ASPHALTopics | Spring 2014 | VOL 27 | NO 1
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SPRING <strong>2014</strong> | <strong>VOL</strong><strong>27</strong> | <strong>NO</strong>1<br />
Paving Indy | 12<br />
A winning formula<br />
MTO Spending<br />
Outlook | 21<br />
Opportunities and challenges<br />
Potholes | 31<br />
Fact and fiction<br />
awards 2013
The official publication of the<br />
Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association,<br />
Asphaltopics<br />
is published three times a year.<br />
Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association<br />
365 Brunel Rd., Unit 4, Mississauga, ON, L4Z 1Z5<br />
Tel: 905.507.3707 | Fax: 905.507.3709<br />
Email: info@ohmpa.org | Website: www.ohmpa.org<br />
Publications Mail Agreement #40011181<br />
Advertising Sales<br />
Representative<br />
Editor<br />
Design &<br />
Editorial Layout<br />
Cover photo: IMS Photo by John Cote<br />
Patricia Abbas<br />
416.438.7609<br />
pabbas8@gmail.com<br />
Lara Henry<br />
416.638.8294<br />
larahenry@sympatico.ca<br />
pdplante.com inc.<br />
info@pdplante.com<br />
table of contents<br />
Presidential Points | 05<br />
Letters from the ED | 07<br />
Marcom Matters | 09<br />
Meet incoming OHMPA president<br />
Bentley Ehgoetz | 10<br />
New Indy road course a winning formula | 12<br />
Awards recognize<br />
outstanding achievement | 16<br />
MTO spending outlook brings<br />
opportunities and challenges | 21<br />
Warm mix comes of age | 26<br />
Potholes – fact and fiction | 31<br />
Quality control measures<br />
optimize RAP use in HMA | 32<br />
Environmental Essentials | 38<br />
Industry News | 40<br />
The Last Word | 42<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 3
30 Years
PRESIDENTIAL<br />
POINTS<br />
by Colin Burpee<br />
President, OHMPA<br />
Out with the old –<br />
in with the new<br />
According to the timeworn cliché, every dog has its day.<br />
As I stare down the rapidly approaching end of my tenure<br />
as the 35th president of the Ontario Hot Mix Producers<br />
Association, I can say that I’ve certainly had mine. And<br />
what a day it’s been!<br />
To say the past year has been a whirlwind would be a bit<br />
of an understatement. There’s been a lot of activity here<br />
at OHMPA over the last 12 months. Now as I reach the<br />
end of my presidential road, I can’t tell you how very<br />
proud I feel to have been part of such a professional<br />
and highly regarded organization during such a milestone<br />
point in its storied history.<br />
For 40 years, OHMPA has worked tirelessly as the voice<br />
of authority on behalf of the asphalt producing industry<br />
in Ontario. We’ve certainly come a long way since<br />
our humble roots in 1974 when a group of passionate<br />
industry leaders got together at an airport hotel to lay the<br />
organizational foundations of OHMPA. I doubt any of the<br />
men in the room that day could imagine that four decades<br />
later, their efforts would lead to an association with over<br />
120 members, five staff members and annual events that<br />
consistently attract hundreds and hundreds of people.<br />
I understand that our association has realized its success<br />
as a direct result of the valiant efforts of all those who<br />
came before me: the men in the room on that historic<br />
day in 1974, the 34 presidents who have previously sat<br />
in this position and, of course, the countless volunteers<br />
who selflessly gave their time and attention to OHMPA’s<br />
many committees and boards over the years. I also know<br />
that success will continue under the careful watch of<br />
those yet to come.<br />
Speaking of which, it’s a great honour and pleasure to hand<br />
the reins of our association over to the guy standing behind<br />
me in line — Bentley Ehgoetz of Lavis Construction. You’ll<br />
find a more fitting introduction to him on page 10 of this<br />
issue. Those already familiar with Bentley will know he’s a<br />
stand-up guy with a tremendous passion for our industry.<br />
Those who haven’t had the good fortune to meet him<br />
should make an effort to do so at an event this year.<br />
A freshly minted president isn’t the only new thing you’ll<br />
find around OHMPA these days. As I said, it’s been a busy<br />
year and there have been a lot of things unveiled lately.<br />
For starters, you might have noticed the new design of<br />
the magazine you’re now holding in your hands. A redesign<br />
of our association publication has been long overdue and<br />
the capable OHMPA staff somehow made it happen over<br />
the last couple of months. I think you’ll agree we’ve made<br />
a significant improvement to Asphaltopics that has upped<br />
the game on our stakeholder communications.<br />
Also new is our recently re-launched website<br />
(www.ohmpa.org) which has been designed with<br />
modern mobile technology in mind. If you haven’t<br />
checked it out yet, be sure to do so. There are a lot of<br />
new features including a digital library of Asphaltopics,<br />
volunteer spotlights and up-to-date industry news.<br />
Another canine cliché says you can’t teach an old dog<br />
new tricks. I feel good stepping down and giving<br />
someone else an opportunity to learn those tricks.<br />
This old dog is done!<br />
Colin Burpee is the president of OHMPA for 2013 and<br />
General Manager, Construction of Aecon Construction<br />
and Materials Ltd.<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 5
WE K<strong>NO</strong>W THE ROAD.<br />
WE’VE BEEN ON IT FOR 100 YEARS.<br />
At Aecon, our road to success has been a century long. We know about seamless<br />
road and bridge construction, the importance of exceptional raw materials and<br />
proven performance value of “just the right” asphalt hot mix.<br />
Superhighways and super structures require superior expertise.
LETTERS<br />
FROM THE ED<br />
by Doug Duke<br />
Executive Director, OHMPA<br />
Let’s get this party started!<br />
Welcome to the new look Asphaltopics!<br />
As part of the celebration of OHMPA’s 40th anniversary,<br />
we wanted to give our publication a fresh new look.<br />
To be frank, we’re considering it a work in progress and<br />
we’re going to continue to refine the design through<br />
the remainder of the year. However, I’m sure you’ll<br />
agree we’ve done a lot of things well out of the gate<br />
starting on the cover with a bold new masthead.<br />
We methodically chose a font with an<br />
appearance and feel more appropriate<br />
for our industry. Like asphalt, it’s strong,<br />
it’s black and it will do the job for many<br />
years to come. I assure you, the life-cycle<br />
cost analysis on it would be excellent!<br />
Turning to the internal contents of the<br />
magazine, we’ve chosen a pleasant editorial<br />
copy font that’s easy on the eyes and makes<br />
reading a breeze. Meanwhile, headlines are crisp<br />
and clean and overall, everything has been tidied up<br />
and compartmentalized in a way that will make more<br />
and more sense with each issue we publish.<br />
It’s been a tremendous team effort to bolster Asphaltopics<br />
and we truly hope you like what you’re seeing. Ours is an<br />
association magazine to be very proud of and our only<br />
goal is to make it better. On that note, we’re open to any<br />
feedback and new ideas and we welcome you to get<br />
in touch if you have any comments or concerns at all.<br />
We’re here to listen.<br />
In the summer 2013 issue, I not-so-subtly hinted we would<br />
be stepping things up this year in recognition of 40 years<br />
of OHMPA. The re-branded magazine you now hold in<br />
your hands is only a small piece of that effort. Our events<br />
this year will also be upgraded starting immediately with<br />
our AGM and Conference taking place at the Trillium<br />
Westin at Blue Mountain in lovely Collingwood.<br />
Watch for a more diverse and interesting line-up<br />
of speakers, a unique video series honouring<br />
OHMPA’s ‘founding fathers’ and a few<br />
other surprises sure to make the event a<br />
memorable experience. Further down the<br />
road, we’ve got a few new tricks up our<br />
sleeves for our <strong>Spring</strong> Operations Seminar<br />
taking place on April 16th and our Road Tour<br />
which is kicking off this year on April 24th in<br />
the City of Guelph and will also visit Kingston<br />
and Sudbury before returning to the GTA.<br />
The anniversary celebrations will continue later this year<br />
as we take our always popular summer golf tournament<br />
to a scenic 36-hole Club Link facility in August. We’ll cap<br />
the year off in true style with our Fall Asphalt Seminar<br />
down in Niagara Falls.<br />
Be sure to keep your eyes open for all the details as they<br />
become available. OHMPA’s 40th anniversary celebration<br />
is just beginning and you’re not going to want to miss<br />
a thing!<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 7
8 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
MARCOM<br />
MATTERS<br />
by Abigail Wright Pereira<br />
Marketing and Communications Director, OHMPA<br />
www.OHMPA.org – 2.0 *<br />
In 1998, OHMPA made its debut on the World Wide Web.<br />
Back then, businesses were just entering the “wild west”<br />
of the internet and making their presence known with<br />
a website that was sometimes little more than a landing<br />
page with general information. I guess you could say<br />
that those initial websites were barely at the 1.0 stage.<br />
Back then, people still relied on the Yellow Pages to get<br />
business information, and having a business cell phone<br />
meant that you were pretty high up on the corporate<br />
ladder. We’ve come a long way since then.<br />
www.ohmpa.org, there is no mistaking that we represent<br />
excellence in asphalt paving, offer top-notch technical<br />
and educational services and materials, and are heavily<br />
involved in promoting the best of the best through our<br />
awards program.<br />
Fast forward 16 years. From the first brainstorming<br />
session with staff and Marketing Committee Chairs<br />
Mike McLean and Donn Bernal, to the moment our web<br />
