

between the parameters measured and 

the behaviour in the field. The current PG 

Specification (AASHTO M320) measures 

fundamental engineering parameters of 

the AC that are directly related to the 

main types of distresses pavements can 

experience: rutting, cracking, fatigue 

failure and aging. 

The PG Specification was developed with 

the intent to being blind to any type of 

AC modification. However, after using 

the new procedures for several years, 

some agencies decided that additional 

tests were needed. With the spread of 

polymer modification, agencies quickly 

realized that an elastomeric AC provides 

superior performance in both rutting 

and fatigue. Some agencies adopted 

specifications such as Elastic Recovery, 

Toughness and Tenacity, Force Ductility 

or maximum DSR phase angles. All of 

these tests were intended to confirm that 

an elastomeric polymer was present, but 

all suffered from problems with variability 

and interpretation. 

Canadian agencies are no different. While 

Quebec has adopted Elastic Recovery 

beside the PG specification, Ontario stuck 

with the original AASHTO M320 until a 

few years ago. Recently, Ontario has been 

evaluating two modifications of existing 

tests: the Extended BBR (ExBBR) Test 

(LS-308) and the Double Edge Notched 

Tension (DENT) Test (LS-299). 

ExBBR attempts to capture physical 

(isothermal) hardening of the AC. 

This phenomenon consists of stiffening

The MSCR test is superior to an Elastic Recovery type test 

because it puts the AC to test at very high stress levels. 

of the AC when exposed for extended times to a constant low 

temperature. The reasoning for the development of this test 

is because in our climate the regular BBR test (part of the PG 

Specification) is claimed to not entirely capture the thermal 

stresses that accumulate in a pavement during our long and 

cold winters. The ExBBR test consists of conditioning beams 

of aged AC in a freezer for three days and measuring how 

much the AC stiffens over this time. 

The DENT test is targeting the fatigue properties of the 

AC in a ductile state (around room temperature). The test 

attempts to quantify the work required to fracture the AC in 

a ductile state, which is typical of fatigue failure. The testing 

protocol consists of several ductility-type specimens with 

progressively larger notches, which are tested to failure. By 

extrapolating the specimen cross-section to a dimension of 

zero, the essential and plastic works of fracture are calculated, 

as well as a parameter that estimates the strain tolerance of 

the AC (CTOD). 

A number of years ago, U.S. researchers developed a quick 

and simple test that combines the measurement of the asphalt 

cement stiffness and its elastic response using the DSR. This 

test was developed as an attempt to reduce specification 

proliferation and, at the same time, capture the benefits of 

polymer modification of the binder. The test is called Multiple 

Stress Creep and Recovery and has become known as the 

MSCR (read “massacre”) test. 

The MSCR test is superior to an Elastic Recovery type test 

because it puts the AC to test at very high stress levels. It 

measures more than just elasticity; it measures if the elastic 

response of an AC breaks down under high loads. In terms of 

stiffness, validation of the MSCR test has proven that it currently 

correlates to field rutting better than any previous AC test. In 

terms of polymer modification, the test was validated during 

the two Inter-laboratory Studies (ILS) carried out in the US. 

The MSCR test has since evolved into the AASHTO M332 

specification aimed at replacing the PG grading as it is ›› 

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currently known. It has been adopted or is about to be adopted in the majority of 

the U.S. states, and it has strong support from the industry, as it is a robust, simple 

and no-nonsense specification. 

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has temporarily adopted the recovery 

portion of the MSCR as a test for indirectly specifying polymer modification for 

grades requiring enhanced performance, but is currently not considering the 

adoption of the full MSCR specification. It has, instead, temporarily adopted the 

DENT as a full test within the current PG Specification, with an acceptance criterion. 

ExBBR continues to be tested by the MTO as a “for information only” during the 

last couple of years, but is not used for acceptance. 

What are the implications of these changes? While these new tests (ExBBR and 

DENT) represent an interesting direction of research, industry is of the opinion that 

their adoption as part of acceptance specifications by the MTO is premature. Firstly, 

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these tests haven’t shown a very good 

correlation with pavement performance in 

the reported MTO trials. Secondly, the test 

methods are long and complex and the 

testing variability so far has been very high, 

especially for the DENT test. This will open 

the possibility of extensive disputes and 

disagreements between parties regarding 

the quality of the materials. 

Thirdly, there is a lack of agreement in 

the scientific community that these tests 

represent the best protocols for capturing 

the material properties in question. Serious 

technical disputes about the DENT test exist, 

especially around the concept of extensional 

rheology. Such tests have been proven 

in the past to have high variability and to 

be difficult to be accurately conducted 

in a QA/QC laboratory environment (the 

Direct Tension, originally part of the PG 

specification, but now practically dropped, 

is the best example). Also, because of their 

failure mechanism, some researchers believe 

extensional tests don’t actually model 

fatigue fracture very well. 

The adoption of the PG specification 

has no doubt been a major step forward 

in improving the quality of our pavements. 

We almost never see rutting anymore, our 

transverse cracking is all but eliminated, 

and the general state of our pavements 

is good. Fatigue in pavements is currently 

the distress which still needs our attention, 

as it is the least successful to be modeled 

by the current PG specification. Fatigue, 

however, has to be addressed primarily 

at mix level, as modeling HMA fatigue 

through binder testing has not been very 

successful in the past. Our current RAP 

usage in mixes is higher than in the in the 

past and, at the same time, our binder 

content is significantly lower than during 

the utilization of Marshall mixes. More so, 

today we tend to use higher dosages of 

RAP or RAS without adjusting the virgin 

AC grades down accordingly. All these 

factors contribute to a poorer fatigue 

resistance of our mixes in Ontario today. 

