Joseph McCormick Construction is starting contract work in the Port of Erie. Summer is here. Be safe! And slow down for construction zones.
Paving in the Port of Erie
Joseph McCormick Construction receives 2016 Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Quality Award
Joseph McCormick Construction received the Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Quality Award (District 1) for work completed on SR 430 in Erie County last fall. The award was presented to JMC by PennDOT District 1 Construction Engineer Michael Deibert and members of the Pennsylvania Asphalt Pavement Association at the annual meeting in Hershey, PA in January. JMC is please to receive this award and thanks to outstanding cooperation and partnership with PennDOT, Erie County & the entire commonwealth can benefit from the quality workmanship and asphalt paving materials.
A survey from the Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) finds U.S. drivers increasingly frustrated with the state of U.S. roads.
The national survey found that drivers prefer well-maintained, safe, and smooth roadways; moreover they understand these qualities require periodic maintenance and financial investment.
The survey of 3,085 drivers and commercial truck drivers comes as Congress faces reauthorization of U.S. transportation and infrastructure funding this fall and a looming revenue shortfall for the Federal Highway Trust Fund this summer.
Specifically, the survey revealed the following driver and commercial trucker roadway preferences:
- Eighty-four percent of drivers and 73 percent of commercial truckers want well-maintained roads without the inconvenience of roadway shutdowns by having maintenance performed during off-peak hours and the road open for rush hour.
- When presented with 14 factors for officials to consider when building a road, 56 percent of drivers selected safety as one of their top priorities.
- Most drivers, 69 percent, said they are willing to accept periodic maintenance delays if it means they get to enjoy a smooth driving experience. Smooth, well-maintained roads are more comfortable for drivers; they also cause less wear-and-tear on vehicles, reducing operating costs.
- Eighty-six percent of drivers and 78 percent of commercial truckers feel spending priorities should focus on the maintenance and repair of existing roads, rather than on building new roads.
- A majority of drivers support new or additional funding mechanisms to ensure adequate funding for roadway maintenance and construction.
“These results emphasize the need to increase investment in our nation’s aging infrastructure and to put a greater emphasis on ensuring a consistent level of drivability for road users,” said Mike Acott, President of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA).
Peter Grass, President of the Asphalt Institute stated, “Asphalt pavements offer the affordability, ease of construction, ease of maintenance, and structural longevity necessary to meet public demands for smooth pavements with a high level of drivability.”
Smooth pavements result in lower fuel consumption and reduced wear and tear on vehicles. With long-life Perpetual Pavement designs, asphalt roads can be built with a structure that lasts many decades with only periodic surface renewal and maintenance, making it an ideal choice for drivers, engineers, and U.S. roadways.
APA partnered with Edelman Berland to survey 3,085 drivers, including commercial truckers, from eight regions throughout the U.S. For more information, visit http://www.DriveAsphalt.org/Drivers.
India’s ‘Plastic Man’ Turns Litter Into Paved Roads
Photograph by Chiara Goia
For as far as the eye can see, there’s stinking, smoking, untreated garbage. It’s concentrated in the municipal dump, in the South Indian city of Madurai, but not contained by it. The surrounding fields are also piled with trash. Stray dogs nibble at mounds of rotting food. The trees are denuded and covered with shredded plastic, the blue and pink and yellow bags like some kind of sinister confetti.
The road to the dump, and beyond it to Madurai’s airport, is like a Hollywood vision of dystopian ruin: lifeless, black, choked with human refuse. And that’s why Rajagopalan Vasudevan’s enthusiasm is so jarring. As he makes his way through the rubbish, he’s like a child on a treasure hunt. “Wonderful resource,” he says, admiring a jumble of plastic bags, jerrycans, and torn food packets. “With all this plastic, I could lay the whole road to the airport.”
It is difficult to exaggerate India’s garbage problem. Jairam Ramesh, the nation’s former environment minister, has said that if there were a “Nobel prize for dirt and filth,” India would win it. As much as 40 percent of the country’s municipal waste remains uncollected, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Of the waste that is collected, almost none is recycled. Most of it sits in open dumps such as the one in Madurai, leaching into the soil and contaminating groundwater. Some of it is burned, releasing dioxins and other toxic chemicals into the air.