design company, Biz-zone, flipped the switch and we<br />
went live January 1, the website was about one year<br />
in the making. Just like the crafting of fine wine,<br />
good things come to those who wait.<br />
The new website was created on a responsive design<br />
platform, meaning that visitors to the site can easily view<br />
content regardless of the device they are using, whether<br />
it is a smart phone or notepad. We now have direct links<br />
to OHMPA’s social media channels, a newsfeed, and an<br />
ability to directly share pages via e-mail or social media.<br />
Additionally, the digital version of Asphaltopics is now<br />
easily accessible and prominently featured. This new<br />
platform will enable our website to easily keep up with<br />
the times as technology changes.<br />
Most important, the new website is the new face of<br />
OHMPA. As we boost our marketing and advocacy<br />
efforts, we want people to come to our website and easily<br />
understand who we are and what we do. When you visit<br />
*Web 2.0 — A second generation in the development of the World Wide Web, conceived<br />
as a combination of concepts, trends and technologies that focus on user collaboration,<br />
sharing of user generated content and social networking.<br />
This initial launch is just the beginning. There will be<br />
several new features to look forward to in the coming<br />
year. By the end of <strong>2014</strong>, the website will feature an<br />
Association and Industry history page, which will include<br />
a gallery of photos, some dating back to the 1920s! We<br />
are also planning to launch a dynamic, animated Story<br />
of Asphalt page, sure to capture audiences in all sectors.<br />
Lastly, to bolster our efforts to bring young talent into<br />
the industry, we will have a new page which will allow<br />
members to view resumes of students interested in<br />
beginning their careers in the asphalt industry.<br />
<strong>2014</strong> started off on a high note with this website and<br />
there’s a lot more to look forward to. Stay tuned and<br />
feel free to reach out to me, abbi@ohmpa.org, with<br />
any questions or comments about the website.<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 9
Meet incoming<br />
OHMPA president<br />
Bentley Ehgoetz<br />
by Abigail Wright Pereira<br />
A current OHMPA board member with almost 30 years experience<br />
in the construction industry, Bentley is well positioned to lead the<br />
organization as it prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary.<br />
We sat down with Bentley to talk about his background in the industry,<br />
his involvement with OHMPA, and his priorities for the year.<br />
Q: HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN<br />
THE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS?<br />
A: As a kid growing up in Perth County I was involved<br />
with my father’s construction business, Anson Ehgoetz<br />
Excavating Limited, which mainly dealt in aggregates<br />
and dragline operations. I was driving a dump truck<br />
at age 16 even before I had my car license. The<br />
construction business was in my blood and close<br />
to my heart.<br />
Q: GIVEN YOUR FAMILY’S BUSINESS, DID YOU GO<br />
STRAIGHT INTO CONSTRUCTION AFTER COLLEGE?<br />
A: Yes. After graduating from Fanshawe College in 1986<br />
with a degree in Civil Engineering Technology, I was<br />
hired as a construction foreman with the County<br />
of Perth, replacing a gentleman who retired after<br />
50 years. I had some big shoes to fill.<br />
Q: WHILE WORKING FOR THE COUNTY OF PERTH,<br />
HOW DID YOU GET IN<strong>VOL</strong>VED WITH ASPHALT?<br />
A: The county was heavily involved in constructing and<br />
rebuilding its roads using its own people; however,<br />
the paving was contracted out. At the time, the county<br />
didn’t do much testing, but with the help of a former<br />
MTO employee and from neighbouring Huron County,<br />
I set up Perth County’s first asphalt testing lab. Over<br />
the next few years I took numerous MTO and<br />
John Emery courses on hot mix asphalt and road<br />
reconstruction. In 1993, I was awarded the Scott McKay<br />
Memorial Award presented by MTO and the<br />
Municipal Engineers Association, and in 1996 the<br />
County Engineer retired and I was promoted to<br />
Director of Public Works.<br />
Q: WHEN AND HOW DID YOU MAKE THE SWITCH<br />
FROM WORKING FOR THE COUNTY TO BEING<br />
THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS FOR LAVIS?<br />
A: I was talking with Gord Lavis one day about one<br />
of his employees who was moving on. He asked<br />
if I was interested in the position. Lavis was heavily<br />
involved with hot mix and cold-in-place recycling,<br />
which had always interested me. After thinking<br />
about it, I called up Gord and told him I was interested.<br />
I could tell that he was wondering if I knew what it<br />
took to be in the construction business after being<br />
a bureaucrat for 23 years. I assured him that growing<br />
up in the business I knew what it took. I went in the<br />
next day to sign the paper work. I’ve been with Lavis<br />
Contracting Co. Limited ever since January 2009.<br />
Q: WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET IN<strong>VOL</strong>VED<br />
WITH OHMPA?<br />
A: In 2009, OHMPA was looking for a board member<br />
to represent a family-owned business and Gord put<br />
my name forward. I had gone to several seminars<br />
10 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
and golf tournaments in the past, but<br />
other than that I knew nothing about<br />
OHMPA. I joined the OHMPA board<br />
just one month after starting with Lavis<br />
and I felt I was in way over my head—<br />
it was a big learning curve. Gord had<br />
been been president of OHMPA in 1996<br />
and knew how the experience of being<br />
a part of OHMPA was invaluable. It was<br />
the best thing he ever did to move my<br />
career forward. The members were welcoming<br />
and were willing to help bring me up to speed. I still<br />
remember to this day, during my first year at OHMPA,<br />
Joe Bunting of Miller Paving coming up to me and<br />
saying, “Here’s my number. Don’t be afraid to call with<br />
any questions or issues anytime you may need help.”<br />
Q: SINCE JOINING OHMPA IN 2009, IN YOUR<br />
OPINION, WHAT HAVE BEEN OHMPA’S MOST<br />
SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS?<br />
A: OHMPA strengthened its relationship with the Ontario<br />
Good Roads Association and its municipal members.<br />
This is really important to our members as the<br />
municipalities represent a large portion of the work.<br />
Bentley Ehgoetz<br />
Director of Operations, Lavis Contracting Co. Ltd.<br />
Director since: 2009<br />
Committee(s): OHMPA Executive Committee<br />
OHMPA/OGRA Municipal Liaison<br />
Committee<br />
OHMPA has also begun to promote the industry. Since<br />
hiring staff to help us in this endeavour, we have been<br />
more proactive instead of reactive in promoting the<br />
asphalt industry.<br />
Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR GOALS<br />
FOR YOUR YEAR AS PRESIDENT?<br />
A: It will be important to follow through on priorities<br />
identified in our strategic plan which include<br />
governance and advocacy. More important, however,<br />
will be to continue to build relationships with MTO<br />
and municipalities and provide our members the<br />
education they need to continue on producing<br />
a superior product.<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 11
New Indy road course<br />
a winning formula<br />
by Lisa Fattori<br />
IMS photo(s) by Chris Owens.<br />
Racing enthusiasts can look forward to a newly<br />
paved and modified road course at the world<br />
famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) this<br />
season. The upgraded 2.439 mile infield circuit will host<br />
the inaugural IndyCar Indianapolis Grand Prix May 8th<br />
to 10th, as well as MotoGP’s Red Bull Indianapolis GP in<br />
August. The improvements not only ensure the safety of<br />
the course, they make the race more thrilling for drivers and<br />
spectators alike.<br />
“The original course was constructed in 1999, and some<br />
severe cracking had taken place,” says Kevin Forbes,<br />
IMS Director of Engineering. “Unlike highways that have<br />
a constant kneading action, raceways don’t have the<br />
steady traffic and will crack as a result. The geometry<br />
of the course also needed to be changed. Some of the<br />
corners were changed to make the race more competitive<br />
for drivers and therefore more entertaining for spectators.”<br />
Construction of the road course began in September 2013<br />
and was completed in just two months. The scope of work<br />
included milling the existing pavement, with the removal<br />
of five inches of asphalt, and the installation of five inches<br />
of new pavement. Corners one and two of the road course<br />
were completely changed to offer a slight elevation of<br />
approximately three feet. The corners were excavated<br />
down 14 inches and received a seven inch base of crushed<br />
stone, followed by seven inches of new asphalt. The<br />
sections were then married to the existing portions<br />
of the road course that remained in place.<br />
“At first we were going to remove the pavement all at<br />
once, but the base would be damaged from trucks and<br />
machinery,” Forbes says. “Instead, we re-paved the course<br />
in sections, leaving just enough asphalt to work from.”<br />
The elevation changes make for a more varied course and,<br />
although three feet may not seem significant, the change<br />
will enhance competition. “The speedway was built on<br />
Indiana farmland, which is completely flat,” Forbes says.<br />
“The interior road course is already surrounded by a lot<br />
of infrastructure, so it is difficult to find opportunities<br />
where we can create a hump or hill. Three feet is pretty<br />
significant and will make the road course more interesting<br />
and fun for race car drivers.”<br />
Turn 12 of the road course intersects with the warm-up<br />
