Meet Steve Smith 10 A greener future 14 - ON Asphalt · 3/5/2015 · voice for the asphalt industry within Ontario and, in some respects, Canada. However, OHMPA had little to offer

SPRING 2015 | VOL28 | NO1

Meet Steve Smith | 10incoming OHMPA president

A greener future | 14with perpetual pavement

Awards 2014

Cover photo: Highway 401 perpetual pavement project

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: [email protected] | Website: www.ohmpa.org

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Editor

Design &

Editorial Layout

Patricia Abbas 416.438.7609 [email protected]

Lara Henry 416.638.8294 [email protected]

pdplante.com inc. [email protected]

Presidential Points | 05

Letters from the ED | 07

Marcom Matters | 09

Meet incoming OHMPA president Steve Smith | 10

Building a sustainable future with perpetual pavements | 14

2014 award winners | 21

Improving pavement performance with tack coat | 28

Paying it forward | 34

Trading helmets for hardhats | 36

Technically Speaking | 38

Environmental Essentials | 42

Industry News | 44

The Last Word | 46

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SPRING 2015 3

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PIVOT STEERING: PRECISION ROLLING.

by Bentley EhgoetzPresident, OHMPA

PRESIDENTIAL POINTS

It’s been one heck of a rideOne of the somewhat frustrating things about being the president of an association such as OHMPA is that it can seem as if your time is up just as you start to feel you’re hitting your stride. It’s kind of like getting on the latest thrill ride at an amusement park; just when you start to relax and enjoy the experience, you find yourself rolling back into the station so you can exit and make room for the anxious group waiting on the platform.

And so it goes.

Speaking of thrill rides, it’s been an absolutely dizzying year for all of us at OHMPA and it’s gone by in a flash. It doesn’t seem like all that long ago we were starting to look at ways to appropriately celebrate our 40th anniversary as an association promoting excellence in asphalt pavements. And just like that, we’re about to embark on year forty-one and I find myself at the end of my presidential tenure.

But while the years seem to hurtle by, it’s good to know that the hard work and efforts of the 36 presidents who came before me will be placed in very good hands as Steve Smith of The Miller Group takes over the reins. You’ll get to know Steve a bit better after reading the profile beginning on page 10.

Beyond stepping up to the proverbial plate as president, Steve is also one of the driving forces behind a major new OHMPA initiative. In my final weeks as president, the board of directors approved the creation of the Quality of Asphalt Pavement Task Force. Steve will act as the vice-chair of the task force and report its activities to the board.

Late last year, we canvased our membership looking for a diverse cross-section of industry experts who would make up this very important group. As the terms of reference for the task force say, its purpose will be to “investigate all issues affecting asphalt pavement quality and make recommendations to the board of directors with a goal of furthering OHMPA’s commitment to Excellence in Asphalt Pavements.”

Now, as one of my last duties as OHMPA president, it gives me great pleasure to officially introduce the members of this very important group to you.

Producer members include Jim Karageorgos of Steed and Evans, Kevin Martin of Fermar Paving, Fernando Magisano of K.J. Beamish and Murray Ritchie of the Murray Group. We’re very pleased that Vince Aurilio of DBA Enginieering has agreed to take on the task of chairing the group. Meanwhile, our other two consultant representatives are Salman Bhutta of EngTec and Ludomir Uzarowski of Golder Associates. In the category of asphalt cement suppliers, Bruce Armstrong of Canadian Asphalt and Steve Manolis of Coco Paving have signed on. And last, but certainly not least, representing the world of academia will be Hassan Baaj.

It’s an impressive roster and hopefully you’ll be seeing the results of some of their early work soon.

Before signing off, I’d like to say thank you to all those who made the past year a memorable one. And to all those standing in line behind me … strap in and enjoy the ride!

Bentley Ehgoetz is the president of OHMPA for 2014 and Director of Operations of Lavis Contracting Co. Ltd.

SPRING 2015 5

6 OHMPA | ASPHALTOPICS

30 Years

by Doug DukeExecutive Director, OHMPA

LETTERS FROM THE ED

Over the years, I’ve worked on the creative side of a number of print publications. If there’s one thing I’ve long been a proponent of, it’s that it doesn’t matter what the subject matter is, any periodical worth its salt should contain a little something for everyone.

If I imagined leaving a copy of Asphaltopics on an empty seat on the subway or the bus, to my mind the person who finds it should be able to pick it up and find something to capture their interest while thumbing through it.

Of course, no one would expect a magazine serving the hot mix asphalt industry in Ontario to have universal appeal. However, with a little thought and creativity, every person should be able to point to one thing in each and every issue of Asphaltopics they can appreciate. Perhaps it’s the impressive design of that two-page feature spread; or the headline containing a clever double entendre; or maybe it’s a photo with an interesting composition. Heck, it might even be a well written column!

It was one year ago that we decided to re-package our publication with a new design and a new approach to content and how it’s presented. And while I believe these things are always a work in progress, based on the feedback we’ve received since our Spring 2014 edition, we have every reason to believe we’re heading in the right direction.

But we know things can always be done better. With this in mind, we invite and encourage your feedback and suggestions. I assure you, we’ll take everything

into consideration as we continue to shape and grow this very special and unique publication.

In the meantime, we’ve determined we’d like some more eyes scanning these pages issue to issue and we’ve set out to find ways to increase our distribution and readership.

At the recent Ontario Good Roads Association convention in downtown Toronto, OHMPA representatives were there to hand out copies of our 40th anniversary Fall 2014 issue and to suggest people sign up to have Asphaltopics mailed directly to them. We’re sure there are a lot of road owners across the province who need to make regular decisions on road maintenance and construction. It only makes sense that they have access to the latest information on asphalt technologies, testing and best practices. It’s the kind of information that Asphaltopics has been proudly publishing for over 25 years and we want to get it into the right people’s hands.

We successfully signed up 30 people over the two days of the OGRA conference and that’s a pretty good start. But in the spirit of doing better, we encourage you – our already loyal readers – to let your road owner contacts know we’d like to hear from them. They can call or email us here at the OHMPA office any time. All it will take is a simple request and they’ll have their very own copy of Asphaltopics land on their doorstep each issue.

And that’s far easier than searching the seats on the subway or the bus!

Readers wanted

SPRING 2015 7


by Abigail Wright PereiraMarketing and Communications Director, OHMPA

MARCOM MATTERS

MarCom – why does it matter?

SPRING 2015 9

Despite the lingering winter weather that seems to persist like a house guest who has worn out his or her welcome, February is one of my favourite times of year. For me it is a time of reflection and new beginnings. February also marks the month when I joined OHMPA as its first marketing and communications director back in 2012.

I was brought on staff to build a marketing and communications platform for OHMPA to give the association a stronger voice and better visibility to those outside of the industry. Over the past four decades, OHMPA established itself as the well-respected voice for the asphalt industry within Ontario and, in some respects, Canada. However, OHMPA had little to offer in terms of easily understandable, engaging materials and media to the general public or even to those in public office without industry knowledge.

In three years, we have launched a new interactive website, rebranded and digitized our Asphaltopics magazine, more than doubled our press coverage in both print and broadcast, produced two broadcast-quality promotional videos, and established a strong social media presence that has been a pivotal tool in increasing our press coverage. Additionally, through the initiative of the Plant & Paving Committee, we have established the Roads Scholarship program, partnering with several colleges throughout the province which has bolstered our ties with the greater community.

Have these endeavours been good for business for our members? Perhaps, but that would be difficult to measure. Have they helped to resolve the issues our

members are facing? Not necessarily. So why then spend the time and the money to establish a strong marketing and communications platform? Does it even matter? You bet it does!

You can be the authoritative voice of the industry, but if you don’t have an audience, nobody is listening. A strong marketing and communications platform does just that; it builds your audience, builds credibility, and clearly communicates your message to everyone within your audience, from John Q Public to a policy analyst with the Ministry of Transportation. Think of it this way: if you wanted information on a particular company or industry and looked up the company or association’s website, only to find it to be antiquated with little information, you most likely would not go to that source a second time. Same goes for OHMPA.

Is OHMPA where it needs to be in getting its messages out there? No, not yet. However, we have come a long way in a short amount of time and now have the infrastructure and platform upon which to get our messages in front of the right people. It’s kind of like climbing 10,000 feet up a 20,000 foot mountain—you still have a long way to go, but looking back you can be happy about how far you’ve come and know you have what it takes to get to the top.

Abigail Wright Pereira is currently on maternity leave from her position as Marketing and Communications Director for OHMPA.