Much of India’s garbage is made up of plastic—a scourge of the nation’s new consumer economy. The country’s Central Pollution Control Board says more than 15,000 tons of plastic waste are generated daily. Although the nation’s per capita consumption of plastic is low compared with that of the U.S., it’s expected to double over the next five years as India continues to develop. This poses huge environmental, social, and economic challenges. As the Supreme Court of India recently observed: “We are sitting on a plastic time bomb.”
Vasudevan sees an opportunity. A professor of chemistry at Thiagarajar College of Engineering, near Madurai, he insists that plastic gets a bad rap. Rather than an incipient environmental calamity, plastic, in Vasudevan’s opinion, is a “gift from the gods”; it’s up to humans to use it wisely. And he’s devised a way to transform common plastic litter—not only thicker acrylics and bottles but also grocery bags and wrappers—into a partial substitute for bitumen in asphalt.
In recent years his method has been gaining recognition. He’s become known as Plastic Man and travels throughout India instructing engineers how to apply it. The college holds a patent for his technique but often licenses it for free. To date, more than 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) of plastic roads have been laid in at least 11 states. The Central Pollution Control Board and the Indian Roads Congress, two leading government bodies, have endorsed the method.
GoiaVasudevan
Almitra Patel, one of India’s leading experts on garbage, who has advised several state governments on their waste policies, considers Vasudevan’s technology a “win-win-win.” It consumes an unwanted and mostly nonrecyclable resource; it results in stronger roads; and because it replaces as much as 15 percent of more expensive bitumen in the mix used to lay roads, the technology also holds the potential to lower the cost of infrastructure.
She adds that one of the chief advantages of Vasudevan’s method is that it can accommodate the multilayered wrappings often used to pack snacks such as chips and cookies. These wrappings (typically consisting of a layer each of plastic, polyester, and aluminum) make up an increasingly large volume of waste in the country. They’re just about impossible to recycle, but they can easily be shredded and reused in Vasudevan’s roads.
“It’s really a wonderful situation,” Patel says. “I think it is an absolutely transformational technology that could clean up India overnight.”
Another advantage of Vasudevan’s method is its simplicity. It requires no significant technical knowledge and no large investments or changes to existing road-laying procedures. His whole operation is a good example of the Indian method known asjugaad, or “frugal innovation.” Jugaad makes a virtue of necessity: It extols the work-around, the shortcut that uses (and sometimes improves on) limited resources. “I do it all the Indian way,” Vasudevan says. “What is the use to spend thousands of rupees when we can do it much more cheaply?”
Vasudevan, 69, spent the first few decades of his career inducting students into what he calls “the wonders of chemistry” before turning his attention to plastic in 2001. He’s very much the professor—voluble, digressive, a little distracted. He laughs easily and is self-deprecating. “Because of waste,” he jokes about himself, “a waste has become useful.”
The Top 5 Enemies of Asphalt
via http://blackdiamondpaving.com/2011/02/14/februarys-topic-the-top-5-enemies-of-asphalt/
Heavy Trucks
Problem — Asphalt fails much faster in areas exposed to garbage trucks, delivery trucks, moving trucks, and buses.
Reason — In asphalt engineering terms, heavy vehicles have much higher ESALs (Equivalent Single Axle Loads) than lighter weight cars. There’s actually an exponential, not linear, relationship between a vehicle’s weight and its impact on the asphalt. A typical car is .0006 ESALs (a 4,000 pound car with 2 axles) where a large garbage truck may be 1.4 ESALs. That garbage truck is the equivalent of more than 2,000 cars! The slower the truck is traveling, the more damage it is doing, as well. It may cruise through the roadways but it slows and stops at the collection areas – prolonging the pain, and the damage, to the asphalt.
What to do – Fill cracks in heavy traffic areas. Water intrusion itself is not a problem, but heavy loads combined with the softened, moisture-sensitive soils in much of the Bay Area leave asphalt with a weak foundation upon which it will bend and break.