area of the oval track, which is also the fourth turn of the<br />
MotoGP circuit. To make the geometry of the road course<br />
even more interesting, it is designed to accommodate<br />
IndyCar Series races moving in a clockwise direction,<br />
as well as MotoGP races that run counter clockwise.<br />
The 100 square feet shared space is an engineering feat,<br />
successfully accommodating four paths that cross in the<br />
same location. All pathways have different geometry, both<br />
horizontal and vertical, with certain banking required for<br />
each. The design had 900 data points and demanded<br />
unconventional paving practices to get the desired finish.<br />
“Screed operators tend to think just of drainage, but<br />
this section required the screed to go in four different ››<br />
12 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
ONTARIO’S JAMES HINCHCLIFFE SET<br />
TO RACE ON NEW INDY ROAD COURSE<br />
INDY TRACK<br />
FAST FACTS<br />
· In 1909, the original oval track was paved<br />
using 3.2 million ten-pound bricks and<br />
mortar over a two-inch layer of sand.<br />
The track was nicknamed “The Brickyard”<br />
and, today, three feet of the original bricks<br />
remain at the start/finish line.<br />
· The Indy road course is the only track in<br />
North America that offers both clockwise<br />
and counter-clockwise options in racing.<br />
Clockwise races have five left turns and<br />
nine right turns.<br />
· The total paving area of the Indy road<br />
course is 16.2 acres, which is equivalent<br />
to nearly 16 football fields. The repaving<br />
project required 20,000 tons of asphalt.<br />
Oakville native, James Hinchcliffe, will be<br />
driving for the Andretti Autosport team in<br />
the IndyCar Indianapolis Grand Prix in May.<br />
The three-time winner for the 2013 IndyCar<br />
Series racing season got the racing bug<br />
when he was just nine years old, spending<br />
his weekends go-karting at Goodwood<br />
Kartways, just north of Toronto. At 17, he<br />
made the transition from karting to race car<br />
driving when he was selected to compete<br />
in the North American Formula BMW<br />
scholarship program in Spain—an important<br />
stepping stone that won him recognition<br />
and new opportunities.<br />
As racing’s rising star, Hinchcliffe is a fan favourite who signed on with IndyCar<br />
almost three years ago. “In 2011, I got the opportunity to make my IndyCar<br />
debut after many years of trying to get there,” Hinchcliffe says. “Then, in 2012,<br />
I started in the front row for the Indy 500. These were real career highlights.”<br />
In 2012, Hinchcliffe replaced Andretti team member, Danica Patrick, driving<br />
the brilliant green GoDaddy car. The car was renumbered #<strong>27</strong>, which is<br />
the same number that was used by Canadian drivers Gilles Villeneuve and<br />
Jacques Villeneuve. For the <strong>2014</strong> season, United Fiber & Data has replaced<br />
GoDaddy as Hinchcliffe’s sponsor and fans can look forward to another<br />
exciting racing season with Hinchcliffe sporting the blue and white colours<br />
of the high-tech company.<br />
While Hinchcliffe has driven both the oval and the road course at the<br />
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he looks forward to trying out the new road<br />
course in the upcoming Grand Prix. “The oval is challenging, but a road<br />
course brings its own set of challenges,” he says. “When you have different<br />
corners and brake zones, it really makes the driver think and makes us<br />
work harder. The new changes to the road course will make the race more<br />
interesting. As drivers, we don’t want a lead-follow race, and neither do<br />
the fans.”<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 13
Russell Redi-Mix Concrete,<br />
Manitoba and Saskatchewan<br />
14 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12<br />
directions,” Forbes says. “You would think the<br />
area would be all bumpy, but it isn’t. No matter<br />
how you turn, and in what direction, the road<br />
course is smooth.”<br />
The hot mix asphalt (HMA) used for the new course<br />
offers both flexibility and durability, for pavement<br />
that isn’t too soft in summer or too brittle in winter.<br />
A reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) content mix<br />
was used in the base and intermediate layers of the<br />
new sections, and in the underlying course of the<br />
rehabilitated area. A pure virgin mix was installed<br />
for the top layer of the entire road course due to<br />
the extremely high friction requirements.<br />
The surface layer includes steel slag<br />
and slag sand, which is an excellent<br />
aggregate because it doesn’t absorb<br />
the asphalt. “We’ve used steel slag and<br />
slag sand before; it’s what we placed on<br />
the oval in 2004,” Forbes says. “It’s been<br />
ten years and we still don’t have a single<br />
crack in that surface.”<br />
Speed is an important factor in<br />
determining the ideal profile of a<br />
race course surface. With highways,<br />
designers and operators look at the<br />
ridability of the surface. A race car,<br />
however, can travel <strong>27</strong>5 feet each<br />
second, making it much more sensitive<br />
to any variations in the pavement.<br />
For this reason, tolerance standards<br />
are very strict, and any areas that need<br />
extra grinding require a finer diamond<br />
head for a much smoother finish.<br />
“When cars are travelling at 187 mph,<br />
speed becomes a consideration,” Forbes<br />
says. “If something goes wrong, it may<br />
not be fatal, but it could be a seasonending<br />
or career-ending accident. It’s<br />
all about the smoothness of the track.<br />
If riders or drivers lose confidence, they<br />
may think that there are other issues with<br />
the pavement and they’ll slow down.<br />
If the surface is rough enough, drivers<br />
could lose control, but it also affects their<br />
confidence and the quality of race that<br />
they give to spectators.”<br />
Lisa Fattori is a freelance writer,<br />
specializing in the construction industry.<br />
QUALITY CONTROL INSPECTION AND TESTING<br />
AGGREGATE SELECTION AND EVALUATION<br />
ASPHALTIC CONCRETE MIX DESIGN<br />
PAVEMENT DESIGN ENGINEERING<br />
GEOTECHNICAL SERVICES<br />
GEOENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES<br />
19 Churchill Drive<br />
Barrie, Ontario L4N 8Z5<br />
(705) 734-3900<br />
Branch Offices<br />
45 Burford Road<br />
Hamilton, Ontario L8E 3C6<br />
(905) 561-2231<br />
16 Franklin Street South<br />
Kitchener, Ontario N2C 1R4<br />
(519) 893-7500<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 15
y Steve Pecar<br />
Trillium Awards<br />
While other industries are just beginning to introduce<br />
eco certifications and gold standards, the hot mix<br />
asphalt industry has been ahead of the curve, already<br />
meeting the strictest of guidelines. When a plant earns<br />
a Trillium Award they are recognized as being the best<br />
of the best.<br />
Since 2002, 55 plants have earned the Trillium Award<br />
and 35 have been recertified. Trillium Award status<br />
is granted for a three year period at which time the<br />
plant must apply again for recertification.<br />
The nine<br />
Trillium Award<br />
winning plants<br />
are:<br />
Every applicant for the award must comply with<br />
over 100 specific standards and supply supporting<br />
documentation that includes photographs and a short<br />
video. The applicants then go through a rigorous<br />
assessment process in seven categories:<br />
· Appearance<br />
· Operations<br />
· Environmental<br />
· Safety<br />
· Permitting and Compliance<br />
· Community Relations<br />
· Industry Participation<br />
16 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
Accepting the Trillium Award on behalf of their<br />
companies are (from left to right): Jon Stadig,<br />
Glenn Ferguson, Justin Baxter, Ben Dopson,<br />
Amma Wakefield, Murray Ritchie, Karlo Jorgensen,<br />
Jeremy Dunn, George Brown, Glenn Martin.<br />
AECON CONSTRUCTION<br />
& MATERIALS LTD.<br />
Brampton Asphalt Plant<br />
Orangeville Asphalt Plant<br />
Goderich Asphalt Plant<br />
G. TACKABERRY & SONS<br />
CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD.<br />
Tackaberry Asphalt Plant<br />
MILLER GROUP<br />
Lavis Contracting Co. Limited –<br />
Holmesville Plant<br />
Mill-Am Asphalt Plant<br />
The Murray Group – Murphy Plant<br />
The Murray Group –<br />
Bowman Pit, Elora Plant<br />
Smith Construction –<br />
Turcotte Pit Asphalt Plant<br />
Ben Dopson, Propertry/Environmental Coordinator<br />
for Tackaberry, says the Trillium Award means a lot<br />
to his company and indicates hard work is paying<br />
off. “G. Tackaberry & Sons Construction Co. Ltd. is<br />
honoured to have been awarded with OHMPA’s 2013<br />
Trillium Award,” says Dopson in an official statement.<br />
“The implementation of the latest industry technology<br />
at Tackaberry’s new Gencor batch plant has improved<br />
efficiency and aided in maintaining a strong relationship<br />
with the local community.”<br />
Speaking of behalf of the Miller Group, Vice President<br />
Ryan Essex says the Trillium Award sets a high standard<br />
for the industry and is something his group is proud to<br />
receive. “It’s a goal to reach the Trillium status. We see<br />
it as the premier level you can reach because it is voted<br />
upon by your industry peers,” says Essex. “In our group,<br />
each of our managers strives to hit that status. The fact<br />
that we have a number of them is important to the<br />
company.”<br />
Essex adds that the recertifications are just as important<br />
because it shows continued good work. Miller received<br />
four Recertification Trillium Awards effective through<br />
to 2016. They are:<br />
· Miller Group: E.C. King — Sydenham Plant<br />
· Miller Group — New Liskeard Asphalt Plant<br />
· Miller Group — Port Colborne Asphalt Plant<br />
· Miller Group — Whitby Asphalt Plant<br />
Steve Pecar is a Mississauga-based writer,<br />
editor and designer.<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 17
AWARDS<br />