Meet incoming OHMPA president

Steve Smith

SPRING 2015 11

by donovan woods

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY?

A: My dad had a sewer and water company, a construction business in Belleville. He ended up buying out the business that he’d worked at for years, so it was just natural for me to spend summers working there. That’s why I wanted to go to school for civil engineering. My dad’s business partner was an engineer and my parents were always supportive of getting as much education as possible, so that’s what I did. I went to Ryerson for a few years, and then to McMaster, both for civil engineering.

When I’d just finished my third year at McMaster, my dad’s company got a job servicing a new subdivision development in Port Hope. I was the top stage guy; the guy who knew how to survey. I was 23, wearing a white hard hat, raking gravel along a curb on that job, when a car drove in and pulled up to me. A guy rolled down the window and asked if the boss was around.

I said, “That’s me.” He introduced himself as Joe Bunting of Harnden & King Construction, our paving subcontractor. I told him we’d be ready for his paving crew to arrive on schedule.

I noticed he was wearing an iron ring, and told him I was in my last year of school. He said, “I guess you’ll work for your dad when you graduate?” I said, “Not necessarily. I’d like to see the rest of the industry; branch out a bit”. And Joe said, “Well, when you get back to school, send me your resume”. I did just that. I signed a contract over my Christmas break, and I started with Harnden & King that spring, immediately after graduating.

Q: WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME INVOLVED IN OHMPA?

A: I joined the board in 2010, but I was always involved. I’ve always gone to the seminars and events, even right out of university, during my first job. ››

Steve Smith

OHMPA’s 38th president, Steve Smith has been an enthusiastic participant in OHMPA events since graduation and a board member since 2010. Here Steve talks about his start in the industry, what OHMPA means to him, and his goals for the year.

Q


Q: THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER, WHAT HAS OHMPA MEANT TO YOU?

A: OHMPA, to me, has always been the who’s who of the asphalt industry. To be a part of OHMPA is to be with your peers, people that share the same passion and interest. Being a part of OHMPA is an opportunity to learn. To me, it’s always meant education. We’re the experts in the asphalt field.

I remember walking into my first board meeting, looking around and thinking, wow. Here are the leaders of the industry, owners, technical experts, people I’ve looked up to. It was intimidating, but what an opportunity. What an opportunity to learn. If I have a technical problem and I’m not sure of the solution, I know that I can pick up the phone, call an OHMPA member and get advice. That’s valuable.

Q: SINCE JOINING OHMPA, WHAT DO YOU VIEW AS THE ASSOCIATION’S MOST SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT?

A: OHMPA’s most significant achievement to me is always maintaining a membership comprised of the foremost asphalt experts, facilitating a forum where industry leaders and knowledgeable people can get together at seminars or AGMs and learn together for the betterment of the industry.

Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR GOALS FOR YOUR YEAR AS OHMPA PRESIDENT?

A: I know this year is going to be a busy year for me. I’m taking on the OHMPA presidency, and I’ve just recently taken over the chair role of the ORBA Hot Mix Committee and vice-chair role of the OHMPA Quality of Asphalt Pavement Task Force. But my goals, as always, are to continue to foster, grow and improve our relationships with owners, the MTO, and municipalities, and to continue to develop excellence in pavements. And, when we have problems, we need to get our heads out of the sand, take an open-minded approach, figure out what’s going on, and fix it.

AME Materials Engineering knows the road. When it comes to pavement engineering and design solutions, we offer a full range of analysis, consulting and testing services to ensure cost-effective strategies for all your infrastructure expansion and maintenance needs. Whether the job calls for new construction, rehabilitation or pavement preservation, our proven expertise and focus on green energy technologies are here to support your success.

YOUR ROAD TO SUCCESS IS PAVEDWITH OUR INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

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CALEDON905 840 [email protected]

OTTAWA613 726 [email protected]

A N A E C O N C O M PA N Y

Just the Facts2013 - Present VP - Paving and Construction,

The Miller Group2012 - 2013 VP - GTA Paving and Special Projects,

The Miller Group2009 - 2012 VP - Construction, Coco Paving Inc.2007 - 2009 VP - Paving & Construction,

Eastern Canada, Lafarge Canada Inc.2001 - 2006 VP - Asphalt, Paving & Construction,

Central Ontario, Lafarge Canada Inc.1998 - 2001 Warren Bitulithic Ltd1996 - 1998 Tarmac Minerals Canada1991 - 1996 Wimpey Minerals Canada1989 - 1991 Harnden & King Construction/George

Wimpey Canada Ltd.

· Bachelor of Engineering, Civil Engineering, McMaster University, 1989

· Civil Engineering Technology, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, 1986

· Board of Directors, ORBA· Chair, ORBA Hot Mix Committee· Vice-Chair, OHMPA Quality of Asphalt Pavement

Task Force· Board of Directors, Grandview Children’s Foundation

in Oshawa· Registered Professional Engineer in Ontario

· Married 27 years to Kathy, a researcher at UOIT· Daughter Lindsay, 24 years old, pursuing a Masters

degree in health science at UOIT; Son Michael, 22 years old, fourth year mechanical engineering at UOIT

· Oshawa

· Cottage life, guitar, snowmobiling/ATVing, golf, snowboarding/skiing

EXPE

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BBIE

SQ: IF YOU HAD ONE DAY ALL TO YOURSELF,

NO CELL PHONE, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

A: I’d go to my cottage, take a drive in the boat, work around the property, split wood, and do other things that help me de-stress and decompress. I’m an avid snowmobiler and ATVer, so that’s it for me. We’ve got a place up north, just north of Fenelon Falls, near Bobcaygeon, and that’s where I love to be. We’ve been on that lake for ten years now and it’s a sanctuary for me. My wife and kids love it up there too and that’s where we’d all like to be.

Donovan Woods is a marketing and communications associate at OHMPA.


Following two years of data collecting, results confirm that the perpetual pavement sections of the Highway 401 project are out-performing the conventional pavement, with the RBM section showing the lowest tensile strain at the bottom of the asphalt layers.

Building a

sustainable future

with perpetual pavements

SPRING 2015 15

Better Superpave mixes, advanced monitoring systems and a greater push for environmental sustainability are bolstering the business case for perpetual pavements.

esigned to last a minimum of 50 years, these premium pavements initially cost approximately 30 per cent

more than conventional road structures, but deliver numerous advantages, notably reduced costs for road rehabilitation over the long term.

In addition, with only the top layer of a pavement to maintain and replace, construction work and length of traffic disruptions are kept to a minimum during service, thereby significantly reducing green house gas emissions associated with idling vehicles. Fewer rehabilitation projects also save on the depletion of virgin materials, the energy needed to produce those materials, and the wear and tear on road construction equipment.

Perpetual pavements are designed as a three-layer hot mix asphalt that includes a top renewable layer that will be periodically replaced to prevent top-down cracking to the lower binder layer. Both the middle, rut-resistant layer and bottom fatigue-resistant layer are built to remain in place during the full 50-year design life of the pavement. The bottom fatigue-resistant layer, not present in a conventional pavement, minimizes the tensile strain at the bottom of the structure and prevents fatigue cracking. Another option is to design this bottom layer as a rich-bottom mix (RBM), which increases the strain resistance of the base layer by adding additional asphalt cement (about 0.5 per cent) to a standard Superpave mix. ››

D

by Lisa Fattori

SPRING 2015 15

MTO Highway 401 project

· a renewable surface layer,· a strong, rut-resistant

intermediate layer, and· a flexible, fatigue-resistant

rich-bottom layer.

Although perpetual pavements are relatively new in a design sense, they are not unknown in Ontario. The Don Valley Parkway in the City of Toronto was chosen by the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT, Auburn University, AL) as one of the eight inaugural winners of the Asphalt Pavement Alliance’s Perpetual Pavement awards in 2003. The criteria for being judged as a perpetual pavement were:

· minimum of 35 years of service,· minimum of 12 year overlay

interval, and· no major reconstruction.

In 2003, the DVP was 43 years old. Today, at 55 years old, the DVP would still be chosen as a winner of the APA’s perpetual pavement award and is one of the two oldest surviving perpetual pavements chosen to date.

A perpetual pavement is a

multi-layer design consisting of:

In an effort to promote sustainability in the design, construction and maintenance of highway infrastructure, Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has initiated a series of perpetual pavement trial projects on trial projects on Highway 401 near Woodstock; Highway 7 at Carleton; and Highway 406 near Thorold. The 401 project is a high profile study that includes instrumentation to monitor and measure pavement performance. The MTO has partnered with the Centre for Pavement and Transportation Technology (CPATT) at the University of Waterloo and with OHMPA to install, collect and analyze data from the monitoring stations. The findings will help to provide a better understanding of how different pavement structures react and perform under various traffic loadings and environmental conditions.