Minimize heavy truck traffic through your property and re-locate collection areas, if possible.
If you have high turnover (residents/tenants move frequently) consider instituting a move-in/move-out fee to cover damage from moving trucks.
When doing reconstruction work, install much deeper asphalt sections (perhaps 4-6”) along the truck route and at the collection area and thinner asphalt sections (2.5-3”) in parking areas. Don’t install the same thickness of asphalt everywhere unless all areas get the same amount and type of traffic.
Sunlight
Problem — Areas exposed to sun turn gray and age much faster than those in shade or covered by carports or parking garages.
Reason — Extended exposure to sunlight can cause oil to suffer accelerated oxidation, which reduces its ability to hold the rocks together. On a molecular level, asphalt reacts with oxygen faster in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.
What to do — Protect the surface of the asphalt with a sealcoat. Apply less sealcoat, perhaps a single coat (or in some cases, none at all) in areas that are rarely, if ever, exposed to UV rays.
Surface Water
Problem — Areas with heavy water flow or puddles erode/ravel much faster than areas with little to no water flow.
Reason — Although the friction of water flow can pull fine aggregates from the surface and cause raveling and erosion over time, water itself does not “dissolve” asphalt. Rain water in the Bay Area is relatively pure, but irrigation water is sometimes reclaimed water and may be very basic/alkaline in nature (higher pH) compared to pure water, which is neutral (pH of 7). Water that is alkaline in nature breaks the large asphalt molecules into smaller pieces that are more liquid-like. Irrigation water may also contain some surfactants (soapy compounds) which also help oil break down in water, just as your dishwashing detergent does with grease.
What to do — Ask your landscaper to install drip lines wherever possible and keep watering to a minimum.
Keep areas sealcoated if they are subject to heavy water flow, particularly from irrigation.
In cases where there is heavy damage from water that may be very alkaline or contain surfactants (such as areas where cars are washed), add 2-4% latex to give the sealcoat and asphalt some additional protection on the molecular level.
Motor Oil
Problem — In areas where vehicles park, asphalt is saturated with oil and at the very least looks unsightly and at worst, starts to fall apart.
Reason — Asphalt has a relatively weak molecular structure. Other, related derivatives of crude oil cause the asphalt to break down. Asphalt is not broken up, in the sense of molecules being cut in two, but they become un-hooked pieces in a mixture of the other oils related to crude. The relatively warm weather in CA speeds up the process. Once the asphalt is chemically compromised, it can’t effectively hold the rocks together anymore.
What to do — A flathead screwdriver test is a great way to see how bad the problem is. If the screwdriver merely scratches the surface, the area can likely be scraped and sealed with a latex-based oil spot treatment. Latex does not easily dissolve because its molecular structure is more complex. And because it’s not crude oil based, it does not have a natural affinity for motor oil. If the screwdriver penetrates more than 1/4” to 1/2” into the surface, more costly repairs to the asphalt may be necessary.
Tree Roots
Problem — We’ve all seen it – tree roots wreaking havoc on the asphalt pavement. Given enough time, the roots always win and the repairs are a costly endeavor.
Reason — Tree roots are tenacious growers. Some trees seek moisture near the surface while others go much deeper.
What to do — Arrange a meeting with both an arborist and a paving contractor at the same time to determine a best-case, lowest-cost solution that will allow the roots to be cut and the asphalt to be fixed without compromising the health of the trees.
If planting new trees, consult an arborist about trees that will not overgrow the planters and do not have surface level roots. Also consider installing a root barrier to “train” the roots to go deep.
If mature trees exist and space allows, consider enlarging planter areas to give roots additional room to grow before affecting asphalt or concrete. In extreme cases, a comprehensive, phased tree replacement program may be necessary (although we always hate to see large, beautiful trees sacrificed for the sake of a parking lot).
Don’t overestimate the capabilities of a simple root barrier. They usually will not prevent that 50 year old pine tree from finding the water it wants. Again, an arborist can give you a reasonable assessment of where the roots may re-grow and how quickly they will return.