From left to right: John Blake (Immediate ORBA Past President),<br />
Tom O’Callaghan (Fowler), Deputy Minister of Transportation Carol Layton,<br />
Gilles Truchon (Fowler), Tim Fawcett (Fowler), John McBride (Fowler).<br />
Colin Burpee (left) and Lyle Moran<br />
Paver of the Year Award<br />
The Ontario Road Builders Association (ORBA)<br />
recently announced the Paver of the Year Award<br />
which is presented annually by the Ontario Ministry<br />
of Transportation. The award recognizes excellence<br />
in hot mix paving on a project completed in the<br />
award year. Projects are judged on criteria such<br />
as smoothness, night paving, competition,<br />
workmanship and mix quality, among others.<br />
For 2013, the honour goes to Fowler Construction<br />
Company Ltd. for its project on Highway 60 in<br />
Algonquin Park. Other finalists in this category were<br />
Aecon Materials, Miller Group, and Pioneer Construction.<br />
Tim Fawcett, Divisional Manager of Fowler Construction,<br />
reacted with great pride upon hearing the news which<br />
he had received just a short time before speaking to<br />
Asphaltopics. “This is great; we were really pleased<br />
to hear this,” Fowler said. “Highway 60 was a great<br />
project for us and a lot of people deserve the credit<br />
for a job that was well done.”<br />
Dr. Norman McLeod Award<br />
For 2013, OHMPA presented the Dr. Norman McLeod<br />
Award for Innovation in Road Building. The purpose<br />
of this award is to celebrate and recognize the pursuit<br />
of innovation in the hot mix asphalt industry.<br />
The winner of the award, Lyle Moran, Asphalt Team Leader<br />
for Imperial Oil Sarnia Research Centre, was honoured for<br />
his more than three decades of dedication to the industry<br />
which, through his commitment to the science of asphalt<br />
research, led to industry breakthroughs as recognized<br />
by 12 patents. Recently retired, Moran spent most of his<br />
career in asphalt research and development and technical<br />
marketing services.<br />
It’s an understatement to say that asphalt has played<br />
a significant part of Moran’s life and he has grown to<br />
appreciate so many aspects of it. “The beauty of asphalt<br />
research is that you are involved with the whole gamut,<br />
from the crude coming out of the ground, to the customer<br />
in the field,” he recently commented. “So we are studying<br />
both product and process development.”<br />
Moran’s impact on the asphalt industry in North America<br />
has been significant and will be long lasting.<br />
18 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING<br />
ACHIEVEMENT<br />
Mark Cosby (left) and Colin Burpee Colin Burpee with Dr. Susan Tighe Colin Burpee with Sandy Brown (right)<br />
Bleeds Black Award<br />
The year 2013 marked the inaugural presentation<br />
of OHMPA’s Bleeds Black Award. Recipients are<br />
those individuals chosen for their commitment<br />
and passion to the continual improvement of<br />
asphalt, one that makes it the pavement<br />
of choice in Ontario.<br />
The name of the award stems from a comment<br />
made by Tim Fawcett of Fowler Construction<br />
Company Ltd. who once said that a colleague’s<br />
passion and commitment to asphalt is so great<br />
that when cut, he “bleeds black.”<br />
There were three inaugural recipients of this award:<br />
· MARK COSBY, Foreman, Vineland Asphalt<br />
Plant, Walker Aggregates<br />
· Dr. SUSAN TIGHE, Professor and Canada<br />
Research Chair, Norman W. McLeod Professor<br />
in Sustainable Pavement Engineering,<br />
Director of CPATT, University of Waterloo<br />
· SANDY BROWN, Technical Director, OHMPA,<br />
and Canadian Regional Engineer for the<br />
Asphalt Institute.<br />
Mark Cosby has been working in the asphalt pavement<br />
industry for more than 25 years. His vast experience and<br />
knowledge of asphalt make him an extraordinary operating<br />
foreman. He is continually looking for improvements in asphalt<br />
production to make the process more efficient, environmentally<br />
friendly, and cost effective, all while maintaining high quality.<br />
Cosby has also shown a great talent for training new employees<br />
and his expertise is being passed along to those whose talents<br />
he has greatly helped to foster.<br />
Dr. Susan Tighe says she was thoroughly shocked when her<br />
name was called during the award presentations. “It caught<br />
me off guard, but I am very honoured,” says Dr. Tighe. She<br />
says she enjoys interacting with those in the industry and takes<br />
great pride knowing that many of her students have gone on<br />
to be leaders in the industry. Dr. Tighe says she tries to mentor<br />
students and attract good people to the field. She believes<br />
this is necessary as the industry needs to recruit qualified<br />
people into the industry, ones who can follow in the<br />
footsteps of current leaders.<br />
Sandy Brown, too, was also caught off guard by the honour,<br />
but appreciates the recognition. “This is the type of industry<br />
where you learn a lot and I like to learn,” Brown says. “It’s very<br />
nice to get an award for doing something that you love and<br />
be honoured by those people who you really respect.”<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 19
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MTO spending outlook brings<br />
opportunities and challenges<br />
by Lisa Fattori<br />
Canada’s aging infrastructure has prompted the need<br />
for more effort on bridge rehabilitation and replacement<br />
right across the country. In Ontario, the Ministry of<br />
Transportation (MTO) has been in dialogue with industry<br />
stakeholders to prepare contractors for the upcoming<br />
opportunities and challenges that will present themselves<br />
in road construction in the next five years. A shifting<br />
dynamic within road construction will require ingenuity,<br />
diversification and new partnerships, particularly among<br />
paving companies whose core business has been in the<br />
construction and rehabilitation of provincial highways.<br />
An MTO presentation at the Ontario Road Builders<br />
Association (ORBA) Convention in February, <strong>2014</strong>,<br />
provided a budget update and outlined the geographic<br />
distribution of projects and tender profiles for 2013/14.<br />
The current construction budget is down slightly to<br />
$2.2 billion, from $2.4 billion the year before, with<br />
31 per cent of the budget slated for the central region.<br />
Minor highway projects awarded have dropped from<br />
315 valued at $138 million in 2012/13 to 253 in 2013/14,<br />
at a value of $98 million.<br />
In <strong>2014</strong>, MTO has planned for 82 bridge rehabilitation<br />
projects, with a forecasted 142 projects for 2015. In<br />
subsequent years, to 2018, anticipated bridge rehabilitation<br />
projects fluctuate from 115 to 125 per year. These figures<br />
do not represent bridges that are included in pavement<br />
rehabilitation projects or expansion projects. Nor do they<br />
include structural culverts greater than three metres.<br />
While there is clearly a greater emphasis on bridge work<br />
in coming years, increases in this sector don’t necessarily<br />
mean significant decreases in the amount of paving work<br />
that will be available. “Over the last several years, we’ve<br />
seen an upward trend in spending,” says Shael Gwartz,<br />
Director, Investment Strategies Branch, MTO. “The<br />
increase in the rehabilitation of bridges began about four<br />
years ago, but we’re going to see a significant increase<br />
in the next five years. This work will not be at the expense<br />
of paving projects. I don’t foresee a significant change<br />
in pavement work in the future, based on what the<br />
budget is today.”<br />
Alterations to tender packages and the combination<br />
of bridge and road projects may skew project profiles,<br />
making it difficult to categorize contracts and make<br />
comparisons between paving jobs and bridgework.<br />
“Last year, we put out 300 to 400 contracts, but I don’t<br />
know, off hand, how much of that is just for paving,”<br />
Gwartz says. “We have a mixture of the two. The contracts<br />
we plan on tendering today may change due to many<br />
factors, and then the upcoming budget can always<br />
change our plan. It’s a bit of a moving target.”<br />
Pairing road paving jobs with bridgework means that local<br />
traffic is disturbed only once, and combination projects<br />
are more efficient in delivering shorter construction times<br />
and pooled resources. Road construction, however, has<br />
historically been divided into specialized groups that<br />
include bridge building and road building companies. ››<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 21
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21<br />
Even if bridge paving jobs are sub-contracted out<br />
to road paving companies, the projects are relatively<br />
small, requiring less than 1,000 tonnes of paving, compared<br />
to between 15,000 and 30,000 tonnes of paving for<br />
the average road job. The higher cost of new bridge<br />
construction and rehabilitation compared to roadwork<br />
also has paving contractors concerned that the current<br />
level of investment in road infrastructure can’t be<br />
maintained. Greater competition for fewer jobs could<br />
drive down prices, which would reduce the profitability<br />
of awarded contracts.<br />
“Contractors don’t scale up and down at the flip of a<br />
switch,” says Regan Cox, President of Cox Construction<br />
Limited in Guelph. “We invested to make sure that there<br />
was capacity and some of us have 50 per cent or more<br />
of our work going exclusively to the ministry. We’re<br />
cognizant of the fact that a lot of our bridges are reaching<br />
their 50- and 60-year life spans, but we also have more<br />
registered cars in the province than 50 years ago. Also,<br />
this winter is wreaking havoc on our roads, but our current<br />
funding isn’t going to be able to keep up the asset.”<br />
The province’s investment in municipal transit<br />
developments, coupled with awarding contracts<br />