Highway 401 The 401 project is comprised of a 15 km stretch of highway that is divided into three segments for comparative purposes. There is an 11 km, 300 mm thick conventional pavement that is flanked by two perpetual pavements, each two kilometres long. Both perpetual pavements are 420 mm thick, but have different lower binder layers — one with a conventional Superpave 25mm design and the other designed as an

MTO perpetual pavement trial projects


Highway 406 near Thorold

SPRING 2015 17

RBM with 0.5 per cent more asphalt cement added to the Superpave 25mm mix. To measure tensile strain, asphalt strain gauges were installed at the bottom of the asphalt layers under the wheel path in each segment. Additional instrumentation in each segment included temperature gauges in each layer of pavement, earth pressure cells to measure the vertical pressure at subgrade level, and moisture probes to measure subgrade moisture levels.

Following two years of data collecting, results confirm that the perpetual pavement sections of the project are out-performing the conventional pavement, with the RBM section showing the lowest tensile strain at the bottom of the asphalt layers. The tensile strain is below the 70 microstrain threshold, with field analysis validating fatigue cracking and rutting models.

“The RBM has only 0.5 per cent increase in binder, so it will take some time to see if it performs better than the perpetual pavement without the additional asphalt cement,” says Mohab El-Hakim, PhD, who led the CPATT monitoring and analysis of the Highway 401 project and who is currently a pavement engineer at Stantec. “I expect insignificant performance variation among both designs within the first 10 years of service-life. With perpetual pavements, you want to eliminate bottom-up cracks and limit all cracking to the top-down cracks.”

Monitoring sensors within pavement-response systems are designed to last three to five years, which prevents any long term collection of data. Still, the systems deliver a body of information that details the effects of freeze/thaw cycles, ambient temperature spikes, and traffic stress patterns over several seasons. The data provides engineers with a higher level of accuracy and confidence in designing perpetual pavements, and the ability to customize those designs to achieve 50-year performance. The 401 perpetual pavement trial project continues to be monitored by MTO using their Automated Road Analyser (ARAN) with 3D scanning, which carries out annual roughness and rutting surveys.

Six years post-construction, the surface layers of all three pavements show the same performance, with an impressive International Roughness Index (IRI) of 0.6 m/km. “We’re still very early in the evaluation period, but strain gauge measurements

show that the perpetual pavements have less stress in the bottom layers, which will prevent bottom-up cracking,” says Becca Lane, Materials, Engineering and Research Manager at MTO. “While the strain readings on the perpetual pavements are lower, all test sections have the same IRI of 0.6 m/km, which is a very good rating for performance.”

Highway 7 Constructed in 2009, the MTO Highway 7 Carleton Place perpetual pavement project is also performing well. Scheduled for rehabilitation, the 17 km stretch of highway was expanded from two lanes to four lanes, with the entire section designed as a perpetual pavement. The RBM base layer is 80 mm and was designed as a Superpave 25mm mix, with an additional 0.4 asphalt cement. This trial project was not instrumented, but has an IRI of 0.9 m/km and is performing as expected. ››

Close view of pavement strain gauges installed between HMA layers

Installation of instrumentation

“ We’re still very early in the evaluation period, but strain gauge measurements show that the perpetual pavements have less stress in the bottom layers, which will prevent bottom-up cracking.” –Becca Lane

Highway 406 The Highway 406 Thorold project, completed in 2007, is MTO’s first perpetual pavement trial. A 5 km section of the four-lane divided freeway slated for rehabilitation was originally designed as a conventional deep strength flexible pavement. The decision to construct a perpetual pavement was incorporated into the project near the end of its design stage, which required modifications. The perpetual pavement concept was incorporated by adding 80 mm of RBM, and the total thickness of the perpetual pavement structure was adjusted to conform to the profile grade of the original design, resulting in a total asphalt thickness of 250 mm. The control section of conventional asphalt pavement is 200 mm thick. To design the RBM, the original Superpave 25mm mix designed with 4.3 per cent asphalt cement was adjusted to incorporate a higher asphalt cement content of 4.7 per cent. This pavement has no instrumentation, but subsequent ARAN surveys show that the seven year old pavement has an IRI of 1.5 m/km and shows very little rutting with a rut depth of 3.3 mm. At this time, the perpetual pavement section and the control section are performing identically.

“This pavement trial is exciting because it has both a perpetual pavement and a conventional pavement to compare it to,” Lane says. “As the first perpetual pavement project, we were focused on the constructability of a perpetual pavement and how we could get more asphalt cement into the bottom mix. We analyse both the perpetual pavement and the control every year and, so far, both sections are performing well.”


“With a perpetual pavement, we’ll only

have to replace the surface layer every

20 years. We can do this at night, with minimum

disruption to motorists.” –Gary Moore

The Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) in Hamilton is a prime example of how municipalities can incorporate perpetual pavements into their rehabilitation and new build programs. The RHVP is an eight kilometre, four-lane controlled access highway that is a part of the link between Highway 403 and the Queen Elizabeth Way, providing motorists with a convenient and efficient north/south route to access these arterial highways.

At the time that construction commenced in 2003, the concept of designing perpetual pavements was still relatively new; however, the opportunity to build a long-lasting, 50-year pavement was a good fit with Hamilton’s priority to reduce life cycle costs and to protect the natural environment of the Red Hill Valley. A perpetual pavement would minimize traffic disruptions and avoid exhaust emissions from stop-and-go traffic, which would have a negative impact on the Valley’s eco-system.

The design of the RHVP pavement includes 80 mm RBM of modified Superpave 19mm, with an additional 0.5 per cent of asphalt cement. The binder course has 70 mm of Superpave 25mm and 50 mm of Superpave 19mm. The 40 mm wearing course is an SMA mix, which offers good friction and resistance to cracking. In order to verify the performance of the pavement materials, a pavement

response system was installed, as well as a traffic monitoring system which collects data about the number of vehicles, speed, spacing and loading of the vehicles.

“Compared to others, the RHVP has a relatively thin perpetual pavement with a 240 mm surface layer, rather than the usual 300 mm,” says Gary Moore, Director of Engineering Services for the City of Hamilton. “The program showed that we only needed 240 mm, so it didn’t make economic sense to make the pavement thicker. Under the bridge, we had only five metres, so there were space constraints as well.”

When the RHVP opened in 2007, and data from the pavement monitoring station was analysed, it was apparent that the highway’s perpetual pavement had exceeded expectations. “The pavement was designed to handle 90,000 vehicles per day at the 50-year mark, but as soon as the highway opened, we were seeing 70,000 to 80,000 per day, right away,” says Ludomir Uzarowski, a principal at Golder Associates Ltd. in Mississauga and Senior Pavement and Materials Engineer. “The opening of the RHVP drastically changed the traffic pattern in the city. Motorists found it to be a very handy short-cut, so traffic was much higher than we expected.” ››

Red Hill Valley Parkway project

SPRING 2015 19

Red Hill Valley Parkway


Collected data showed that, despite heavier traffic levels and evidence of over-loaded trucks, the pavement did not display an extreme response, with the horizontal strain at the bottom of the HMA layers below the 70 microstrain threshold. The compressive strain of the top of the subgrade layer was also lower than the limit of 200 microstrains, confirming that the pavement is rut resistant.

“Our concern was for the spring thaw, when the strain is increased, but the sensors showed that the tensile strain was below 70 microstrains,” Uzarowski says. “We know that the pavement won’t crack from the bottom up, which makes it a perpetual pavement. The pavement monitoring system gave enough information to confirm that this was a good pavement design. Our analysis shows that the strain is low, so the pavement should withstand an increase in traffic.”

Recommended maintenance includes drainage, crack sealing as required and resurfacing every 18 to 20 years. Some

flooding in 2009 caused some cracking, and a few settlements over culverts required milling and additional asphalt to level out the area.

“The conservative nature of the design, and good pavement that is well compacted, all work together to provide a pavement that doesn’t even come close to the tensile strain limit,” Moore says. “Long closures for major rehabilitation work would be a nightmare, affecting 80,000 vehicles per day. The crossovers we’d have to create would cost $1 million alone in traffic controls. With a perpetual pavement, we’ll only have to replace the surface layer every 20 years. We can do this at night, with minimum disruption to motorists.”