While PG specification development 

represented a major step ahead, we are 

today in another period of attempting 

to move our AC specifications forward. 

Owners are once again searching for better 

performance. Through validated research 

and best practices, it is our industry’s 

mission to stay ahead. 

Tony Kucharek is Director, Technical 

Services of McAsphalt Industries

We asked our columnists and article 

contributors to send in photos of 

themselves from 1974. Can you 

guess who’s who? Answers below. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

1. Bentley Ehgoetz 

2. Gerald Huber 

3. Abigail Wright Pereira 

4. Ed DeToro 

5. Adam Draper (+ 14 years) 

6. Sandy Brown 

7. Stephen Erwin 

8. Doug Duke 

9. John D’Angelo 


Special 

Profile 

Eddie DeToro, 

founder of OHMPA 

and first president 

by Steve Pecar 

It wasn’t Eddie DeToro’s intention to get into the family 

business. He had other plans. Growing up in Toronto’s 

west end, his interests were varied enough to stay 

away from his father John DeToro’s Advance Concrete 

Contracting Company. “I had interests in other areas,” 

he explains from the comfort of his Richmond Hill home. 

“My mother knew it too. She didn’t think that type of 

construction work was for me.” 

Through his diligence DeToro quickly made his own 

mark and by 1950, at the age of 21, became the youngest 

person ever to become a certified Licenced Electrician 

in Toronto. “I knew my stuff and I really liked that career, 

being an electrician,” he explains. But the inevitable was 

waiting around the corner. Eventually his father convinced 

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him to join his company. He tried it, and as they say, 

the rest is history. 

Those early days were marked with the back-breaking 

work of the construction industry with a pick and shovel 

being the earliest tools of the trade. He says that even 

though he was the son of the boss, his father felt young 

Eddie had to know all aspects of the business and that 

meant getting his hands dirty. 

“You cannot tell someone what to do unless you have 

done it yourself” was one of his father John’s favourite 

expressions. “It was tough, but it was good advice from 

my father,” he says now. “I ran my own crew – we started 

small, but I learned and we grew.” 

The senior DeToro caught on early that the future of 

paving was in hot mix asphalt and quickly left behind the 

use of concrete. The purchase of an asphalt plant in North 

York sealed their commitment to the 

technology and Eddie soon took on 

more responsibilities. The road where 

that first plant was located, Toro 

Road, is named after the family. 

Soon he started to take on more 

administrative responsibility for the 

company. “I was also around to do 

a little electrical work,” he laughs. 

“Those skills would always come in 

handy. A few times I was able to keep 

things running at the plant because 

of my background as an electrician.” 

DeToro admits that up until the early 

1970s, there wasn’t a lot of discussion 

about an association for hot mix 

paving contractors. They needed 

a common objective to pull them 

together as they were all running in 

a different direction, but with the 

same common problems. So when 

the first meeting was called, he really 

didn’t know what he was getting 

into or what doors he was opening. 

Sure, he knew the bind that he was 

in. Everybody in the asphalt industry 

was up against it. But as president 

of his company, he was used to 

going it alone.

“It was new to us but we had to do something,” says 

DeToro. Looking back after 40 years, he now says it 

took a lot of gumption to pull it off. Along with faithful 

private clients, many companies had contracts with Metro 

Toronto and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, both 

large customers who many pavers depended on for work. 

The situation was delicate. They didn’t want to look like a 

bunch of young upstarts going up against the established 

order. Rather, the newly formed group was looking for 

some reasonableness and understanding, while hoping 

that together they had uncovered some new found clout 

and respect. 

It was 1974 and conflict raged in the Middle East again. 

Support in the west for Israel prompted Arab nations to 

place an embargo on oil shipments. As production was 

reduced, costs here jumped drastically with oil prices 

doubling within months and a tax increase jumping up 

some three per cent. Even though the embargo was lifted 

six months later, by that time the increase had reached 

300 per cent and pavers were caught in the middle of 

the asphalt cement cost explosion. 

“It was the carry over work,” DeToro explains. 

“The jobs we quoted on and started in 1973 were 

now affected by the realities of the oil crunch in 1974. 

We were expected to live up to our job quotations and 

commitments, but it priced us right out of the market.” 

And so the meetings began. 

In the beginning they were just informal discussions. 

The first was four guys over lunch. Soon, though, hot mix 

producers realized they needed something more formal. 

In February of 1974 that something more happened with 

a formal meeting in Toronto. DeToro, along with John 

Ferzoco (Fermar Paving), Ken Rowe (Consolidated Sand 

& Gravel), Bud Carpenter (Dufferin Aggregates), Vince 

Butler (Kilmer Van Nostrand), Bob Lowndes (Armbro), 

Cosimo Crupi (D. Crupi & Sons), Val Raponi (Repac), 

and Joe Boccia (Pave-All) gathered for what would 

become the first meeting of the Ontario Hot Mix 

Producers Association. 

“We had to be careful. These government organizations 

kept many of our businesses going, and we had good 

relationships with them,” he says. “But we didn’t think 

it was fair for us to absorb all of the increased costs and 

taxes. It could have broken us.” ›› 

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Ultimately reasonableness was found. Deals were 

brokered, contracts recalled and the pavers were allowed 

to re-bid on jobs based on the new market conditions. 

Coming together as OHMPA had succeeded as planned. 

Still, the founders soon realized that together, more 

could be accomplished. They needed a leader and Eddie 

DeToro was an obvious choice. “I was very proud of that,” 

he says. “I made the first calls to organize, but all of us 

made it happen. It was a group effort.” 