to off-shore companies, further dilutes the funding<br />
available for shave and pave type projects. The City of<br />
Ottawa’s light rail transit (LRT) system, Waterloo Region’s<br />
rapid transit project and the extension of the TTC subway<br />
line to York University and Vaughan have all received<br />
funding, and the Metrolinx initiative, including The Big<br />
Move project, continues to be a priority for the province.<br />
LRT expansions, however, require the expertise of bridge<br />
builders, which may create a shortfall in the workforce<br />
needed for bridge rehabilitation projects.<br />
“Approximately $500 million of the MTO’s budget this<br />
year went to Alternative Financing and Procurement<br />
(AFP) projects, and eventually those payments can<br />
eat into the whole infrastructure budget,” says Geoff<br />
Wilkinson, Executive Director at ORBA. “We have a lot<br />
of LRT projects planned and on the go, which is also a<br />
consideration, because it puts a strain on the capacity<br />
of bridge construction companies when coupled with<br />
this increase demand for bridge rehabilitation. MTO<br />
is aware of this capacity issue and, hopefully, will take<br />
this into account in designing their plans.”<br />
The MTO has tried to shift tendering to the fall and<br />
winter so that contractors can spread out their work<br />
over the construction season, and not have to scramble<br />
to complete projects in the fall. While the year’s early<br />
tenders, from January to March, are on par with last<br />
year’s figures, this spring’s provincial budget will help<br />
contractors plan for the rest of <strong>2014</strong> and beyond.<br />
Partnerships between paving and bridge contractors,<br />
the diversification of core business, and the dissemination<br />
of larger projects into collaborations among smaller<br />
contractors, will help paving operators to weather<br />
a manageable level of budget constraint in the next<br />
few years.<br />
“MTO’s capital budget has grown from $750 million<br />
to $2.2 billion in 10 years, which is unheard of in other<br />
jurisdictions south of the border,” Gwartz says. “We’ve<br />
been able to convey to the province of Ontario the<br />
importance of our bridges and roads to the economy<br />
and we’re striving to reach our performance targets<br />
by tendering all types of projects.”<br />
24 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
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Warm mix<br />
comes of age<br />
by Steve Pecar<br />
The success of a 56,000 tonne<br />
warm mix project in Algonquin<br />
Park could be the turning point<br />
in ushering in the technology<br />
on a broader basis throughout<br />
Ontario.<br />
The project, a 24-km stretch along Highway 60, was<br />
completed in the fall of 2013 and has already earned<br />
Fowler Construction accolades throughout the paving<br />
world. However, it is the scope of the project, one of the<br />
largest by warm mix asphalt (WMA) standards in Ontario,<br />
which has industry observers taking notice. With a project<br />
of this size producing solid results, all stakeholders are<br />
looking at the prospect of increased use of warm mix<br />
on future road paving sites.<br />
Tim Fawcett, Divisional Manager of Fowler Construction<br />
Company Ltd., believes the use of WMA has progressed<br />
to the point where all levels of governments should be<br />
pleased and that the next steps to broader use can be<br />
taken. He points out that when the Ontario Ministry of<br />
Transportation (MTO) first started calling for warm mix<br />
jobs, they were just small test sections, no larger than<br />
3,000 tonnes. “They wanted to see proof that it worked,<br />
what the fuel savings and environmental impact were,<br />
and all for good reason,” he says.<br />
Now, with the projects getting larger and with answers<br />
to many of these questions, Fawcett says it shows WMA<br />
works. The MTO has taken out some former requirements<br />
and recognizes it as a proven technology that is used<br />
throughout the world. “It’s been acknowledged that<br />
we can produce these new technologies and do so<br />
successfully,” Fawcett says. “We know that we can<br />
produce at the top of our game and give the MTO<br />
what they are looking for with no issues.”<br />
Getting the MTO’s blessing on WMA is important<br />
say many from within the industry. While lower tier<br />
jurisdictions set their own mandates and have their<br />
own jobs to contract out, most look to Queen’s Park<br />
for its expertise and direction. Seyed Tabib, Senior<br />
26 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
Tabib says that after several years of building up the<br />
trials, the side-by-side comparison of warm to hot mix<br />
has been very good, if not better, in some areas, which<br />
is pushing its growth. Tabib adds that since WMA projects<br />
commenced in 2008, about 500,000 tonnes have been<br />
used on provincial highways. However, for <strong>2014</strong> alone,<br />
almost that entire amount — 400,000 tonnes — has<br />
been proposed for projects.<br />
Bituminous Engineer, Bituminous Section, MTO, says<br />
warm mix is a good initiative that is proving to be a winwin<br />
scenario for both the province and asphalt cement<br />
industry. “It saves fuel, produces lower emissions, and<br />
provides a safer work environment,” says Tabib, adding<br />
that public perception of construction sites is changing.<br />
Tabib also points out that <strong>2014</strong> is likely the last year<br />
the MTO will mandate warm mix on selected contracts.<br />
The province changed their specification in 2012 to allow<br />
contractors to use warm mix technology on any hot mix<br />
project. “MTO specification is permissive,” he says.<br />
“If the contractors want to use 100 per cent warm<br />
mix, it is allowed.”<br />
Virgil Gazzolla of Gazzolla Paving Ltd. believes the<br />
time is now for WMA and agrees that the testing and<br />
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that is continually proven successful.<br />
“Why wait?” asks Gazzolla. “It works.<br />
It’s safe. It’s a better technology. We<br />
should be moving ahead with this.”<br />
Mike McLean of McAsphalt Industries<br />
Limited believes the Highway 60<br />
project is a good indicator of things<br />
to come and points to awards won by<br />
Fowler Construction for the paving<br />
job. McLean says warm mix is a<br />
process revolutionizing the paving<br />
business. He is quick to point out,<br />
though, that hot mix is still very much<br />
in the picture and that both processes<br />
should continue to thrive.<br />
McLean says the hurdle that has to<br />
be jumped for warm mix is the cost.<br />
He says the higher costs involved can<br />
make it prohibitive for some firms and<br />
if they are allowed to choose, they<br />
may go with the less expensive hot<br />
mix methods. McLean adds that the<br />
industry has been working with both<br />
local and provincial governments to<br />
put warm mix in their specifications to<br />
level the playing field. Lanark County,<br />
for instance, has made a commitment<br />
to warm mix even though it may have<br />
to leave room for the higher price<br />
from contractors to do so. “But they<br />
are happy with the results they are<br />
getting and are willing to pay a little<br />
more,” says McLean. ››<br />
There are various technologies that are used in producing<br />
WMA and the process is ever-evolving. As such, the techniques<br />
used on projects throughout Ontario can vary on a company-bycompany<br />
and even a job-by-job basis based on needs and the<br />
technology the contractor is familiar with or has chosen to use.<br />
That being said, there are four general technologies used in warm<br />
mix today and several components of each additive:<br />
1. Organic additives – Sasobit, SonneWarmix, Asphaltan-B,<br />
and Licomont BS-100.<br />
2. Chemical additives – Evotherm, Resiset WMX, Cecabase RT<br />
3. Water-bearing additives – Aspha-min, Advera WMA<br />
4. Water-based processes – Double Barrel Green (Astec),<br />
Green Machine (Gencor), LEA (McConnaughay), WAM Foam<br />
For their large project on Highway 60 in Algonquin Park last year,<br />
Fowler Construction used PG 58-34 asphalt cement with Evotherm 3G<br />
warm mix additive, and an anti-stripping additive. There was also 15<br />
per cent reclaimed asphalt pavement used in the mix.<br />
Tim Fawcett of Fowler Construction believes the technology used was<br />
made to order for such a large project and the positive results can be seen<br />
in the finished work. “Everyone involved was satisfied,” he says. “The crew<br />
found it very easy to work with — there were no problems whatsoever.”<br />
Fawcett says he was pleased with the compaction results and that it<br />
worked well in colder weather, specifically during October temperatures.<br />
There were no complaints of fumes or odours. Further, he says, the warm<br />
mix held up to transportation necessities with loads travelling 53 km from<br />
the Huntsville asphalt plant to Algonquin.<br />
With 13 million tonnes of asphalt used across Ontario for all purposes last<br />
year, Sandy Brown, Technical Director of the Ontario Hot Mix Producers<br />
Association, says there is plenty of room to increase warm mix use. Brown<br />
says WMA benefits can be measured. Better workability and compaction,<br />
late season paving ability, reduced fuel usage, reduced plant emissions,<br />
the reduction of green house gases, increased use of reclaimed asphalt<br />
pavement and improved conditions for workers are all benefits to WMA use.<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 29
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29<br />
With the price of the additives and the possibility of plant<br />
retrofits to accommodate the warm mix process, MTO<br />
admits there are higher costs involved with WMA, but for<br />
now will let contractors decide the extent of its use unless<br />
otherwise specified. Ultimately, the key for MTO is to<br />
ensure the best practices are in place to make sure roads<br />