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

Cruickshank Construction has been named Paver of the Year by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. The Kingston-based company received the honour for the strength of its work on the Napanee stretch of Highway 401 (contract 2013-4005). The multi-year project was completed in the fall of 2014. Other finalists included Coco Paving Limited (contract 2014-2000); Capital Paving Incorporated (contract 2014-2017); and C. Villeneuve Construction Company Ltd. (contract 2014-5110).

“We are extremely proud of all the people whose efforts went into the winning of this award,” said CEO Steve Cruickshank. “It was a great day for Cruickshank Construction.” Cruickshank General Manager Roger Coulas accepted the award on February 10, 2015 at the annual conference of the Ontario Road Builders’ Association held in Toronto.

According to Cruickshank, the project was an important one for the company as it helped to keep the portable asphalt plant busy. As well, the company had a second contract adjoining the Napanee job which allowed for some efficiencies.

Because this section of the 401 has a 200 mm concrete base, Cruickshank had to complete 9,929 metres of crack repair to the overlying HMA layers. That equates to about 2,647 lane-width transverse cracks in the 15 km long project.

The existing asphalt surface on the section had an average thickness of 207 mm overlying the concrete base. Full depth repairs were made to the existing asphalt surface followed by 50 mm of full width milling. The milled surface was repaved with a 50 mm lift of SP 19mm followed by a 40 mm lift of SP 12.5mm FC2 for a total HMA thickness of about 240 mm.

“The crack repair quantity was extensive and we had previously devised a new method of doing crack repairs which was more economical than our earlier method. It gave us an advantage on this job,” Cruickshank said. “The work was close to home, the contract utilized a lot of our company resources, we required few subcontractors, and we thought we could get some of the crack repair work done in the off season.”

Cruickshank believes several factors led to the project being an award-winning success. “Our crews put out a great product. They earned the majority of the bonuses achievable on the project for mix properties and compaction, and full bonus for smoothness and segregation,” he said. “We completed the project on time and worked safely. The overall smoothness of the final product was difficult to achieve due to the extensive crack repairs under the contract.”

Cruickshank has been in operation since 1956 and came to early prominence when founder Les Cruickshank helped to build the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Paver of the Year award is just one of the recent accolades received by Cruickshank. Others include being named one of Canada’s best employers and one of the country’s best managed companies, and receiving several environmental awards.

Steve Pecar is a Mississauga-based writer, editor and designer.

by Steve Pecar

Cruickshank wins

Paver of the Year


Congratulations to all the re-certification award winners!

The asphalt industry works hard to make itself a good neighbour and a steward of the environment, and has made great strides in lowering emissions over the last 40 years. Since 1970, annual production of hot-mix paving material has increased by more than 250 percent; however, during that time total emissions from asphalt plants have dropped by more than 97 percent.

OHMPA is dedicated to assisting plant operators in maintaining and operating their plants in a manner that minimizes environmental impact. In 2010, OHMPA released the fourth edition of our Environmental Practices Guide. This comprehensive guide is incorporated into the Ontario Ministry of Environment’s Certificate of Authorization. It is also internationally recognized and various industry organizations in the U.S. have also adopted our guidelines. All hot mix asphalt plants in Ontario must comply with these standards.

by Lara Henry

Justin Baxter, Amma Wakefield, Trevor Moore, and Dave Sykes accept the Trillium Re-certification awards on behalf of The Miller Group.

While other industries are just beginning to introduce eco certifications and gold standards, the hot mix asphalt industry has been ahead of the curve for years, already meeting the strictest of guidelines. When a plant earns a Trillium Award they are recognized as being the best-of-the-best. The Trillium Award is granted for a three year period, after which the plant must apply for re-certification.

In 2014, seven re-certification awards were handed out to The Miller Group.

OHMPA created the Trillium Award in 2002. The award recognizes plants that go above and beyond the already “gold” standard required by industry regulations. Trillium Award applicants complete a rigorous assessment process to meet high standards in:

· Appearance · Permitting and Compliance· Operations · Community Relations· Environmental · Industry Participation· Safety

Since 2002, 64 plants have earned the Trillium Award and 39 have been re-certified.

Lara Henry is a communication specialist and editor of Asphaltopics.

Uxbridge Drum Plant EC King (Chesley) Plant Timmins Batch Plant

North Bay (NFN) Plant

Mosport Drum Plant

Pave-Al Drum Plant CMI 150 Drum Plant

“The V-Pack stack temperature control system is the most important improvement to asphalt production since long-term storage.”

Dr. J. Don Brock Founder, Chairman of the Board Astec Industries, Inc.

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“The V-Pack stack temperature control system is the most important improvement to asphalt production since long-term storage.”

Dr. J. Don Brock Founder, Chairman of the Board Astec Industries, Inc.

Run dense graded mix, warm mix, high RAP and OGFC all with no flight changes and no loss of production rate or fuel efficiency.

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Dr. John Emery (centre) with Dr. Susan Tighe (left) and Bentley Ehgoetz

Fernando Magisano (centre) with Sandy Brown (left) and Bentley Ehgoetz

Emery still shaping asphalt industry

Magisano in for the long haul at Beamish

he has not only served in, but one that he has also helped shape, mould and guide. His selection by OHMPA as a 2014 recipient of the Bleeds Black Award is a natural one. The award honours those who have a passion and commitment to the superiority of asphalt.

But it didn’t start out that way. “When I was going to school it was with the intention of becoming a marine architect,” he says with a nod to his west coast upbringing. “I wanted to build and design tugboats.”

His twist of fate occurred when, through a friend, he was offered a summer job with the British Columbia Department of Highways. That work in the department’s paving branch not only helped pay for his university education, but also established his roots in the business of asphalt. It turned out to be a good choice.

With his advanced educational background, research expertise and on-the-job experience, John’s career has taken him across the country and back as the asphalt industry takes full advantage of his engineering-based knowledge of the intricacies of pavement.

Currently the president and principal engineer at Shiloh Canconstruct Limited, Emery has fronted several of his own companies as well as taking on roles with several other firms. His fingerprints can be found on projects across Canada, but he has never been afraid to venture abroad to make his mark. He says one of the highlights of his career took place in Zhengzhou, China, when he was a principal engineer on a 27 km stretch of highway. “I guess I would call that the showpiece of my career,” he says of the Superpave and long-life flexible pavement project. “It was my last hurrah before I sold that company and moved on.”

“The Beamish family is great to work for. Why would I leave?” Indeed, and we’re pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

As a 2014 recipient of OHMPA’s Bleeds Black Award, Magisano’s passion and commitment to the asphalt industry is evident to all who have come in contact with him. He’s very much an industry guy, too.

An active participant in OHMPA, Magisano is being acknowledged for his work within the industry and helping to advance the goals of the association. A board member for 10 years, he served as OHMPA president in 2010. As well, he has been a member of several committees including the OHMPA Technical Committee, PGAC Implementation Committee, Superpave Implementation Committee, OHMPA/ORBA/MTO Hot Mix Committee, CCIL/CPAC Committee, and OHMPA/OGRA Liaison Committee.

Currently Vice President of Technical Services at Beamish, he is responsible for all aspects of quality control and materials testing and

design for the company. Also recognizing the need for a practical understanding of the job, Magisano made sure he got his hands dirty when he started out. This well-rounded approach has kept him grounded over the years. “I made sure I knew what end of the rake to hold,” he says. “It’s important to know what is being done out in the field.”

This approach allowed him to take on responsibility, something the company fostered. “Of course, there were consequences when things went wrong, but I appreciated the opportunity to get involved,” he says, adding that this mutual respect between employer and worker makes for long-term relationship. He points out that several people at Beamish have been with the company for more than 30 years.

As well, Magisano says right from the start he appreciated the company’s commitment to quality control. “Mr. Beamish took that aspect to heart,” he says. “I believe we were one of only two companies with a fully

It took a bit of time before Dr. John Emery began to bleed black. Of course, now it pumps through his veins.

A look through his extensive resume shows a 55-year career dedicated to the pavement industry, one that

Fernando Magisano is not afraid to admit that he is a company guy. After graduating from what was then Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1981, he joined the K.J. Beamish Construction Company and has been there ever since. “I’ve always liked it here,” he says from his King City office.

Bleeds Black Award


SPRING 2015 27

But dealing with asphalt and pavement from the business side is only part of John Emery’s career. Teaching has played a large role throughout his life and continues to do so — he is currently an adjunct professor of civil engineering at the University of Waterloo and McMaster University.

Guiding the next generation of asphalt engineers comes naturally to him and Emery marvels at the eagerness of his students to learn. “Already we are turning out some great people,” he says, adding that the industry needs to keep up with training. “We need innovation and quality at all levels. We have to make sure we have good people from the pavers to the high-level engineer.