Under DeToro’s leadership, training, education, safety 

and the sharing of information raised the industry as a 

whole to higher levels. The very first Fall Seminar was 

a success simply because it was organized and provided 

information. “The first Fall Seminar was just a half-day 

session,” recalls DeToro. “But everybody loved it and 

more wanted to come to the next one. Once the word 

got out, everyone in the paving industry wanted to attend.” 

Eddie DeToro remained president of OHMPA for four 

years through which the organization continued to grow. 

He stepped down when he sold his company and moved 

on to other endeavours. He did building in Mississauga 

and was president and part owner of a sand and gravel 

pit in Vaughan, Ontario. 

Well-read and curious, DeToro has never really retired, 

just changed careers and for the past several years 

pursued some of his other interests. A talented and 

prolific writer, he has penned and published two novels, 

an autobiography, and articles in construction magazines. 

Congratulations 

to OHMPA 

on 

40 years of excellence 

from the Coco Group 


Even though he has been out of the industry for several 

years, DeToro’s ties to OHMPA remain strong. In 1989, 

OHMPA’S 25th year in operation, in recognition of 

OHMPA’S success and Eddie DeToro’s past effort, 

he was given an Honorary Recognition and a Life 

Membership Award. 

He says he likes to keep up with industry news and 

admits that things have changed a lot since the days 

of the pick and shovel. “But that’s a good thing,” he 

quickly adds. “An industry like this has to keep changing, 

keep moving forward. I like what has been happening. 

There have been great advancements, especially in the 

areas of safety, machinery and improved asphalt mixes. 

Things are looking good for the industry.” 

And while he is too modest to admit it, the success of the 

industry in Ontario owes much to Eddie DeToro and the 

founders of OHMPA whose dedication and resolve to get 

things done 40 years ago put into place the mechanisms 

for continued growth and advancements of the industry.

30 Years 


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TECHNICALLY 

SPEAKING 

by Sandy Brown 

OHMPA Technical Director 

Specifications for asphalt binders 

Specifications for paving materials are always evolving and 

they need to be. Specifications are developed to address 

distresses that we see in the field and ideally, each new 

version helps to eliminate a distress pattern. An example 

of this with asphalt binders was the switch to performance 

grading in 1997. The Superpave Performance Grading 

(PG) system was intended to address several types of 

distresses that were becoming more prevalent with 

increasing traffic and increasing tire pressure. 

The PG high temperature specification has done a 

reasonable job at eliminating rutting when one considers 

that the aggregate structure (angularity and packing) 

are the primary form of controlling rutting. The PG low 

temperature specification has done a reasonable job 

of eliminating the single event low temperature crack. 

This type of cracking used to be evident on almost every 

pavement in Ontario and consisted of full width transverse 

cracking that started out at 20 m intervals after 10 to 12 

years but progressed to 5 m intervals as the pavement 

aged. This type of distress has all but disappeared. 

However, the PG specification is not perfect and 

pavement cracking at intermediate temperature was 

still an issue. This type of cracking is sometimes referred 

to as fatigue cracking and tends to be longitudinal (in-line 

with the stresses imposed by traffic). This type of cracking 

is most likely to occur in the spring of the year when the 

pavement support is at its weakest. 

Cracking at intermediate temperatures has been a source 

of concern for both the Ontario Ministry of Transportation 

(MTO) and industry. The MTO OHMPA Binder Working 

Group was formed in 2005 to look at this type of distress 

since the existing PGAC specification as given in ASSHTO 

M320 didn’t seem to be working. MTO had developed 

two new binder tests that they hoped would address the 

issue; the Extended BBR test (ExBBR) and the Double 

Edged Notched Tension (DENT) test. At the same time, 

the Federal Highway Authority (FHWA) in the U.S. was 

working on the successor to M320: the Multiple Stress 

Creep Recovery (MSCR) test (AASHTO M332/T350). 

In Ontario, limited field trials were done in several 

locations to explore the field performance of modified 

asphalts. Laboratory round robin testing was carried 

out and the procedures for the ExBBR and DENT tests 

were changed to improve repeatability. In the U.S., 

FHWA and universities worked together through the 

FHWA Expert Task Groups to make changes to the 

MSCR test to improve the correlation of the test with field 

performance. This work continues today at both agencies. 

Both the MTO and FHWA procedures require that 

the asphalt cement be modified with elastomers if the 

specification is invoked. Typically, the provisions of either 

of these specifications are not required for pavements 

with low traffic loading (i.e. parking lots or residential 

streets). Modification with elastomers is needed to 

reach the grades required for pavements where higher 

performance is required. 

So we have two different test procedures, but which 

one results in better performance. The question is, 

which group of test procedures would make the best 

specification. This is where the wheels came off and the 

MTO OHMPA Binder Working Group reached an impasse. 

By 2010, it became apparent that the usefulness of one 

set of procedures or the other could not be resolved 

by technical discussion at the Working Group. ›› 


The effect of polymer modification 

of asphalt cement was studied in a 

report published by the Asphalt 

Institute – Quantification of the 

Effects of Polymer-Modified Asphalt 

for Reducing Pavement Distress – ER 

215 (also available in abbreviated 

form as IS 215). The study quantified 

the performance benefits of polymer 

modified asphalt (PMA) pavements 

and overlays using field data from 

controlled experiments across the U.S. 

and Canada. The distresses included 

in the study’s performance predictions 

and comparisons were rutting, fatigue 

cracking and transverse cracking. This 

study was carried out using mechanistic 

empirical distress prediction models 

that now form AASHTOWare 

Pavements-ME pavement design 

software. 