are safe, environmentally friendly, soundly constructed,<br />
long lasting, and created without major disruptions to<br />
drivers — all at a price beneficial to taxpayers.<br />
“We have to look after everyone’s best interest,” says<br />
Pamela Marks, Head, Bituminous Section, MTO. Marks<br />
says the Ministry has to weigh all of the factors in<br />
determining the future of warm mix. And while positive<br />
results have been reported in all sectors, MTO is not<br />
going to force the use of the technology.<br />
“We are allowing it to be a tool in a contractor’s tool box,<br />
something they can use to help them in their process,”<br />
says Marks, adding that the technology is evolving and<br />
MTO has to look at all aspects that may benefit the<br />
infrastructure of the province.<br />
OHMPA’s<br />
40 th Anniversary<br />
Annual General Meeting<br />
Westin Trillium House<br />
Blue Mountain, Collingwood<br />
March 26 th<br />
Reception, President’s Dinner and Auction<br />
for Asphalt Research & Advocacy<br />
March <strong>27</strong> th – AGM<br />
To download the registration brochure for full details,<br />
go to OHMPA’s website www.ohmpa.org<br />
30 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
TECHNICALLY<br />
SPEAKING<br />
by Sandy Brown<br />
OHMPA Technical Director<br />
Potholes – fact and fiction<br />
Thanks to the polar vortex, pothole season arrived a little<br />
early this year. As a result, this winter there has been a lot<br />
of talk in the media about potholes and whether there<br />
could be a cure for what ails the roadways.<br />
The reality is that there is no panacea for potholes.<br />
Potholes typically occur five to seven years after the<br />
road is paved and are the result of water that gets into<br />
the pavement. When the ground freezes, so does the water,<br />
causing expansion. Repeated freezing and thawing of the<br />
water in the pavement structure weakens the surfacing to<br />
the point where the weight of passing vehicles begins<br />
to break up the pavement matrix and a pothole is born.<br />
The key to pothole prevention is to build a durable<br />
road with good drainage, adequate pavement thickness,<br />
and tight longitudinal joints. You also need to properly<br />
maintain the road by sealing the cracks and the longitudinal<br />
joints. If water doesn’t get to the pavement in the<br />
first place, the pothole problem is resolved.<br />
There has also been a lot of talk about the quality of the<br />
asphalt cement in Ontario with references in the media to<br />
“garbage asphalt”. Nothing could be further from the truth.<br />
All asphalt cement used by Ontario municipalities meets<br />
OPSS.MUNI 1101 specifications and this specification is<br />
under constant development. MTO and industry formed<br />
a Binder Task Group in 2006 to look at improving the<br />
performance of asphalt cement used in Ontario. Initially<br />
the group looked at low temperature performance, but<br />
the scope has broadened to include other aspects.<br />
The municipal specification is revised regularly and the<br />
latest revision, issued in November of 2013, is based on<br />
work by the Task Group. The specification incorporates<br />
two new test procedures. The first limits the use of<br />
polyphosphoric acid (PPA) and the second limits the use<br />
Re-refined Heavy Vacuum Distillate Oil (RHVDO) residue.<br />
However, there is no municipal specification in Ontario<br />
for the use of polymers, and in particular elastomeric<br />
polymers, in asphalt cement. Polymer modification<br />
was introduced in North America in the 1970s, but it<br />
wasn’t until we started to specify asphalt cement using<br />
Superpave Performance Grading (PGAC) in the late<br />
1990s that polymer use became more prevalent. PGAC<br />
grading requires the asphalt cement to perform over<br />
a wider range of temperature reflecting different traffic<br />
and environmental conditions.<br />
There is no “new asphalt” as has been referenced in the<br />
media. Higher performance asphalt cements have been<br />
available in Ontario for municipal use since the adoption<br />
of the Superpave specification, but they are seldom asked<br />
for because there is an increase in cost. These materials<br />
are available and specified in OPSS.MUNI 1101 under<br />
what is called grade bumping. While typically only used<br />
on higher traffic roads, products such as PGAC 70-28 have<br />
been available for over 10 years and can be specified on<br />
any project.<br />
The MTO and Industry Binder Task Group have been<br />
studying new test procedures for asphalt cement for the<br />
last seven years. Two different test procedures have been<br />
reviewed: The Double Edge Notched Tension (DENT)<br />
test (using equipment originally introduced in 1910), and<br />
a newer procedure developed in the United States called ››<br />
CONTINUES ON PAGE 36<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 31
Crushing and fractionation of a bulk excavation RAP pile<br />
Quality control measures<br />
optimize RAP use in HMA<br />
by Lisa Fattori<br />
Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) is a proven high<br />
quality product, yet many municipalities are still not<br />
allowing its use in the construction and rehabilitation<br />
of roads within their jurisdictions.<br />
While paving contractors are responsible for ensuring<br />
quality control in the management of RAP stockpiles,<br />
as well as the mix design of hot mix asphalt (HMA) with<br />
RAP, the onus of quality assurance rests with the owner<br />
of a project. Some municipalities that don’t have a quality<br />
assurance program in place or who don’t want to incur<br />
the cost of testing are rejecting RAP altogether. Others<br />
still see RAP as a recycled material that is inherently<br />
inferior. Increased awareness about the benefits of RAP<br />
and a higher level of confidence about its performance<br />
is needed to dispel biases and convince all municipalities<br />
to accept RAP in their pavements.<br />
“Ontario Provincial Standards (OPS) have the same<br />
technical requirements for provincial and municipal<br />
roads,” says Stephen Senior, Head, Soils and Aggregates<br />
Section, Materials Engineering and Research Office at the<br />
Ministry of Transportation (MTO). “The big difference is<br />
in administration. MTO performs tests to ensure quality<br />
assurance, but municipalities may not have the resources to<br />
test. They have to rely on the quality control of contractors.”<br />
RAP has been used in pavements since the 1970s, and<br />
by 1986, 45 per cent of MTO’s annual placement of hot<br />
mix contained RAP. In 2009, the Ministry updated its OPS<br />
recycling policy to allow up to 20 per cent RAP in surface<br />
course mixes and 40 per cent RAP in binder course<br />
mixes, up from 15 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.<br />
Recycled aggregates from the RAP have been previously<br />
tested and evaluated, and are considered to be high value<br />
materials ideal for provincial roads and King’s highways.<br />
Aggregates to be used for high performance surface<br />
layers, where there is a high friction demand, must<br />
come from designated sources. “We’d like to see these<br />
aggregates milled from the surface course going back<br />
into the new surface,” Senior says. “These aggregates<br />
32 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
Four RAP bins<br />
In many cases,<br />
RAP is much more<br />
consistent than virgin<br />
aggregates coming<br />
from quarries.<br />
are coming from quarries in eastern and northern Ontario and have very good<br />
resistance to polishing. The 400 series highways have premium pavements with<br />
higher value aggregates that have excellent frictional properties. That makes<br />
them ideal for highways with heavy traffic and higher speeds.”<br />
Hot mix plants that accept RAP into their yards follow strict quality control<br />
practices to ensure that RAP supplies are free from contaminants. Operators<br />
know where the milled asphalt is coming from, be it a parking lot, municipal<br />
road or series 400 highway. Any questionable material is placed in a<br />
separate pile. At Capital Paving, for example, samples are taken daily during<br />
RAP production and are tested for asphalt cement content and aggregate<br />
gradation. RAP materials are fractionated or separated into dedicated piles of<br />
course and fine material. Fractionation further enhances the consistency of RAP.<br />
“I’ve been involved in processing RAP for 20 years and it’s always been very<br />
consistent,” says Mark Latyn, Quality Control Manager for Capital Paving Inc.<br />
“We take samples every day and test the grade of the material. Fractionating<br />
the RAP helps to minimize the segregation that often occurs in variable sized<br />
aggregate stockpiles.” ››<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 33
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33<br />
Processed and fractionated RAP stockpiles<br />
RAP supplies remain in the region where reclaimed asphalt is milled, which<br />
furthers the predictability about the characteristics of the stockpile. “Because<br />
RAP comes from within a limited geographic area, we see the same materials<br />
from year to year,” says Fernando Magisano, Vice President of Technical<br />
Services for K.J. Beamish Construction Co. Ltd. “For four years running, we<br />
studied our stockpiles in Holt (York Region), Midland, Barrie and Orillia and<br />
found that the average grading was very consistent. In many cases, it’s much<br />
more consistent than virgin aggregates coming from quarries.”<br />
More sustainable road construction using RAP has enormous environmental<br />
benefits: it saves on dwindling aggregate supplies; recycles non-renewable<br />
petrochemical resources; diverts reclaimed asphalt from landfills; and<br />
contributes to provincial and municipal recycling initiatives. While many<br />
municipalities are accepting RAP in binder courses, some are still stipulating<br />
