Asphalt News
Asphalt Advantage
LL Pelling Wins 2011 NAPA Website Award
Check out photos from the NAPA conference here.
APA Releases New Position Paper on LCCA
The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) releases realistic, unbiased assesments on the life cycles of various pavements. The non-biased paper follows guidlines from the Federal Highway Administration and covers topics from discount rates to net present values. Life-Cycle Cost Analysis: A Position Paper is available as a free download here.
Iowa City’s First WMA Application
Work started Tuesday, August 16, as LL Pelling began paving Iowa City’s first ever warm-mix application on Capital Street from Court to Prentiss. This marked the first time that the LEADCAP additive has ever been used in the United States. Following the laying of the WMA on Capital Street in Iowa City, APAI Executive Vice President, Bill Rosener, was asked to explain to the KGAN viewers what this new technology means to the City of Iowa City and to the environment. Click here to view the KGAN interview.
Life Cycle-Cost Analysis Software
The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) has released a new version of the software program LCCAExpress for life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) of pavements. Version 2.0 of LCCAExpress is geared to less-complex projects. It is quick, easy to use, and unbiased. The software is available as a free download here. Read more here.
Societal Trends and Economic Realities
There is no doubt that societal trends and economic realities will shape the pavement market going forward.
Those driving factors include public funding issues, an emphasis on sustainable growth and livability, unemployment trends, and future supply/capacity. Accounting for all of these factors, asphalt is perfectly positioned to address future markets in both highways and other infrastructure.
Difficult economic times are causing some to suggest that owners and specifiers take a second look when it comes to pavement type selection. In the asphalt community, we welcome this opportunity to discuss the benefits of our product and why asphalt pavement is right for America, right now and into the future.
Asphalt in Livable Communities
The APA’s newest white paper, The Role of Asphalt in Livable Communities, acknowledges the momentum towards creating more livable communities and details the versatility of asphalt pavements and sustainable qualities that make it a natural source for advancing the goals of livability.
The report also recommends that livability goals be broadly defined to ensure that all of the population benefits and that funding for livability not siphon money away from needed pavement preservation and infrastructure maintenance.
High-Performance Intersections - A new technical publication from the Asphalt Pavement Alliance, High-Performance Intersections, provides useful guidelines to the pavement designers who deal with the challenges of intersections and other high-stress pavements. The publication is available as a free download by clicking here.
“All engineers know that heavy, slow-moving traffic found at intersections, toll booths and other such locations can expose pavements to the highest stress levels possible,” explained Wayne Jones of the Asphalt Institute, one of the authors of the document. “But a well-designed, well-constructed pavement at these locations can deliver the same outstanding performance as all other asphalt pavements.”High-Performance Intersections lays out a four-point strategy to ensure good performance for intersections and other high-stress applications. To illustrate the principles, the publication chronicles two head-to-head competitions between asphalt and concrete intersections. It also discusses the “World’s Strongest Intersection,” located next to a quarry in Illinois.
Cleaner Water With Asphalt - “The green benefits of 100 percent recyclable asphalt pavement might be surprising to some. For improved stormwater management, clean drinking water, and reduced roadside pollution, asphalt pavements are clean and environmentally beneficial,” he continued. The publication, “Cleaner Water With Asphalt Pavements,” is available as a free download here.
Legislation and Policy News
02/03/2012 – Representative David Jacoby (D) will be at LL Pelling’s North Liberty office at 9am to discuss the gas tax initiative. Interested in joining the conversation? Call to reserve a seat (319) 626-4600.
12/5/2011 - NAPA’s 2009/2010 Survey of asphalt usage including RAS,RAP,WMA,HMA (NAPA)
10/13/2011 - Proposed Gas Tax Hike (QC Times)
Spring 2011 - 2011 Iowa Asphalt Report (APAI)
4/6/2011 – “Senate Challenges Branstad to Veto Iowa Transportation Budget” (EasternIowaGovernment.com)
10/11/10 – Obama Highway Plan Fuels Talk of Gas Tax Hike (Fox News.mobi)