Asphalt Cleaning Tips: How to Remove Oil Stains from Parking Lots
A clean parking lot says a lot about your business. It says you care about the little things. It gives your customers/clients that extra sense of calm knowing that you will take care of them the same way you take care of your parking lot.
Seems crazy, doesn’t it. Well, it is not far from the truth.
Like the cover of a book, the exterior of your building and your parking lot are what your customers base their first opinions on. I know, I know…don’t judge a book by its cover. Well, guess what? People still do. That is just the way it is. And you only get to make one first impression, so it is important to make it a good one. After all, who wants to lose business because their parking lot is a mess? So if you find an oil stain on your parking surface, act quickly.
Here are 10 unique ways to remove oil stains from asphalt surfaces:
1. Soap and Water: If you come across a fresh oil spot, emulsify it with a mixture of liquid soap and water. This will keep the oil from drying and staining the asphalt. The soap surrounds small droplets of grease and does not allow it to congeal into a solid.
This will not remove the oil all together, but it will make complete stain removal significantly easier.
2. Kitty Litter: First mop up any excess oil. Then cover the oil stain with a bag of kitty litter. Begin stomping on the kitty litter (this will help absorb the oil). Leave the kitty litter out overnight. Then come back the next morning and scoop up the kitty litter and dispose of the waste. Remember, the kitty litter now contains oil, making it a bihazardous material.
Kitty litter is effective method on wet areas, not on established oil stains.
3. Baking Soda: Baking soda is great for absorbing excess oil. Sprinkle baking soda onto the oil stain and scrub with a stiff brush. Allow the baking soda to sit for a half hour and then rinse it away with a hose.
Once again, this method is only effective with fresh oil spills.
4. Coca-Cola: No, not because getting rid of an oil stain works up a thirst! Coke can actually be used to remove oil stains. First, wipe up any excess oil. Next, pour a couple cans worth of coke onto an oil stain and allow the soda to sit overnight. Then clean the area with a clean cloth.
While this is not the MOST effective method to remove oil stains, it is economical. So why not give it a shot before moving on to more expensive solutions.
5. Steam Pressure Washing: The heat of the steam will liquefy the oil as the pressure whisks it away.
This is one of the most effective methods of removing oil stains!
6. Tri-Sodium Phosphate (TSP): This substance can be quite dangerous, so use caution.
First, make a paste using TSP and water. Then scrub the paste onto the oil stain with a scrub brush. Let the paste sit for thirty minutes to absorb the oil and then rinse it away.
7. Laundry Detergent: Sprinkle the powdered laundry detergent onto the stain, add water, scrub with a stiff brush and then let the solution sit for at least 30 minutes. Then, wipe the surface clean!
8. Commercial Degreasers: Commercial degreasers for asphalt surfaces work by breaking down the oil into a bio-degradable substance that is safe for the environment and your driveway.
9. Muriatic Acid: Muriatic acid should be a last resort as it will harm your skin and eyes. Wear protective eyewear and gloves when using this substance.
Mix a mild solution and allow it to sit for about a minute. Then rinse with a pressure washer.
10. Sealcoating: If you come across a stain that seem impossible to remove, asphalt sealer may be your best option. Cover your parking lot with a fresh seal coat and move on.
Porous Asphalt is King of the Road
You don’t get to be the king of the road for just looking great or being adored by millions—you have to have soul, too.
After more than 30 years in the business of improving safety, reducing erosion, and mitigating water pollution, porous asphalt pavement is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
Porous asphalt pavements are being used successfully throughout the United States, in every type of climate and geography. They are recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as a best practice for stormwater management, but we like them because few pavements are giving back more to the planet, making porous asphalt road royalty.
A solution for pollution
Scientists and engineers who observe the complicated relationship between water and roadways have long understood the need for a sustainable method to simulate the natural filtration process occurring outside populated areas.
Rainfall is supposed to sink naturally into soil, filter down through it, and eventually find its way to streams, ponds and lakes. In urban or other high-population areas, rainfall becomes what is called “runoff” and can contribute to flooding on roads and parking lots. Contaminants such as oils and minerals are then washed from surfaces directly into waterways without undergoing the filtration that nature intended.