Mechanistic-empirical (M-E) distress 

prediction models were used to 

compare the performance of test 

sections to quantify the improvement 

in pavement life or reduction in surface 

distress by using PMA, as compared to 

conventional unmodified HMA mixtures. 

The report summary concluded that ”… 

the use of PMA mixtures result in less 

cracking and rutting – extending the 

service life of flexible pavements and 

overlays ...” PMA wearing and binder 

(intermediate) mixtures exhibited about 

half the cracking and about 40 percent 

of the rutting measured on comparison 

projects. It was found that “…PMA 

mixtures provide on the average about 

a 25 percent or a 2- to 10-year increase 

in service life …” Additionally, it was 

concluded that PMA could reduce 

maintenance costs and the number 

of maintenance operations. 

Why do we need a new test anyway? 

Let’s make this clear – this is not about different types of asphalt 

cement or different methods of carrying out modifications. The 

difference is in how you test the asphalt binder to determine if 

it has been modified correctly to ensure the level of performance 

that you require for the pavement you are designing. 

AASHTO M320 was intended to be blind to modification method. 

It was designed to be that way and the test procedure determines 

fundamental properties that relate directly to performance. Both 

of the new methodologies are not blind to modification method. 

The only way the specifications can be met is if an elastomeric 

polymer is used. This is a departure from the concept of the 

AASHTO M320 test procedure, but it is a good one. Highway 

agencies have recognized the benefits of using modified asphalts 

to reduce the amount and severity of pavement distresses and 

to increase service life. 

However, there hasn’t been an Ontario test methodology to 

ensure that the asphalt binder had been effectively modified with 

an elastomer – until now. Now there are two with no technical 

agreement on which to select. How do you solve this type of 

impasse? The only way, as suggested by industry, is to do a trial of 

the different test methodologies and see which is better at reducing 

distress. And that’s what MTO did – with over 1 million tonnes of 

hot mix over a three year period. The study is unprecedented in 

size – about one half of what MTO would pave in a single year. 

Now we have to monitor the pavements to find out what distress 

we get and we won’t have the start of good information until early 

next year and it will be another 3 or 4 years to complete the study. 

But why do we have this technical disagreement? If it’s just 

the test method, what’s the big deal? 

The big deal is how long it takes to do the testing and accuracy 

of the tests themselves. The ExBBR procedure takes about 120 g 

of conditioned binder, which is about ten times that required for the 

standard test, and you have to do 24 individual BBR tests with each 

sample tested three times at different ages. For the DENT test 

you need 150 g of conditioned binder to carry out six more tests 

(three tests in duplicate). All this to qualify one sample. That’s 

a lot of work and it takes about 7 days to complete. 

If we contrast that with the MSCR test procedure, there is an 

amazing difference. The test requires no additional material and 

only takes about 20 to 30 extra minutes at the end of the standard 

testing to complete. It uses existing equipment and, once the 

testing machine has the proper script installed, you only need 

to push a button. 

So one procedure is much simpler and faster, but is it as 

accurate (see tables)? 

I have attached a number of tables that present the results of the 

MTO semi-annual round robin binder testing. I’ve gone back to 

2012, the year after the DENT test became an acceptance test for 

MTO. Two samples are sent out for each round of testing and the 

first thing you’ll notice is that some rounds only show a single result 

for each sample and some show two (a and b). When a round 

robin program administrator looks at the results, there may be ›› 


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occasions when the results for one or two labs cause the 

standard deviation to be very high. There are statistical 

tests that are applied and, if justified, one or two of the 

results could be removed as outliers and the results are 

re-analyzed. That has happened with some of the testing. 

The next thing to look at is the co-efficient of variation 

(COV). This is just the standard deviation divided by the 

mean and it gives an indication of the variability of the test 

procedure. A lower COV indicates that there is not much 

distribution of the results around the mean and is one way 

of looking at the acceptability of a test procedure. But 

if you’re writing a specification, you have to look at the 

d2s value. This is part of the precision statement that is 

included in almost all ASTM specifications. You look at 

that because you need to know how far apart the results 

could be from one another if identical samples are sent to 

two different approved laboratories. This is expressed in 

terms of the test units and is calculated by multiplying the 

COV by 2.8 and then by the mean value measured. The 

effect of doing this calculation is shown on the attached 

tables. Only the highlighted results have been included 

in the average d2s. 

What does this mean in terms of the results of something 

like the DENT test? The average value for the d2s since 

2012 is 5.5 mm. That means if you sent a sample to a lab 

and received a result of 8 mm when the specified value 

was 10 mm, would you know that the result had failed? 

Not necessarily. If you sent the sample to another lab 

you could get 3 mm (likely the sample failed) or 13 mm 

(likely the sample did not fail) and that would be within 

the normal variability of the test. The typical way of 

dealing with this in a purchase specification is to allow 

for a tolerance. For instance, if the tolerance of 4 mm 

were selected, results down to 6 mm would be accepted 

but the supplier would be advised that the results were 

low and could be asked to respond. Between 4 mm and 

6 mm would be a borderline zone where action might be 

taken by the agency; below 4 mm the material would be 

rejected. In the latter case there is no statistical evidence 

that would indicate that the sample might pass the 

specified value of 10 mm if sent to another lab. 

Fair purchase specifications are difficult to write without an 

understanding of the variability of the test and the degree 

of reliance that should be placed on a single test result. 

The precision section of a specification is the curriculum 

vitae of the test method. It provides validation for the 

test method and ensures that it can do what it purports – 

distinguish between materials that we expect to perform 

well and those that we expect won’t perform well. 