the use of all virgin material in surface layers. Usage varies from jurisdiction<br />
to jurisdiction, with some not allowing<br />
the use of any RAP in the surface or<br />
the binder. While the pending Bill 56,<br />
the Aggregate Recycling Promotion<br />
Act, would help make the usage of<br />
RAP more mainstream, municipalities<br />
need more information and assurances<br />
about RAP to make better informed<br />
decisions.<br />
“When it comes to using RAP, there<br />
is an inherent conservatism by some<br />
municipalities, but people need to<br />
be open-minded about looking at<br />
it,” says Dr. Susan Tighe, Director<br />
of Centre for Pavement and Transportation<br />
Technology at the University<br />
of Waterloo. “If you follow the specs<br />
and do the testing, then you end up<br />
with a very high quality mix. Most<br />
companies are using RAP; it provides<br />
cost savings and is much better for<br />
the environment.”<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 35
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31<br />
the Percent Recovery portion of the Multiple Stress Creep<br />
Recovery (MSCR) procedure (using equipment introduced<br />
in the early 1990s). Based on research carried out both<br />
here in Ontario and in the United States, the newer<br />
MSCR Percent Recovery test is a much more reliable<br />
and accurate testing procedure.<br />
These tests help to determine if elastomeric polymers<br />
have been used in the formulation of modified asphalt<br />
cement. Both tests are being evaluated on 33 contracts<br />
in an industry/MTO partnership, testing asphalt cement<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
√ Bulk Lubricant Dispensing<br />
√ Fluid Inventory Control & Management<br />
√ Workbench Tanks<br />
√ Oil & Grease Pumps<br />
√ Control Valves & Dispensing Meters<br />
√ Hose Reels<br />
grades ranging from PGAC 52-40 to PGAC 70-34<br />
all across Ontario. These test sections are full MTO<br />
reconstruction projects, not just trials. The field work<br />
for these projects started in 2010. Now that some of<br />
the contracts are three years old, field inspection of<br />
pavements will be starting. The objective is to look at<br />
the performance over seven to eight years of the initial<br />
pavement life. The monitoring of all the trial sections<br />
will be completed in about five years.<br />
While field performance hasn’t been evaluated yet,<br />
there have been some interesting<br />
conclusions from the laboratory<br />
testing carried out to date. The<br />
conclusion seems to be that it<br />
doesn’t matter which of the additional<br />
procedures (MSCR or DENT) you<br />
specify for acceptance — when you<br />
ask for one value, you also get the<br />
other. Given that finding, in 2012 MTO<br />
adopted a new specification that<br />
includes the MCSR Percent Recovery<br />
for all their projects.<br />
In the meantime, if municipalities<br />
wish to modify their specifications,<br />
any asphalt cement supplier in Ontario<br />
can and will supply material to local<br />
contractors that meets MTO’s Percent<br />
Recovery criteria under MSCR for<br />
modified grades (any grades other<br />
than PG 58-28 or PG 52-34 which<br />
are considered unmodified grades<br />
for lower service pavements). It may<br />
cost a bit more and the performance<br />
advantage hasn’t been fully<br />
determined yet, but the industry is<br />
ready and has been supplying material<br />
meeting that specification for three<br />
or four years.<br />
For Total Lube Solutions,<br />
<br />
Master Distributor for:<br />
Tel 1.800.668.5458 sales@flocomponents.com www.flocomponents.com<br />
Finally, one modifier that may be<br />
used in some grades of asphalt<br />
cement is derived from recycled<br />
and re-refined engine oil. Known as<br />
Re-refined Heavy Vacuum Distillate<br />
Oil residue (RHVDO), this product<br />
comes from a refinery where engine<br />
oil for your car is recycled. This not<br />
the sludge collected from the local<br />
garage, but rather a processed<br />
material that meets engineering<br />
and environmental guidelines.<br />
Using recycled and refined engine<br />
oil residue is a sound environmental<br />
practice instead of burning or<br />
36 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
landfilling the material. The controlled use of RHVDO<br />
residue in asphalt cement not only improves the low<br />
temperature properties according to papers presented<br />
at the Canadian Technical Asphalt Association (CTAA) in<br />
the last two years, it also fits with MTO’s initiatives to have<br />
the greenest roads in North America. This material is not<br />
added indiscriminately as has been suggested. The use<br />
of this material is controlled by the test procedures<br />
adopted in the recent revision of OPSS.MUNI 1101.<br />
Industry and MTO both agree that there is a continual<br />
need for better performing roads and for improved tests<br />
to evaluate asphalt cement. That is what OHMPA and<br />
the industry are striving for by partnering with MTO and<br />
conducting trials. However, the asphalt cement plays<br />
a very small part in the development of potholes which<br />
seems to be the biggest cause for concern whenever<br />
we have one of these harsh winters.<br />
Book<br />
7<br />
Ontario<br />
Traffic<br />
Manual<br />
January <strong>2014</strong><br />
Temporary Conditions<br />
MTO releases<br />
updated Book 7<br />
The Ministry of Transportation<br />
(MTO) has released the final version<br />
of the newly updated Ontario<br />
Traffic Manual Book 7 – Temporary<br />
Conditions for <strong>2014</strong>.<br />
The new Book 7 was posted on<br />
MTO’s website at the end of<br />
January. Print copies will be<br />
available starting April 1st.<br />
Along with the release, MTO made<br />
available a Summary of Changes<br />
document to conduct a gap<br />
analysis between the old and<br />
new versions of Book 7.<br />
Sections 5 and 6 of the manual<br />
contain MTO specifications for<br />
devices and procedures which<br />
are contractually mandatory<br />
on MTO highways.<br />
For further details, please<br />
contact Nadia Todorova at ORBA<br />
(nadia@orba.org) or<br />
(905) 507-1107 ext. 225.<br />
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SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 37
ENVIRONMENTAL<br />
ESSENTIALS<br />
by Corey Kinart<br />
Ministry releases new<br />
noise guildeline NPC-300<br />
On October 21, 2013, the Ontario Ministry of the<br />
Environment (MOE) released its new noise criteria<br />
guideline, Publication NPC-300, “Environmental Noise<br />
Guideline – Stationary and Transportation Noise<br />
Sources – Approval and Planning.” The creation<br />
of NPC-300 was motivated by the need to eliminate<br />
or reduce conflicts between the now superseded<br />
guidelines NPC-205, NPC-232, LU-131 and “Noise<br />
Assessment Criteria in Land Use Planning:<br />
Requirements, Procedures and Implementation.”<br />
NPC-205 and NPC-232 contained the noise criteria<br />
that the MOE used when assessing noise from stationary<br />
sources such as industries and commercial establishments<br />
in the context of granting Environmental Compliance<br />
Approvals. NPC-300 effectively harmonizes the four<br />
superseded guidelines, and has been issued for the<br />
dual purpose of Environmental Approval of stationary<br />
sources by the MOE and land use approvals by municipal<br />
authorities. For the most part, the changes introduced<br />
by the promulgation of NPC-300 are not a significant<br />
departure from the previous guidelines and in several<br />
aspects are less stringent than before. The changes<br />
of most relevance to hot mix asphalt producers are<br />
outlined below.<br />
Evening limit in Class 1 areas<br />
In general, NPC-300 has resolved the conflicts in sound<br />
level limits among the various superseded guidelines<br />
by relaxing the more stringent limit in cases where the<br />
previous limits were at odds. One of the most blatant<br />
discrepancies was that the exclusion limit during evening<br />
hours (19:00 to 23:00) for sound from stationary sources<br />
in a Class 1 (Urban) Environment was stipulated as 47 dBA<br />
in NPC-205, but 50 dBA in LU-131. NPC-300 has adopted<br />
the less stringent limit of 50 dBA for stationary sources<br />
in a Class 1 Environment during evening hours.<br />
Need to consider vacant lands<br />
One important change which may make the assessment<br />
of stationary sources more stringent is the need to<br />
consider hypothetical, potential points of reception on<br />
vacant lands that might permit sound-sensitive land uses<br />
in future. In the past, the MOE had required that Acoustic<br />
Assessments consider hypothetical points of reception<br />
only on undeveloped residentially zoned lands.<br />
NPC-300 explicitly requires that Acoustic Assessments<br />
consider potential points of reception on vacant lands<br />
with any zoning designation that allows a sound sensitive<br />
use. This could include institutional zones which could<br />
conceivably host schools, hospitals or places of worship,<br />
agricultural zones which often allow one dwelling per<br />
parcel, commercial zones which typically allow daycare<br />
facilities, and open space which often allow camping<br />
facilities.<br />
This change means that there are likely to be hypothetical<br />
points of reception closer to many stationary sources<br />
than the existing bona-fide points of reception which<br />
38 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
will now need to be considered in<br />
future Acoustic Assessments, and may<br />
result in non-compliance with NPC-300.<br />
Places of worship<br />
Places of worship located on commercially<br />
or industrially zoned lands are<br />
no longer considered sound-sensitive<br />
points of reception in NPC-300, which<br />
represents a relaxation compared to<br />
the old guidelines.<br />
Inclusion of rail traffic in determining<br />
background sound<br />
In certain circumstances, NPC-300<br />
allows sound from rail traffic to be<br />
included, in a limited manner, in the<br />