Porous asphalt is an all-natural material using rocks glued together with asphalt cement, like most standard roads, but with one difference. The secret to this mix is “less is more” because manufacturers withhold the small (fine) aggregate so the remaining large particles leave open spaces that allow water to flow through it. Under this porous asphalt pavement surface is a “recharge bed” built of stones with spaces between them. Rainwater sinks through the pavement surface into the recharge bed, where it is retained until it can slowly filter out into the earth. Just like in your home water filter, the water comes out a little better than when it went in.
More than one way to get porous
When city planners speak of porous asphalt, they often mean the full-depth porous parking lots that are part of the most up-to-date stormwater treatment systems.
Highway engineers also use the same porous asphalt surface on superhighways – but instead of putting it over a stone recharge bed, they put a thin layer of it on top of a conventional road base. Rainwater sinks directly into the surface, then hits the impervious base. This forces the water to drain off to the sides. Even in a driving rainstorm, splash and spray from trucks disappears. Visibility for drivers is so much better that crashes and fatalities can be greatly reduced. Although they are thin, these porous asphalt surfacings also improve water quality.
Safer road surfaces for wintery climates
The only foolproof way to be safe when roads are covered with standing rainwater, ice, or snow is to stay at home. But if you have to leave, you will appreciate the benefits of the king of pavements, especially in the cooler climates where snow is measured in feet and not inches.
Porous pavements show significant reduction in the need for deicing and anti-icing practices common in the north. So while we all enjoy a clear, slip-free road that anti-icing agents can provide, the effects of these chloride-laden treatments are toxic to aquatic life, can degrade drinking water supplies, and cannot be reduced from runoff by treatment with another substance.
Because snow and ice melt faster on porous asphalt (nothing to freeze when the water is beneath the asphalt), less salt is needed to clear roads and parking lots. This benefit is significant both in the potential economic savings for winter maintenance and the environment.
Reduced costs for greener solutions
On a yard-by-yard basis, the asphalt cost is approximately the same as the cost of conventional asphalt. The underlying stone bed where the water filters through is usually thicker, and therefore more expensive, than a conventional one, but this cost difference is generally offset by the significant reduction in stormwater pipes and inlets we’re used to building. Because porous pavement is designed to “fit into” the topography of a site, there is generally less digging into the Earth.
At Walden Pond
Since the 1960s when the concept of porous pavement was proposed to “promote percolation, reduce storm sewer loads, reduce floods, raise water tables, and replenish aquifers” the concept has been discussed and refined.
The concept and application was so appealing that in 1977 the Walden Pond State Reservation in Massachusetts used the material for the parking lot of their visitor center. Since that time it has raised the local water table while reducing erosion, pollution, and the need for storm drains or road salt. They continue to use porous asphalt today to protect a site that serves as one of our most treasured literary muses—Walden Pond.
New Life-Cycle Software from APA
via http://www.asphaltroads.org/news/post/new-life-cycle-software-apa/
Lanham, Md. – The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) has released new software for life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) of pavements.
The new software, calledLCCAExpress, uses the principles recommended by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to compare the economics of alternative designs for a given road project. LCCAExpress is a simplified version of the APA’s originalLCCA software. Geared to less-complex projects, it’s quick, easy to use, and unbiased. Both software programs are available as free downloads.
“The new software is designed for counties, cities and consultants. It is a very robust software and not daunting for the user,” said Jill Thomas of the Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association, co-chair of the APA’s Economics Team. She continued, “There are three major points that engineers doing LCCA analysis should consider. First, it’s important to use a real discount rate. Despite some claims, the discount rate cannot be a negative number. Second, historical information based on local data should be used, not hypothetical data. Third, when doing the analysis, all the costs should be considered, including delays to the traveling public. LCCAExpress does all this in a very user-friendly way.”