RESULTS OF MTO ROUND ROBIN TESTING · DENT d2s average value is 5.5 mm 

Standard Coefficient of d2S d2S 

Date Grade Labs Mean CTOD (mm) Deviation Variation (%) (mm) 

May 2014-1a 16 21.44 4.071 19.0% 53.2% 11.4 

May 2014-1b 

14 20.17 2.155 10.7% 30.0% 6.0 

64-34 

May 2014-2a 16 22.21 4.101 18.5% 51.8% 11.5 

May 2014-2b 14 21.47 2.946 13.7% 38.4% 8.2 

Nov 2013-1 

15 4.58 1.303 28.4% 79.5% 3.6 

70-28 

Nov 2013-2 15 5.29 1.262 23.9% 66.9% 3.5 

Jun 2013-1 

15 6.61 1.454 22.0% 61.6% 4.1 

58-34 

Jun 2013-2 15 7.16 1.275 17.8% 49.8% 3.6 

Dec 2012-1 14 14.44 2.991 20.7% 58.0% 8.4 

Dec 2012-2a 46-34 14 13.52 5.988 44.3% 124.0% 16.8 

Dec 2012-2b 14 15.60 2.370 15.2% 42.6% 6.6 

Aug 2012-1 

13 26.66 5.360 20.1% 56.3% 15.0 

64-34 

Aug 2012-2 13 27.42 8.335 30.4% 85.1% 23.3 

RESULTS OF MTO ROUND ROBIN TESTING · ExBBR LTLG d2s average value is 3.9°C 

LTLG Standard Coefficient of d2S d2S 

Date Grade Labs (°C) Deviation Variation (%) (°C) 

May 2014-1 

17 -32.95 0.698 -2.1% -5.9% 1.94 

64-34 

May 2014-2 17 -33.17 0.885 -2.6% -7.3% 2.41 

Nov 2013-1 

14 -18.73 7.074 -37.8% -105.8% 19.82 

70-28 

Nov 2013-2 14 -21.28 2.938 -13.8% -38.6% 8.22 

Jun 2013-1 

14 -25.21 1.929 -7.7% -21.6% 5.44 

58-34 

Jun 2013-2 14 -25.86 1.588 -6.1% -17.1% 4.42 

Dec 2012-1 12 -34.54 1.392 -4.0% -11.2% 3.87 

Dec 2012-2a 46-34 12 -34.61 1.676 -4.8% -13.4% 4.65 

Dec 2012-2b 10 -34.98 1.156 -3.3% -9.2% 3.23 

Aug 2012-1 

13 -33.18 1.047 -3.2% -9.0% 2.97 

64-34 

Aug 2012-2 13 -33.58 0.785 -2.3% -6.4% 2.16 


RESULTS OF MTO ROUND ROBIN TESTING · ExBBR Loss d2s average value is 3.3°C 

Date Grade Labs Loss (°C) Standard Deviation Coefficient of Variation d2S (%) d2S (°C) 


17 -2.83 0.746 -26.4% -73.9% 2.1 

64-34 

May 2014-2 17 -2.53 0.812 -32.1% -89.9% 2.3 

Nov 2013-1a 14 -7.85 1.996 -25.4% -71.1% 5.6 

Nov 2013-1b 70-28 11 -7.49 0.631 -8.4% -23.5% 1.8 

Nov 2013-2 14 -6.78 1.684 -24.8% -69.4% 4.7 

Jun 2013-1a 14 -7.25 4.944 -68.2% -191.0% 13.8 

Jun 2013-1b 

13 -8.48 1.835 -21.6% -60.5% 5.1 

58-34 

Jun 2013-2a 14 -7.17 4.847 -67.6% -189.3% 13.6 

Jun 2013-2b 13 -7.82 1.331 -17.0% -47.6% 3.7 

Dec 2012-1a 12 -2.54 2.743 -107.8% -301.8% 7.7 

Dec 2012-1b 

10 -2.81 0.715 -25.5% -71.4% 2.0 

46-34 

Dec 2012-2a 12 -2.75 2.703 -98.3% -275.2% 7.6 

Dec 2012-2b 10 -2.89 0.951 -32.9% -92.1% 2.7 

Aug 2012-1a 13 -1.37 3.343 -244.6% -684.9% 9.4 

Aug 2012-1b 

10 -3.00 0.956 -31.9% -89.3% 2.7 

64-34 

Aug 2012-2a 13 -1.54 3.303 -215.1% -602.3% 9.3 

Aug 2012-2b 10 -2.25 2.173 -96.7% -270.8% 6.1 

RESULTS OF MTO ROUND ROBIN TESTING · MSCR Jnr d2s average value is 0.20 kPa -1 

Date Grade Labs Mean MSCR Jnr (kPa -1 ) Standard Deviation Coefficient of Variation d2S (%) d2S (kPa -1 ) 