In presenting the award, Dr. Susan Tighe, a colleague at the University of Waterloo and also a recipient of the Bleeds Black Award, pointed out John Emery’s numerous awards and extensive work on writing and research in the field, and praised him for developing many standards and specifications which have influenced millions of lives.

“His passion to support education and high quality work is evident in his many achievements,” she said. “I am particularly delighted to be presenting this award on behalf of OHMPA as John has also been a mentor to me over the years.”

Emery says he is both proud and humbled to receive the award and delighted to have had so many great relationships with those throughout the asphalt paving industry.

equipped design lab in the early 70s. That impressed me because I thought quality control was necessary to ensure a quality product.” Magisano says that after spending one summer working in the quality control lab he was hooked and has been on the technical side of the business ever since.

As the asphalt industry evolves, Magisano sees great changes on the horizon as companies understand the advantages of vertical integration. He believes consolidation of the industry will continue as larger companies will be better able to take on bigger risks and bigger projects.

“I think we will see more companies that are not only asphalt producers, but also asphalt suppliers as well as having project design capabilities,” he says. “They will be able to handle all aspects of a project.”

In the meantime, he enjoys being part of the evolution and the work that goes along with it. Always busy, he says even in the off season a lot of time is spent reviewing and commenting on new technical specs and all of the technical elements involved in preparing early calls for construction bids.

Being involved in so many aspects of the operation, as well as his commitments to industry committee work, keeps Magisano hopping — but after more than 30 years on the job, he wouldn’t have it any other way. That is why he appreciates receiving the award. “The Bleeds Black Award recognizes the passion for this industry,” he says. “There are a lot of people who are very dedicated to their jobs and put in a lot of hours. This recognizes people who really enjoy what they do. “

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IMPROVING PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE WITH TACK COAT

by Lisa Fattori

Close up view of different application nozzles


While tack coat may seem an obligatory incidental in road construction, its application is essential to achieve

optimum pavement performance. This thin layer of asphalt emulsion, applied between hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavement lifts, ensures bonding so that the completed pavement structure behaves as a monolithic unit. Without tack coat, adjacent layers behave

independently from one another and haven’t the strength to withstand bending stresses from traffic. Delamination occurs, resulting in longitudinal wheel path cracking, fatigue cracking, potholes and rutting, and these distresses significantly reduced pavement life.

“Tack coat has been proven to improve performance, and is only one to two per cent of the cost of the HMA pavement layers,” says Sandy Brown, Technical Director at OHMPA. “A 10 per cent failure in bond will result in a 50 per cent reduction in fatigue life. That’s a big penalty in performance simply because you didn’t use something that is relatively inexpensive.”

In Ontario, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) mandates the use of tack coat for standard contracts unless the project calls for a hot-on-hot application. On the municipal side, tack coat may or may not be included in specifications. Due to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from cutback asphalt (solvent-based) mixtures, allowable tack coats in the province are restricted to emulsified materials or track reducing products. In the U.S., liquid asphalt, standard emulsions, diluted tack coat and non-tracking emulsions are all used for tack coat applications. ››

SPRING 2015 29

IMPROVING PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE WITH TACK COAT


The requirement for tack coat varies from region to region and among state Departments of Transportation (DOTs), with some jurisdictions specifying tack coat only for certain projects.

“Some people think that because you’re applying a new mix on a new mix, you don’t need any tack coat, but the data doesn’t support this,” says Buzz Powell, PhD, Assistant Director and Test Track Manager for the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) in Alabama. “We’ve done extensive testing with new mixes and the evidence shows that tack coat should always be applied between layers of pavement.”

A recent investigation into a failed pavement at NCAT’s Pavement Test Track revealed that inadequate bonding was to blame for the failure. In the 2012 Pavement Test Track cycle, the S5 test section was used to examine pavement performance using high reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) content. The test section was constructed

with a base mix that included 35 per cent RAP, a binder layer with 50 per cent RAP, and an SMA surface layer with 25 per cent RAP. Although the section was expected to outperform the other Green Group study sections, S5 was the first section to crack, with failure reported in early spring 2013.

A forensic study revealed that cracking occurred from the binder layer upward to the surface and that the deeper base mix subsequently cracked because of the weakened pavement structure above. Core samples showed that the binder layer had absorbed tack and that the interface between the asphalt layers was clearly defined.

“Although we calibrated an ideal tack coat application rate of 0.05 gallons per square yard (0.23 L/m2) undiluted bar rate (UBR), there was de-bonding between the layers,” Powell says. “In May, 2013, we re-built the section and doubled the tack rate to 0.10 gal/yd2 (0.45 L/m2) UBR, based on the results of a laboratory bond strength

“Some people think that becauseyou’re applying a new mix on a new

mix, you don’t need any tack coat, butthe data doesn’t support this. We’ve

done extensive testing with new mixes and the evidence shows that tack coat

should always be applied between layers of pavement.” –Buzz Powell

Tack coating on a milled surface on an airport project. Note overlap on vertical face of previous lift.

investigation. We started checking for distresses on a weekly basis, and completed 10 million ESALs (equivalent single axle loading) in October of 2014. At 0.05 gal/yd2 (0.23 L/m2) UBR, the pavement cracked at just over two million ESALs and it cracked quickly. The re-built section didn’t crack until well over four million ESALs, with cracking occurring at a much slower rate.”

Tack coat has been studied extensively to provide agencies and contractors with the best practices in selecting materials, operating equipment, calculating application rates and preparing road surfaces. Published in 2012, the NCHRP Report 712 is a well recognized study, with recommendations that are endorsed by many industry groups. Key recommendations include preparing surfaces so that they are clean and dry, tacking all surfaces, applying a uniform layer of tack coat, and taking care to prevent tack from being tracked off of the road. According to the report, milled surfaces and stiffer-based asphalts deliver better performance. Shear testing is the preferred testing method to evaluate the bond strength.

“The NCHRP Report 712 is the Cadillac of research to date,” says Dave Johnson, Regional Engineer for the Asphalt Institute (AI) in Montana. “It’s a high dollar research project with funding coming from all states. The second phase to that research, called NCHRP 9-40A, is field validation of the lab results, and that work is currently underway.”

A milled surface improves the performance of tack coat by creating a better surface for bonding. A bonus of milling is that it also creates a more even and consistent surface. Milling removes the older, more distressed material off the top layer, which has been exposed to the sun and other environmental influences. With this compromised material removed, the new overlay adheres to more competent material, thus improving the facility’s performance.

There is a general trend towards a higher application rate of tack leading to a better bond. However, the more tack coat that is used, the longer it takes for the material to break, which can create delays in construction schedules. How much crown on the road is also a consideration—too much tack can run off or can create too much lubrication, causing slippage between layers. Each tack coat material and method of application has its own advantages and disadvantages. The important thing is that the tack coat provides the required bond strength. The NCHRP Report 712 recommends 0.155 gal/yd2 (0.70 L/m2) of residual binder for the best results for all materials but this is based on laboratory conditions. The report recommends field application rates ranging from a low of 0.035 (0.16 L/m2) residual to a high of 0.055 gal/yd2 (0.25 L/m2) residual depending on the surface.

With advances in the technology of distributor trucks, dilution is not necessarily required to achieve an even application of tack coat. Also, with the volumetric controls on mixes, bleeding is less of a problem than it used to be. The calibration of nozzle patterns, spray bar height and distribution pressure is essential for a uniform application, with double lap or triple lap spray patterns preferred for best coverage. A spray bar height of about one foot (~ 300 mm) will typically yield a triple overlap pattern.

“It’s up to the contractor to use the right nozzle for the right job and to make adjustments for different spraying rates,” Johnson says. “A poorly maintained truck will affect the performance of the tack, so trucks should be calibrated on a regular basis.”

A newer classification of emulsions reduces tracking, so that tack coat remains on the road surface and not on the tires of construction vehicles. Products, such as Trackless 1, are low water emulsions that are formulated with a hard base. Reduced tracking tack is used in a traditional applications and can be paved on just 10 minutes after being applied, saving considerable time. Even with good field conditions, conventional emulsions can require 25 minutes to one hour before they break.

Spray pavers use special emulsions that have a two to three time higher spray rate, and that break immediately. ››

SPRING 2015 31

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Applying a double treatment on the overlap area.

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However, the equipment is very costly, which prompted the Florida DOT to commission NCAT to do further studies on track-reducing products. The goal of the DOT is to apply a high application rate of high bond strength tack, using existing paving equipment rather than a specialized spray paver.