quantification of background sound,<br />
for the purposes of establishing the<br />
applicable sound level limits for<br />
stationary sources. This has the<br />
potential to relax the limits in some<br />
cases relative to the old guidelines,<br />
although there are special conditions<br />
restricting the cases in which the rail<br />
noise can be included.<br />
Exclusion of dwellings within the<br />
property of a stationary source<br />
The definition of noise sensitive land<br />
use in NPC-300 includes a provision<br />
stating “a land use that would normally<br />
be considered noise sensitive, such as<br />
a dwelling, but is located within the<br />
property boundaries of the stationary<br />
source is not considered a noise<br />
sensitive land use.” This applies to<br />
instances where a home, such as a<br />
caretaker’s or employee’s residence,<br />
is owned by an industry and located<br />
on the site of that industry. This<br />
provision does not preclude the need<br />
for self-impact assessment for onsite<br />
receptors at facilities such as schools<br />
and hospitals.<br />
Corey Kinart, P.Eng, is a senior engineer<br />
at HGC Engineering, a leading Canadian<br />
acoustical consulting engineering firm.<br />
He is a member of the OHMPA<br />
Environment Committee.<br />
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SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 39
INDUSTRY<br />
NEWS<br />
OGRA/ROMA TRADESHOW IN TORONTO, FEBRUARY 23 rd TO 26 th<br />
OHMPA Technical Director Sandy Brown and City of Hamilton Director of Engineering Services and<br />
Public Works Gary Moore talk asphalt at the OHMPA booth at the ROMA/OGRA combined conference held<br />
at the Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto, February 23 rd – 26 th . The OHMPA booth was a popular stop with<br />
conference delegates — it was located in the main corridor near the coffee station and visitors<br />
got to try their hand at a hole-in-one on OHMPA’s putting green.<br />
2013 FALL ASPHALT SEMINAR A SUCCESS<br />
OHMPA’s Fall Asphalt seminar, held at the Le Jardin Conference Centre<br />
in Woodbridge on December 11th, brought in a full house with nearly<br />
500 attendees. Highlights from the seminar included a presentation on<br />
the most recent RAP and warm mix asphalt studies from Dr. Richard Willis,<br />
lead researcher at the National Centre for Asphalt Technology at Auburn<br />
University, as well as Dr. Susan Tighe, Director of the Centre for Pavement<br />
and Transportation Technology at the University of Waterloo. This year, not<br />
only were the Trillium Awards presented, but also the Dr. Norman McLeod<br />
Award for Innovation in Road Building and OHMPA’s inaugural “Bleeds<br />
Black” award. All seminar presentations are available on OHMPA’s website.<br />
BARRIE RESIDENT WINS<br />
#ONGREATROADS CONTEST<br />
The Ontario Great Roads Contest started last summer as a photo challenge<br />
open to the public to submit photos of their favourite roads. Celebrating<br />
Ontario’s roads, the contest brought in over 50 submissions. The lucky<br />
winner, Gayle Bellemare of Barrie, won an iPad mini. Ms. Bellemare’s<br />
submission was chosen at random from the dozens of entries that came<br />
in through OHMPA’s Twitter and Facebook pages. She said that after<br />
entering the contest, she gained a new appreciation for asphalt roads as<br />
she took several photos on Highway 11 north to her family’s cottage.<br />
Stay tuned for more #ONGreatRoads contest opportunities this summer.<br />
Gayle Bellemar’s winning entry.<br />
40 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
D. CRUPI & SONS HELP KEEP RESIDENTS<br />
WARM DURING THE DECEMBER ICE STORM<br />
Treacherous roads, trees snapped like toothpicks and tens of thousands<br />
left in the dark and cold. This was the scene across much of the GTA and<br />
Ontario just days before Christmas after the big ice storm. Thanks to<br />
D. Crupi & Sons delivering their gas-powered generators to Scarborough’s<br />
Ward 35, four families were able to get the heat back on at home<br />
temporarily until hydro power was restored.<br />
Patrick Kesler, Senior Brand Strategist<br />
for Rizco Design, gives a Social Media 101<br />
lesson to start off the workshop.<br />
OHMPA SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP<br />
GENERATES “FOLLOWERS”<br />
OHMPA’s Social Media Workshop, held on January 15 th at OSSGA,<br />
brought in social media experts Patrick Kesler of Rizco Design,<br />
a marketing firm partnered with the Asphalt Pavement Alliance<br />
(APA), and Mike Kvach, Executive Director of the APA, to teach<br />
the fundamentals of marketing your business with social media<br />
and why it is important to the asphalt industry. Abigail Wright Pereira<br />
also provided a rundown on “lessons learned” so far with OHMPA’s<br />
social media campaign and how members can benefit from OHMPA’s<br />
efforts. Stay tuned for a Social Media Workshop Part II later in the year.<br />
ASPHALT INSTITUTE RELEASES<br />
KEEP COOL WALLET CARD<br />
The Asphalt Institute has released a new Keep Cool wallet card<br />
which is designed to be carried with you while on a job where liquid<br />
asphalt is present. Six action items are outlined for on-scene first<br />
aid for asphalt burns. Further details are given for skin exposure<br />
and exposure to the eyes. The laminated cards are sturdy and<br />
measure 2.25” x 3.25”. Contact OHMPA for more information.<br />
OHMPA’s<br />
Road Tour<br />
APRIL 24 th<br />
GUELPH<br />
MAY 1 st<br />
SUDBURY<br />
APRIL 29 th<br />
KINGSTON<br />
MAY 6 th<br />
TORONTO<br />
STAY TUNED FOR MORE<br />
DETAILS TO COME.<br />
SPRING <strong>2014</strong> 41
THE LAST WORD<br />
by Pamela Marks<br />
When I joined the Ministry of Transportation 30 years<br />
ago, I never imagined it would lead me into the complex<br />
world of asphalt, and the rich and diverse relationships<br />
that I have had the pleasure to make along the way.<br />
While not a stranger to the asphalt industry when<br />
I started working in 1997 with the Bituminous Section,<br />
I was definitely in a listening and learning mode.<br />
If there’s one thing I’ve learned since then, it’s that the<br />
world of asphalt is complex and constantly changing.<br />
I feel extremely fortunate to have had such a unique<br />
perspective on how our road building and designs have<br />
improved over the years. I believe that a significant factor<br />
in this improvement is the collaboration between industry<br />
and the MTO—continually innovating and implementing<br />
new standards to maintain excellence while providing<br />
high quality roads.<br />
As materials and technologies evolve, so does<br />
government. MTO strives to have the best people<br />
providing a safe, reliable and sustainable transportation<br />
system in Ontario. I could not be happier to see that<br />
we are to continue to deliver this vision through strong,<br />
collaborative relationships with our industry partners.<br />
I have had the pleasure of working with many people<br />
in the asphalt industry over the years. Attending<br />
committee meetings and task groups have shown me<br />
that while we do not always agree to start with, it is vital<br />
to keep working together as it is our industry and the<br />
taxpayers of Ontario that have been shown to benefit<br />
time and time again. I believe MTO and the asphalt<br />
industry both come out winners at the end of the day.<br />
I’ve enjoyed attending technical conferences and<br />
workshops held with the joint contributions of OHMPA,<br />
ORBA, OGRA and MTO. Ideas are discussed, debates<br />
arise, and productive conclusions are reached. These<br />
events have assisted in sharing valuable information<br />
throughout the industry and have positive impacts<br />
on the improvement of our industry as a whole.<br />
I am particularly excited about OHMPA’s upcoming<br />
Road Tour series and hope to see many of you there.<br />
I believe that these occasions have and will continue<br />
to be of great importance in developing a better<br />
working relationship between industry and the MTO.<br />
I have no doubt that by working together, we both gain<br />
a better understanding of the whole picture. Through<br />
this sometimes painstaking process, the greatest<br />
achievements are made in moving both our interests<br />
forward. This will ultimately lead to the development<br />
of more innovative ideas and uncover new avenues<br />
of progress for our industry to pursue.<br />
While we have made great strides in achieving our<br />
objectives, there will always be new challenges for us<br />
to work through together. Our industry has shown time<br />
and time again that we are capable of overcoming these<br />
issues by working as a collective unit to develop solutions.<br />
As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one.<br />
Based on the past, I expect the relationships to become<br />
stronger as we move forward together. You can rest<br />
assured that I will continue to listen. I believe that our<br />
greatest asset is having the opportunity to learn from<br />
each other. As we tackle old and new challenges, you<br />
can be assured that while MTO is paying my salary, I am<br />
acutely aware that we are a team and that if we do not<br />
work together, neither of us will prosper.<br />
Pamela Marks is the head of the Bituminous Section<br />
of the Ministry of Transportation.<br />
42 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS
WE’VE<br />
MOVED!<br />
Canadian Asphalt Industries Inc.<br />
871 Equestrian Court, Unit 9<br />
Oakville, ON L6L 6L7<br />
Office (905) 465-0400<br />
Dispatch (877) 315-9811<br />
Fax (905) 465-0223
GOING<br />
THE<br />
EXTRA<br />
MILE<br />
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access to the goods and services we need to ensure our quality of life.<br />
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the extra mile. For more than 40 years, we’ve been the industry’s leading asphalt<br />
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Visit us at mcasphalt.com to find out what we can do for you.