22 0.564 0.066 11.8% 33.0% 0.186 

64-34 

May 2014-2 22 0.579 0.063 10.9% 30.5% 0.177 

Nov 2013-1a 20 0.068 0.027 39.3% 110.0% 0.075 

Nov 2013-1b 

18 0.061 0.012 20.0% 56.0% 0.034 

70-28 

Nov 2013-2a 20 0.069 0.026 38.2% 107.0% 0.074 

Nov 2013-2b 18 0.062 0.012 18.7% 52.4% 0.032 

Jun 2013-1a 19 0.540 0.142 26.4% 73.9% 0.399 

Jun 2013-1b 

18 0.566 0.088 15.6% 43.7% 0.247 

58-34 

Jun 2013-2a 19 0.539 0.145 26.9% 75.3% 0.406 

Jun 2013-2b 18 0.565 0.093 16.4% 45.9% 0.259 

Dec 2012-1a 19 3.730 1.233 33.0% 92.4% 3.447 

Dec 2012-1b 

16 4.050 0.319 7.9% 22.1% 0.896 

46-34 

Dec 2012-2a 19 3.740 1.153 30.9% 86.5% 3.236 

Dec 2012-2b 16 4.100 0.310 7.6% 21.3% 0.872 

Aug 2012-1a 19 0.890 0.543 60.9% 170.5% 1.518 

Aug 2012-1b 

16 0.760 0.100 13.1% 36.7% 0.279 

64-34 

Aug 2012-2a 19 0.890 0.553 62.0% 173.6% 1.545 

Aug 2012-2b 16 0.750 0.105 13.9% 38.9% 0.292 

RESULTS OF MTO ROUND ROBIN TESTING · MSCR % Recovery d2s average value is 8% 

Date Grade Labs Mean MSCR Recovery (%) Standard Deviation Coefficient of Variation d2S (%) d2S (% Rec) 


22 58.27 3.986 6.8% 19.0% 11.1 

64-34 

May 2014-2 22 58.40 3.068 5.3% 14.8% 8.7 

Nov 2013-1 20 86.90 2.280 2.6% 7.3% 6.3 

Nov 2013-2a 70-28 20 86.79 2.551 2.9% 8.1% 7.0 

Nov 2013-2b 20 87.15 2.003 2.3% 6.4% 5.6 

Jun 2013-1a 19 54.59 13.031 23.9% 66.9% 36.5 

Jun 2013-1b 

16 57.17 2.781 4.9% 13.7% 7.8 

58-34 

Jun 2013-2a 19 54.90 12.372 22.5% 63.0% 34.6 

Jun 2013-2b 16 57.21 3.474 6.1% 17.1% 9.8 

Dec 2012-1a 19 5.28 17.140 324.5% 908.6% 48.0 

Dec 2012-1b 

18 1.84 2.087 113.2% 317.0% 5.8 

46-34 

Dec 2012-2a 19 5.36 17.329 323.3% 905.2% 48.5 

Dec 2012-2b 18 1.88 2.317 123.5% 345.8% 6.5 

Aug 2012-1 19 39.66 12.355 31.2% 87.4% 34.6 

Aug 2012-2a 64-34 19 39.43 11.607 29.4% 82.3% 32.5 

Aug 2012-2b 18 37.69 9.012 23.9% 66.9% 25.2 


ENVIRONMENT 

COMMITTEE 

A commitment to quality and a 

strong local presence. 

Dufferin Aggregates, a division of Holcim 

(Canada) Inc., is a leading supplier of aggregates 

for the construction industry in the Greater 

Toronto Area and adjacent municipalities. 

We are a solid partner for customers and 

stakeholders based on the integrity and 

competence of our people, our decades of 

experience with delivering results, and the 

backing of a global industry leader. We demand 

excellence and continuously search for new and 

better ways to provide the best solutions for 

customers and all stakeholders. 

We care about and are personally committed 

to doing the right thing for our employees 

and their families, for our customers, for the 

communities where we live and work and for 

the natural environment. 

www.dufferinrockstar.com 

Strength. Performance. Passion. 


GLOBALLY HARMONIZED SYSTEM OF CLASSIFICATION 

AND LABELLING OF CHEMICALS (GHS) 

Health Canada has announced that Canada will 

be implementing the Globally Harmonized System 

of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). 

GHS is a standardized system for defining, classifying, 

and communicating health and safety information on 

Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and labels for chemicals. 

GHS provides: 

1. Standardized criteria for classifying chemicals according 

to their physical, health, and environmental hazards 

2. Standardized 16 section Safety Data Sheet (Material 

Safety Data Sheets or MSDS are called SDS under GHS) 

3. Standardized wording and symbols to communicate 

hazards on labels used to identify chemicals 

Many of the current responsibilities under WHMIS will remain 

in place when GHS comes into effect. Suppliers, importers, 

and producers will need to classify hazardous products, 

prepare SDS and labels, and provide this information to 

customers. Employers will need to train workers on hazards 

and the safe use of products, properly label hazardous 

materials, provide workplace SDS and labels, and provide 

appropriate controls to protect workers. Employees 

will need to participate in WHMIS and related training, 

participate in the identification and control of hazards, and 

take appropriate steps to protect themselves and coworkers. 

Implementation of GHS will result in changes to federally 

and provincially regulated WHMIS laws. Health Canada’s 

target is to have updated federally regulated WHMIS laws 

in place by June 1, 2015 with the expectation that provinces 

will then follow suit with amendments to provincial WHMIS 

regulations. The Hazardous Products Act (HPA) received 

Royal Assent in June 2014. This was followed by the 

publication of proposed Hazardous Products Regulations 

(HPR) in the Canada Gazette Part I in August 2014. The 

proposed HPR are currently in a consultation period with 

the expectation that the final regulations will be published 

in the Canada Gazette Part II in the latter part of 2014 

or in early 2015. The expectation is that Canada’s laws 

will be substantially harmonized with those of the United 

States, Europe, and other regions who have or are currently 

implementing GHS which will simplify trade between 

economic regions. 

Further information and references to resources which can 

assist in preparation for GHS implementation can be found 

at http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/ghs.html

Updates 

DRAFT CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE REDUCTION OF 

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS EMISSIONS FROM 

THE USE OF CUTBACK AND EMULSIFIED ASPHALT 

Environment Canada has recently published the draft 

Environmental Code of Practice for the Reduction of 

Volatile Organic Compounds Emissions from the Use 

of Cutback and Emulsified Asphalt. The success of 

the implementation of this Code will be evaluated by 

Environment Canada after five years by reviewing the 

reduction of the use of Volatile Organic Compound 

(VOC) containing cutback and emulsion products. 