“Engineers can also go to AsphaltRoads.org to find the APA’s original LCCA software,” commented Carlos Rosenberger of the Asphalt Institute, who co-chairs the Economics Team along with Thomas. “LCCA Original calculates the net present value of different pavement alternatives using either deterministic or probabilistic analysis. It is designed for more complex projects. Like LCCAExpress, LCCA Original uses the principles recommended by FHWA. It’s unbiased and reliable.”
A new flyer from the APA on LCCAExpress introduces the software and helps counter claims from the concrete industry that asphalt pavements are more costly to build and maintain. Like the software, the flyer can be downloaded free. The Web site also has a wealth of additional resources on topics including Perpetual Pavements, policy considerations, and environmental sustainability.
The Asphalt Pavement Alliance is a coalition of the National Asphalt Pavement Association, the Asphalt Institute, and the State Asphalt Pavement Associations. The Alliance’s mission is to further the use and quality of asphalt pavements. The Alliance will accomplish this through research, technology transfer, engineering, education, and innovation.
Asphalt for Recycling and Energy Reduction
via http://www.asphaltpavement.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=201&Itemid=495
Asphalt pavements are America’s most recycled product. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Highway Administration, about 90 million tons of asphalt pavement is reclaimed each year, and over 80 percent of that total is recycled.
Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) can be recycled into pavement that is as high, or even higher, in quality as pavements made of all-virgin materials. And, the same material can be recycled again and again; it never loses its value. The asphalt cement—the glue that holds the pavement together—retains its ability to function as glue or cement, so that it is reused for its original purpose. The aggregates (rocks, sand, and gravel) in the original pavement are also conserved. Many pavements that are more than 20 years old are actually worth more than they were when originally constructed.
It is estimated that recycling of asphalt pavements saves the American taxpayer $1.8 billion per year. It also saves hundreds of acres of landfill space each year.
Materials from other industries are routinely recycled into asphalt pavements instead of going into landfills. Some of the most common are rubber from used tires, glass, asphalt roofing shingles, and blast furnace slag.
Asphalt plants also recycle the fine mineral particles that are generated in the process of producing asphalt pavement material. This routine recycling of co-generated material helps to conserve natural resources.
APA GETS THE FACTS OUT ABOUT ASPHALT
via http://www.asphaltroads.org/news/post/apa-gets-facts-about-asphalt/
http://www.AsphaltFACTS.com Launched to Raise Awareness of the Benefits of Smooth, Economical Asphalt Pavements
The Asphalt Pavement Alliance kicks off its Asphalt FACTS campaign today to help raise public awareness about the many benefits of asphalt pavements.
“Every day, we all use asphalt roads without giving them a second thought. Most people don’t understand how technologically advanced asphalt pavements have become and the important role they play in sustainable infrastructure,” said Mike Kvach, Executive Director of the APA. “Asphalt FACTS will help raise the awareness of those who use, buy, and design roads as to the benefits of smooth, economical asphalt pavements.”
Ninety-four percent of the roads in America are surfaced with asphalt — and for good reasons. Asphalt creates the smoothest surface for driving, ensuring a quieter, more comfortable ride, as well as helping to optimize fuel economy. Asphalt roads can be built more quickly and cost effectively than other pavements, and they can be designed as a Perpetual Pavement that needs only periodic maintenance to remain in good shape practically forever.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about asphalt pavements, but the truth is they are an important part of environmentally responsible construction,” said Kvach. “A wide range of recyclable materials — roofing shingles, ground tires, glass — are incorporated into asphalt pavements. Even more exciting is that when asphalt is reclaimed, that material is completely renewable and can be used to build new roads. In fact, asphalt pavement is the most recycled material in America.”
The Asphalt FACTS campaign is centered on a new Web site, http://www.AsphaltFACTS.com, which highlights the truth about smooth, safe, durable, quiet, economical asphalt pavements. The site offers a wealth of links to resources for more information. The site will be promoted through print advertising in trade magazines, social media campaigns, and other education efforts.
“The APA is excited to put the facts about asphalt pavements in front of the public and to get them thinking about the roads they use every day,” Kvach said.
For More Information:
Web: http://www.AsphaltFACTS.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/asphaltroads
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/asphaltroads
The Smooth Quiet Ride... 