“The state of Florida wanted to know if it’s possible to achieve spray paver performance without having to upgrade their equipment,” Powell says. “We compared three different tack products, including UltraFuse, which is a hot liquid tack (meaning the residual rate is equal to the application rate) that is marketed as trackless. When you shoot this tack at a relatively high rate of 0.15 gal/yd2 (0.68 L/m2), the residual rate is similar to the residual rate of a spray paver using emulsified tack. We did see a performance improvement with UltraFuse, and will be reporting our findings in March of 2015.”

Current best practices also recommend that tack coat work should be treated as a separate pay item in contracts, providing contractors with detailed specifications about the tack coat portion of a project. “When tack is treated as an incidental pay item, inspectors are less likely to keep track of tack with all of their other duties,” Johnson says. “By keeping it separate, there are specifications for better quality control.”

Tack coat has become a hot topic, with DOTs and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) looking at improvements in technique to deliver a marked improvement in pavement performance. In response to this heightened awareness about the importance of tack coat, AI is offering four-hour workshops across the U.S. The workshops are sponsored by the FHWA and are free to DOTs. Each workshop is tailored to the particular needs of the state. The workshops provide attending contractors with information about tack coat practices at the national and state level, and will offer recommendations for improvements. The workshops began in early December 2014, and 22 scheduled sessions will completed by May 2015.

Ontario contractors could benefit from such programming to learn the most recent best practices in tack coat applications. Particularly at the municipal level, where city engineers have a wide range of responsibilities, from water and sewer systems to pavement designs, tack coat workshops would provide a higher level of expertise. Municipalities that rely on outside contractors and consultants often receive inconsistent advice. The latest recommendations about tack coat would enable city engineers to make more informed decisions about the best materials and applications for their specific jurisdictions.

“We would like to have these workshops come to Ontario and are looking at making them available, perhaps this fall,” Brown says. “The workshops would showcase best practices about applying tack coat and benefit contractors serving both municipalities and MTO.”

Core samples from NCAT’s S5 study of a failed pavement due to insufficient tack coat. The first core shows the clearly defined interface. The second core shows debonding. The third core shows the beginning of a “middle-up” crack. The fourth core shows the “middle-up” crack made it to the surface. The fifth core shows subsequent cracking in the base.

“ Tack coat has been proven to improve performance, and is only one to two per cent of the cost of the HMA pavement layers.” –Sandy Brown

t doesn’t seem that long ago that I remember starting with Warren Bitulithic Ltd. in the late 90s as the quality control technician for their hot-in-place operation. A lot has changed since then, from the amal-gamation of companies to evolving

asphalt specifications and asphalt technologies. But one thing stays the same: the amazing individuals in this industry who have taught me so much.

A couple of years ago I was honoured to present the first Joe Bunting Mentorship Award to a long- time mentor of mine, Don Piper. To this day we stay in touch by phone every two to three weeks. The conversation usually starts off by Don telling me about how good the weather is in Florida before we


There are five core member committees comprised of volunteers and supported by OHMPA staff members. We’re always looking for new volunteers with fresh perspectives. If you see a committee you’d like to join, or even if you’d just like to sit-in at a meeting before making a commitment, please reach out to Princess Buni at OHMPA’s offices. She can be reached at (905) 507-3707.

ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE Works on behalf of the industry and members representing and promoting environmental matters. The Committee seeks to assist member companies with compliance, ensure awareness of applicable regulations and recommend best practices. The Committee oversees and updates the OHMPA Environmental Best Practices Guide working closely with the Ministry of the Environment.

MARKETING COMMITTEE Provides expertise and support in promoting the asphalt industry and OHMPA through media relations and advocacy and helps to craft messages as they relate to industry issues. The committee also oversees the development of educational and promotional opportunities, as well as resources and publications offered to members and industry stakeholders.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Serves as OHMPA’s primary vehicle for securing new members and retaining existing members. The committee is also responsible for promoting the benefits and value-added services that the association offers to its member companies.

PLANT & PAVING COMMITTEE Coordinates education opportunities geared toward asphalt plant personnel and paving crews. The committee is also the steward of the OHMPA Safety Awards which are awarded to hot mix plants that are accident-free for one year, as well as the Trillium Awards, which recognize those plants that go above and beyond the already “gold” standard required by industry regulations.

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE Reviews and comments on specifications and other technical docu-ments and reports to the Board of Directors on the effect any changes will have on the asphalt paving industry in Ontario. These reviews apply only to the technical aspects of specifications. Members of the Technical Committee represent OHMPA on the various committees and task groups that deal with the modification of the specifications including the MTO/ORBA/OHMPA Hot Mix Committee, MTO/OHMPA Binder Task Group, and the OGRA Municipal Liaison Committee.

by Donn Bernal

I

Member Committees

PAYING

SPRING 2015 35

move into a discussion of how my work is going. Don then ties it in with a similar experience he had back in the day — amazingly, he has a matching story for every story I tell him.

Since I started in the asphalt industry, I am very fortunate to not only have Don to look up to, but also many others including Paul Lum, Mark Rivett, Domenic Passalacqua, Dave Henderson, and Carlo Fallavollita. If you know of them, you’ll know that they all have a passion, dedication and enthusiasm for the asphalt industry. They also do not hold back in passing on their knowledge and experience so that it does not get lost when they retire one day. These attributes are what I carry with me every day and what has made me the person I am today.

Another way to gain and pass on knowledge and experience is to actively participate in the asphalt industry through associations. This is where OHMPA’s committees

come in. Through my participation on the board of directors and various committees, I have broadened my knowledge of the asphalt business and have also provided input in my areas of expertise and experience.

I especially encourage the next generation to participate as we have much to learn from you too. You can bring different perspectives to the committees, especially to a committee such as marketing where social media is becoming so important — yes, even with asphalt!

So volunteer some of your time and you’ll be surprised at what you can learn, how important your voice can be, and how the opportunity to meet a new network of people can be so gratifying as you advance your career in the asphalt industry.

Donn Bernal is the general manager of Yellowline Asphalt Products Ltd. in Hamilton.

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IT FORWARD


Canadian Forces veterans trade helmets forhardhats

The Ontario Hot Mix Producers Association recognizes this need and has taken steps to foster and cultivate interest at the post-secondary level. Partnering with four colleges — Conestoga, Centennial, Fleming and Georgian — the Roads Scholarship recognizes the achievements of students in construction and heavy equipment courses.

As OHMPA Executive Director Doug Duke said in a recent Asphaltopics column, “Knowing that our support might encourage youth at the dawn of their careers to consider work in the asphalt paving and production sector is an exciting prospect.”

Meanwhile, a relatively new program that began in the U.S. is taking shape in Canada, one that may also serve as a springboard for careers in paving. Helmets to Hardhats, or H2H, is a program designed to assist those in the Canadian Forces who have served and now need a job in the civilian workforce.

Targeting the building and cons-truction industry, H2H offers apprenticeship training with the goal of the candidate achieving

journeyperson status in a particular trade and even leadership roles in companies. A full apprenticeship can last between three to four years with on-the-job training combined with classroom instruction. The new workers are paid, and for some trades the qualified journeyperson is given “Red Seal” certification that will allow them to work anywhere in the country.

Brigadier-General (retired) Greg Matte serves as executive director of H2H. He says partnerships are already being built within the construction industry through trade unions and companies. He’s hoping that the participation of civil organizations will continue to grow. “We would like to encourage the involvement of these organizations and see it increase once they start to realize the benefits that young veterans can bring to the workforce,” says Matte. “It’s a program that can be beneficial to everyone involved. There is an increased demand for skilled labour in Canada and there is a desire for these veterans to find work.”

He says that at any one time there are 300 to 400 active files of veterans who are on the cusp of leaving the military, who have already left, or who are on active reserve and looking for full time employment Matte says there are unique challenges faced by military personnel who want to enter the civilian workforce, and that is where H2H can help through its connections and programs.

by Steve Pecar

As the asphalt paving industry continues to evolve and change, it is more important than ever to engage and train the young people of today for a future career in the industry.

SPRING 2015 37

“It can be difficult for some to transition from a military career into a civilian one,” admits Matte. “For many, they have never applied for a job or even written a resume if they entered the military at a young age.” Helmets to Hardhats helps to bridge that gap.

He points out that there are many similarities between the military and the construction industry that can be advantageous for everyone involved. “In many ways, soldiers take part in projects that have a process — a beginning and an ending, whether

it is disaster relief in Haiti, helping flood victims in Manitoba, or bringing security and stability to Afghanistan,” he explains. “It is much the same in the construction industry where there is a definite start and finish.”