The Code will come into effect when published in the 

Canada Gazette Part 2 (expected later this year). A follow 

up notice will be sent to OHMPA members at that time. 

Most of this Code will impact producers of cutbacks and 

emulsions; however, there are three portions that could 

impact OHMPA producer members. Examples of products 

that would fall under this Code are: RC-30 for shoulder and 

granular sealing, SS-1 for tack coat, and cold mix binders. 

1. Under the Code (Section 6), the use of certain cutback 

and emulsified asphalts is limited during the “Ozone 

Season” (May 1 to September 30). Purchasers of 

cutbacks and emulsions should consult with their 

suppliers for clarification of which products apply. 

2. Under the Code (Section 7), anyone who manufactures, 

IMPORTS, SELLS or offers for sale certain cutbacks or 

emulsions should keep records of the quantity and 

formulation of all products imported. If you buy these 

products from someone outside of Canada then this 

will apply to you. If you re-sell these products (e.g. tack 

coat to third party asphalt customers) then this will apply 

to you. 

3. Under the Code (Section 8), anyone who manufactures, 

IMPORTS, SELLS or offers for sale cutbacks or emulsions 

should send annual reports to the Minister showing 

classification, quantity manufactured, quantity imported, 

quantity sold, per cent by volume of VOCs and province 

of use, among other things. 

If you require further information, you can review the Code 

on the OHMPA website and/or consult with your cutback 

or emulsion suppliers. 


Why OHMPA? 

We asked some of our members to talk about 

what being a member of OHMPA means to 

them. Here’s what they had to say: 

Fernando Magisano, Vice President, Technical 

Services, K.J. Beamish Construction Co. Ltd. 

K J Beamish Construction has always been a proud 

supporter of OHMPA and the work they do. We have 

come to count on the quick reaction and expertise they 

can bring to an industry issue or concern. Over the years, 

as issues arise we inevitably hear the same question from 

our management team, “What is OHMPA doing about 

this?” In almost every case we’ve found that OHMPA 

is already on the case and an action plan is being developed 

or already implemented on industry’s behalf. 

Paul Holroyd, President, MultiSolv Inc. 

As a member of the Membership Committee 

I was asked why my company joined OHMPA. 

First of all, if you are going to serve an industry, 

you must understand the industry. The library and 

seminars that OHMPA holds throughout the year are 

top notch by international standards, and the members 

are so co-operative and supportive that you keep upto-date 

on real time developments in construction. 

We are a supplier of what would be called “fringe 

products”, not part of the actual asphalt, but extremely 

important when missing from the process. Yet we 

receive the same respect and consideration as the 

largest producers. 

The opportunities to advertise and promote the 

company’s products to a targeted audience through 

Asphaltopics, as well as the spring and fall seminars, 

means no wasted dollars in your marketing budget. 

OHMPA’s social events give us the opportunity to talk 

informally about the concerns and challenges of the 

business with people who know and care about producing 

the best possible roads for the traveling public. 

OHMPA as an organization is amazing. These companies 

will wrestle each other to the ground when submitting 

a quote, but will share any new process or development 

they have come up with to raise the standard of the 

asphalt paving product for the customer and the industry. 

Membership in OHMPA has helped MultiSolv promote 

our products and develop strong relationships with our 

customers. We have experienced double digit growth 

each year since joining OHMPA in 2002. 

Kourtney Adamson, Operations and Business 

Development Manager, Foss Transport, 

a Division of Seaboard Transport Group 

of Companies 

Foss Transport’s invaluable membership with OHMPA has 

been a significant conduit for educating, networking and 

sharing insights within the association’s industry through 

their many seminars and events. Thank you to all of those 

committed and involved in the growth of this association. 

Don Wilson, Sales and Marketing 

Representative, Dufferin Aggregates 

The asphalt producers in Ontario, specifically in the 

Greater Toronto Area, have always been one of Dufferin 

Aggregates most important client segments. During my 

33 year tenure with Dufferin Aggregates, I have been 

responsible for all asphalt-related issues. OHMPA 

has given me the opportunity to meet and develop 

relationships with the pioneers of the asphalt industry. 

At a very young age I was in OHMPA meetings with 

presidents and executives of all key asphalt producers 

in Ontario. I can thank OHMPA for the friendships 

developed in the industry and all the key contacts 

acquired through the networking with this association. 

Congratulations to OHMPA on their 40th anniversary! 


ENVIRONMENTAL 

ESSENTIALS 

by Adam Draper 

The road to air permits: 

How did we get here? 

In light of the 40th anniversary of OHMPA and as 

an environmental consultant on the Asphaltopics 

subcommittee, I was asked to write a brief history of 

air permitting in Ontario over the past 40 years. Well 

what a coincidence! I discovered that just as OHMPA 

was born in 1974, so too was the entity known as the 

Ontario Ministry of the Environment! 

Now this is not to say that there was no environmental 

legislation prior to 1974. In fact, well before this date 

a Select Committee was appointed to investigate air 

pollution in Ontario. As a result of their 1957 report 

entitled Report on Air Pollution and Smoke Control, 

the Air Pollution Control Act was passed in 1958. 

Unlike today where environmental legislation is the 

enacted by the province, in 1958 municipalities controlled 

air pollution according to by-laws. The role of the 

provincial government was solely as an advisory body. 

However, between 1958 and 1963 only a portion of the 

municipalities actually passed air pollution control by-laws. 

