ASPHALTopics | Summer 2014 | VOL 27 | NO3

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.
FALL 2014 5