As the H2H program grows, Matte can see it being adopted in the asphalt pavement industry as it fits in well with the construction priority of the program and because the industry stretches across the province. “I think there is good opportunity for us in that industry,” he says.

For more information on the Helmets to Hardhats program, go to www.helmetstohardhats.ca

Canadian military veterans get on-the-job training in the construction industry.

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Transitioning from life in the military to civilian

jobs in the construction industry is the goal of Helmets to Hardhats.


by Sandy BrownOHMPA Technical Director

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

On the road again with TRB 2015This January, over 15,000 transportation specialists made the annual pilgrimage to Washington D.C. to attend the 94th Transportation Research Board conference. The TRB Annual Meeting program covers all transportation modes, with more than 5,000 presentations in nearly 750 sessions and workshops addressing topics of interest to all attendees—policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, as well as representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions. It’s a tough three days and that doesn’t include the preliminary workshops on Sunday, the Thursday post-conference workshops, or the meetings of all the committees that take place during all other events. Things start at 8:00 a.m. and there are sessions that end at 10:30 p.m. Monday to Wednesday. TRB isn’t for the half milers; it’s a marathon and you have to pace yourself if you’re going to make it.

This year for the first time in 60 years, TRB moved to a new location—the Washington Convention Center and the just-opened Marriott Marquis attached to the Convention Center. This made the conference even more challenging because things were in entirely new places. Nonetheless, it was a great conference. While I couldn’t attend everything I would have liked to, I wanted to share some highlights of this year’s event.

I attended two of the Sunday workshops of the more than twenty available. In the morning, the International Society for Asphalt pavements (ISAP) held its annual meeting and featured the work of the constitutive modelling group. The theme of the half-day meeting was Aged and Brittle Asphalt Materials and their Rejuvenation. The morning started off with a talk by Dr. Charles Glover (TAMU) about asphalt kinetics and oxidative reactions. Dr. Glover referred

to the use of the Glover-Rowe parameter (G*cos2δ/sinδ) in predicting pavement life. The morning also featured talks about the use of shingles and the blending of aged asphalt cement from shingles and RAP with virgin asphalt cements.

Sunday afternoon’s workshop was about the work of the FHWA Sustainable Pavement Technical Working Group. This group has been active for almost three years. The principal deliverable from the TWG will be the Towards Sustainable Pavement Systems: A Reference Document. This document will be published by early summer and is the result of the work of the writing team retained by FHWA to manage this effort. The TWG is composed of about 20 members and over 100 friends of the TWG that have met twice a year. This group of professionals representing rigid and flexible pavement alternatives, academics and researchers have worked in a surprisingly co-operative manner to produce this document. It will be over 400 pages in length and covers all aspects of sustainable pavements. The Reference Document is not perfect, but it does contain the state of knowledge and outlines what aspects of sustainability must still be addressed.

The conference started on Monday morning and the next three days were a whirl of technical podium sessions, poster sessions, and committee meetings. I attended AF000(3) – Climate Change, Energy and Sustainability Subcommittee; AFD00(1) – Sustainable Pavements Subcommittee; AF000(2) – Pavement Materials and the Urban Climate Subcommittee; AFK40 – Characteristics of Asphalt-Aggregate Combinations to Meet Surface Requirements Committee; and AFK10 – General Issues in Asphalt Technology Committee. The TRB committees and subcommittees are where the work of TRB gets done. These committees sponsor podium and poster

SPRING 2015 39

sessions and also the publishing of papers submitted to TRB. The committees review the over 5,000 submitted papers prior to publication. Some papers are not accepted and some must undergo revision by the authors prior to publication, but all the published papers have at least three reviewers so you can be certain of the quality of the work published yearly.

In addition to the committee meetings, I attended sessions on 211 – Pavement Surface Friction Measurements and Modeling; 742 – Pavement Macrotexture, Roughness and Roughness-Induced Issues; 809 – Accounting for Horizontal and Vertical Subsurface Drainage in Structural Pavement Design; 831 – Use of Re-refined Engine Oil Bottoms (REOB) as Asphalt Binder Modifier; and 863 – Durability Performance Tests for Asphalt Mixtures: Moving Toward Implementation. Each of these podium sessions featured five to eight papers that dealt with various aspects of the theme of the session.

All the sessions were of interest and some of the papers were more practical than others. However, the last two sessions mentioned—REOB and Durability Performance Tests—were perhaps the most interesting. The REOB session on Wednesday afternoon was likely the best attended session I have ever been to at TRB. The presenters gave a good overview of the production and use of REOB in asphalt cement, its detection, and a summary of the laboratory testing that has been done to look at the performance of the material. These presentations will be available on the TRB website in March. The research is far from complete, but the AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways has asked the AASHTO Subcommittee on Materials for a report this spring. Something else to watch for.

The session on Thursday morning on Durability was also very interesting. The presenters outlined various testing techniques that could be used to evaluate the durability of pavements at the time of construction. There seemed to be two themes that were strongly presented. The first was the emphasis on testing of mixes as opposed to their constituent materials (asphalt cement binder and aggregates). Most of the presenters favoured one form or another of mix testing, but it wasn’t clear which test method worked best. That may be due to the interaction between binder and aggregates. Certain tests may work locally, but a nation-wide test procedure that all agree on seems a way off yet.

There was one other trend that all the presenters seemed to agree on as well as other presenters in earlier sessions and some of the discussions at the committees as well. We need more asphalt cement binder in our mixes. Different states have approached this in different ways (reduced gyrations, differing air void requirements, etc.), but all seem to agree that we need more binder in our mixes. Ontario faces a similar issue with Superpave mix design. Designers are meeting all the specifications for the mix design but it results in low asphalt cement content. This is something that must be addressed in Ontario. MTO has already agreed to a relaxation of the Ninitial requirements, but this does not help with municipal mix designs.

My final session was to sit in on the afternoon of the full-day presentation of the work of the Asphalt Research Consortium. ARC is a co-operative research program by the Western Research Institute, Texas A&M, University of Wisconsin at Madison, University of Nevada at Reno, Advanced Asphalt Technologies, and the National Center for Asphalt Technology at Auburn University. This is a very impressive group of researchers and they are producing some very innovative solutions for looking at pavements and materials, including advanced analytical models and methods to go with the advanced testing techniques that they have developed. Some of their procedures already have ASTM approval as test methods. ››

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*Jim Walton - President and General [email protected]

Doug Whitelaw – Manager, Asphalt [email protected]

• Burner supply • burner installation • burner combustion service • • burner control systems • hot oil heater service •

• PLC control systems for complete plant automation • spare parts • • valve trains • T.S.S.A. Approvals •

• Combustion Efficiency Test for Optimum Fuel Utilization • • Safety Audits • 24/7 Service •


Unlike those early computer-free days, the pace today is fast and furious. Our lives seem to move at breakneck speed. On-line tendering and just-in-time delivery are the new norm. The young people I see are hardworking, smart, talented, and busy. If I have one message for the next generation, it would be: get involved. Make the time. I encourage everyone to be involved in OHMPA committees or the Board. You will learn more than you can imagine.

After so many busy years, I’m looking forward to moving with my wife to the little place we’ve built near Rosseau. Our youngest daughter designed it and we’ve been constructing it over the last ten years—a real family affair. We plan to sail, fish, travel, and ski with our grandchildren. That’s probably one of the things I’m looking forward to the most—spending time with family and the grandkids.

My career has been wonderfully fulfilling, both for me personally and for my family. I am truly thankful for the success I’ve enjoyed and for the life my family has. I was the youngest of five when we came here from Holland in 1951. I remember my father, who had come to make a better life for us, saying, “We are finally in a new land. I don’t know what the future holds for this family.” If only he knew.

Adrian Van Niekerk is Manager of Estimating at Gazzola Paving Ltd.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 46

All in all, it was once again a very busy TRB. It always is. This year I was inspired by the new location to write my own paper for TRB next year. My paper doesn’t deal with pavements directly but should be of great interest to the dedicated people who attend TRB. You can’t survive these five days of early morning to late night sessions without coffee, and I have developed a correlation between the traffic on the escalators at the Marriott and the line-up length at the Starbucks in the lobby. I have also developed a correlation between the length of the line at the Starbucks in the Conference Center and the time to get your coffee. Doesn’t sound like much, but it is my contribution to the science of TRB.