Many municipalities did not want to hurt their industrial 

growth, particularly compared to other municipalities 

that did not implement similar by-laws. 

To address this issue, the Air Pollution Control Act 

was amended in 1963 with the province assuming 

full management of industrial sources of air pollution. 

Although this marks the advent of a formalized permit 

system, the fledgling act did not include any fixed numbers 

or standards. Needless to say, the new province-wide 

system was ineffective at reducing air emissions – in 

general, industry’s “innovative solution” was to build 

taller stacks to disperse emissions further away! 

Industry’s approach did not go unnoticed. As environmental 

activism gained momentum in the late 1960s, 

environmental groups and the public demanded reform. 

Ontario’s response was the Environmental Protection Act 

which was enacted in 1971, along with the creation of one 

full-time ministry in charge: the Ontario Ministry of the 

Environment (MOE). 

The first job at hand for the newly formed MOE was to 

figure out where to go by understanding the starting 

point. So, throughout the 1970s the MOE worked to 

create a database and record the current state of the 

environment. Armed with this knowledge, new regulations 

were passed. For example, the Ontario Regulation 308 

(Air Pollution) passed in 1980 included specific maximum 

concentrations for air contaminants. 

Since this time, the MOE has gathered with industry 

and stakeholders approximately every ten years to review 

environmental legislation. These meetings have resulted 

in two significant revisions to air pollution regulations: 

Ontario Regulation 346 (1990) and most recently Ontario 

Regulation 419 (2005). These revisions have changed a 

fairly simple assessment process and one-page permit 

into the significantly more complex application process 

and multi-page permit that OHMPA’s members are familiar 

with today. 

What does the future hold? Most likely ever tightening 

regulation which industry must be prepared to meet. 

Luckily for you, OHMPA’s Environment Committee has 

and continues to work hard on your behalf to help you 

navigate smoothly through environmental legislation while 

paving the way towards environmental excellence. 

Adam Draper is an environmental scientist and aggregate 

specialist at BCX Environmental Consulting, a Canadian 

environmental engineering company specializing in 

providing expert air quality services. 

With special credit to Paul Complin, Principal, Compliance 

and Permitting, ORTECH 


THE LAST WORD 

by Gerry Chaput 

Successfully stickhandling 40 years 

of asphalt pavements in Ontario 

In 1974, I was a kid growing up in Ontario who, like many 

others, played on the pavement. The only reason we 

appreciated a smooth pavement was because it kept 

the ball from bouncing over the goalie’s stick. Today, 

I value a smooth pavement for many different reasons! 

Over the past 40 years, the asphalt paving industry has 

evolved and technologies continue to advance. Road 

authorities have played a key role in either catching up 

to the changes implemented by industry or influencing 

change by mandating new specifications or contract 

models. It has been a partnership that has created 

a strong industry of paving contractors and suppliers, 

and provides safe driving surfaces for the transportation 

of goods, services and people. 

As a road authority, the ministry has the responsibility 

to maintain the public’s trust. It is a responsibility that 

is not taken lightly. We have invested on average almost 

$2.5 billion for the last five years in the provincial road 

network to ensure people and goods are moved safely, 

efficiently and sustainably, and to support a globally 

competitive economy and high quality of life. We are 

required to encourage development by optimizing 

highway capacity, operations and safety, balancing this 

work with lower environmental impacts through the use 

of sustainable technologies and practices. As a North 

American leader of in-situ pavement recycling, and 

when we build smooth durable pavements, we reduce 

greenhouse gas emissions by hundreds of thousands 

of tonnes and provide roads that are among the 

greenest in North America. 

The technical advancements have been significant – 

Superpave, performance graded asphalt cement, 

material transfer vehicles, and warm mix have allowed 

hot mix producers to provide the province with quality 

pavements. This would not have been possible without 

the investments of OHMPA members and their willingness 

to assume risks that will drive the market and pavement 

performance to the next level. 

OHMPA has also recognized the value of investing in 

the future. The silent auction for asphalt research and 

advocacy, plus the scholarships provided to students, 

ensure knowledgeable staff for both industry and 

the province. 

Yet one of the largest assets we have is not the 

pavements, but the relationship we maintain with OHMPA. 

While our interests may vary, it is clearly recognized that 

durable quality asphalt pavements benefit us all. Our 

collaborations have encouraged growth in the industry, 

a strong market, quality pavements and MTO-OHMPA 

task forces and committees that create specifications 

to improve our driving surfaces. Together, we have a 

knowledgeable workforce that is prepared for the future. 

Looking back over 40 years, much has changed – the 

processes, the specifications, the materials and the fact 

that many kids don’t play hockey on the pavement 

anymore. However, some things have also remained 

incredibly constant over the past 40 years – a professional 

industry, the strong industry/MTO relationship and, of 

course, the fact that the Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup! 

Gerry Chaput is Assistant Deputy Minister, Provincial 

Highways Management, Ontario Ministry of Transportation 


GOING 

THE 

EXTRA 

MILE 

From manufacturing to healthcare to education, roads are essential for providing 

access to the goods and services we need to ensure our quality of life. 

That’s why, at McAsphalt, we specialize in providing asphalt products that go 

the extra mile. For more than 40 years, we’ve been the industry’s leading asphalt 

experts. Our customers trust us to be a partner and advisor. To deliver on our 

promises, “on time and on spec.” To engineer innovative asphalt products for 

everyday use and extreme conditions. 

From technical support to training to R&D, we’re committed to delivering the 

asphalt products that keep Canada moving. 

Visit us at mcasphalt.com to find out what we can do for you.

ASPHALTopics | Summer 2014 | VOL 27 | NO3

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