THE LAST WORD

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ENVIRONMENTAL ESSENTIALS

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) is proposing positive changes to a Permit to Take Water (PTTW) for short-term, non-recurring water-taking activities. These changes will:

(a) clarify certain activities as not being water takings so that they do not require a PTTW;

(b) exempt certain activities that are water takings from requiring a PTTW, provided that related discharge conditions are met; and

(c) specify certain activities that are water takings to be able to register on the Environmental Activity Sector Registry (EASR), rather than a PTTW requirement, if certain criteria are met.

These proposed changes are expected to clarify the MOECC’s requirements with respect to short-term water taking activities; reduce regulatory and administrative burden; and lower costs associated with both delays in processing permit applications and tracking water takings.

The table summarizes the proposed changes. This information is based on presentation materials developed by the Modernization of Approvals Branch of the MOECC.

Please contact a qualified water resources consultant for further information and direction as these proposed changes come into effect.

by Bridget Mills

Proposed Permit to Take Water changes

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ACTIVITY

Passive in-stream diversion for construction

Active pumping in-stream diversion for construction

Active pumping of stormwater for construction dewatering

Weirs and restoration of wetlands

Pumping tests where the water taking is greater than 50,000 L/day on any day and is for the sole purpose of obtaining hydrogeological information.

Short-term surface water takings greater than 50,000 L/day for activities associated with road construction and maintenance

Construction dewatering

PROPOSED APPROACH

Clarify “not a water taking” if passive in-steam diversion is used to allow for a dry construction area where the water remains within the same water course and is not taken for another purpose.

Exempt with discharge measures required (i.e. where the water that has been pumped out is returned back to the same water course with conditions to avoid erosion and sedimentation).

Exempt with discharge measures required (i.e. with no groundwater infiltration from construction sites with conditions to avoid erosion and sedimentation).

If groundwater could interact with proposed takings, certain dewatering activities may still be applicable for an EASR if an appropriate assessment of potential groundwater takings demonstrate minimal effects and are accepted by the MOECC. A pre-consultation with the MOECC is recommended in this case.

Exempt if:- water takings solely for the restoration, managing,

conserving or enhancement of wetlands; and- structures built across a watercourse that are designed

and built to allow natural watercourse flow to pass freely over the crest of the structure.

EASR if less than 7 days; PTTW for longer takings.

The EASR requires the following to be performed by or under the supervision of a Qualified Person:- Pump testing, including well owner notification,

and related assessments; and- the development of both monitoring and discharge

plans (to include erosion and sedimentation controls, if discharged to the natural environment).

EASR if taken at identified rates and locations; PTTW for others.

The EASR registrant must obtain the written opinion of a Qualified Person confirming the source and rate limits are met prior to registration.

EASR if taking no more than 400,000 litres on any day; PTTW for others.

The EASR registrant must use a Qualified Person to develop a discharge plan (to include erosion and sedimentation controls, if discharged to the natural environment).

RESULT

No PTTW or EASR required

No PTTW or EASR required if discharge measures implemented

No PTTW or EASR required if discharge measures implemented

No PTTW or EASR required if definition is met – other legislative and regulatory requirements must be maintained

EASR if project meets eligibility; otherwise PTTW



Bridget Mills is Senior Environmental Engineer at BCX Environmental Consulting, a Canadian environmental

engineering company specializing in providing expert environmental consulting services.


With over 450 attendees, OHMPA’s fall asphalt seminar is North American’s largest single-day asphalt education seminar. The seminar took place December 9, 2014 at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls. Speakers and topics included:

GERRY HUBER Re-refined engine oil residue: What is it and how does it affect mix performance?

JOHN D’ANGELO Development of a new performance-based binder test

SANDY BROWN An overview of the results to date of the 2010 MTO-Industry asphalt binder acceptance trials

STEVE ERWIN/BOB BURROWS Automated vehicles and future roads

MARK EBY The OGRA-OHMPA Liaison Committee and new developments in HMA specifications

Seminar presentations are available on OHMPA’s website.

TARBA/OHMPA SKI DAYHardy souls bundled up for the OHMPA Ski Day held on February 19, 2015 at Craigleith Ski Club in Blue Mountain. At minus 22 without the wind chill, it was a cold one! In a little friendly competition, Fermar Paving’s Kevin Martin won the fastest skier race.

OHMPA’S 2014 FALL ASPHALT SEMINAR

SPRING 2015 45

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James Dick Construction Ltd. – Canadian-owned aggregate producers featuring complete aggregate supply, a construction division and haulage. www.jamesdick.com

Zydex Inc. – Revolutionary nanotechnology for building moisture resistant, long-lasting and maintenance-free roads through the innovative adaptation of Organosilane chemistry.www.zydexindustries.com

Joseph Haulage – Transportation of bulk materials and solid waste with a fleet of well-maintained dump trailers, tri-axles, pony

pups, flatbeds, tankers, walking-floors and live-bottoms for the safe transport of sand, gravel, salt, glass, bio-solids, compost, various construction materials, soil and more. www.josephhaulage.com

Get ready for the Road Tour

APRIL 28th

WATERLOO

MAY 5th

SUDBURY

OHMPA’s Road Tour seminars present a unique opportunity for OHMPA producer members and contractor representatives to get the latest industry information and meet face-to-face with local Ministry of Transportation and municipal consulting engineers. This year’s seminar will once again bring together the best minds in the industry to engage in an in-depth conversation about what we’ve done and how we can improve to achieve the best quality possible.

APRIL 30th

GTA

MAY 7th

OTTAWA

OHMPA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

OGRA/ROMA CONFERENCE IN TORONTO, FEBRUARY 23rd TO 26th

The Cruickshank Paver of the Year Award team strut their stuff at the OHMPA booth. OHMPA staff were kept busy with a steady stream of visitors over the two days, including MTO’s Gerry Chaput, Assistant Deputy Minister, Provincial Highways Management, and Suzanne Beale, Chief Engineer.

From left: J.P. Charbonneau, Reid McIntyre, Ken McIntyre, Dave Neeley, Hector Thomas, Dan Pilon

It’s hard to believe that I’m coming up on my retirement in June after 38 years with Gazzola Paving. So much has changed since those early days. When I first started estimating projects for Gazzola, there were no fax machines and, of course, no computerized technology. If someone wanted a quotation, they would call. Later, when quotes came in by fax, we marvelled at how much easier it was to close a tender. Before the first computerized estimating program was introduced in 1993, we did everything by hand.

I’ve also seen many, many changes in the asphalt industry. MTO re-engineering was a big part of those changes including the ERS method of judging pavement quality. It was a quantum change in the way business was done, and I believe it created better pavements. The introduction of Superpave, PGAC, smoothness specifications and the use of RAP also dramatically changed the way we did things. Now we have new testing methods for asphalt cement such as MSCR and DENT, not to mention the changes in environmental practices to address concerns around pollutants.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the people. I feel so fortunate to have learned from and worked with so many great people over the years. At the University of Waterloo, I was lucky enough to attend a class by Professor Norman McLeod who many, including me, think of as the godfather of Marshal asphalt technology.

At Gazzola, I have been part of an outstanding team of people from the crews to the owners. Our team and the high-quality work it produced led to a number of company

achievements. I am particularly proud of our winning the Central Region Paver of the Year for Highway 427 in 1988, and qualifying as a finalist for the 2011 Paver of the Year award for Highway 409. Another career highlight was my involvement as project manager for the first VIVA QuickSTART project, a master plan for transportation in York Region.

What I have loved most about my career is the thrill of winning a project, doing quality work, and making a profit. What I’ll miss most will be my colleagues at Gazzola, and I truly value the support I’ve had from our owners to represent Gazzola through my various volunteer activities.

I became an OHMPA board member at the 1998 AGM. I remember sitting in the front row and not knowing anyone. Doug Woods, who was sitting beside me, introduced himself and assured me I’d do well. Of course the first thing I discovered was how little I knew about the industry, its issues, and the talented individuals involved in the association. Boy, did I learn a lot! Over my time there I met so many great people who mentored and taught me—I was surrounded by what I think of as icons of the industry. The networking and long-term friends I still enjoy to this day are all part of the OHMPA fraternity.

I was honoured to be elected OHMPA president in 2002. Asphalt cement price volatility was a big issue during my term, as it is now. I was particularly pleased to see the first Trillium awards presented during that year. I had been Chairman of the Plant & Paving Committee when we came up with the idea of this award and it was a great moment to see it come to fruition. ››

by Adrian Van Niekerk

THE LAST WORD

The times they are a-changin’


continued on page 40

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Documents

Meet Steve Smith 10 A greener future 14 - ON Asphalt · 3/5/2015 · voice for the asphalt industry within Ontario and, in some respects, Canada. However, OHMPA had little to offer