CALIFORNIA ASPHALT INSIDERThe latest news and views from the California Asphalt Pavement Association

Vol. 13, Issue 19 <> May 11, 2020

Est. 1953www.calapa.net

IN THIS ISSUE

SPECIAL REPORT: COVID-19pandemic weighs on state &local public works budgets;Workers Comp executiveorder, Caltrans oil index

New smoothness, HMA pavingclasses added to CalAPA

schedule of on-line training

Tech Term of the Week:Asphalt joint filler

Pavement Pointer of theWeek: Compaction / density

Safety Pointer of the Week:Respiratory protection

Quote of the Week: RobertFrost

CALENDAR

(Always on-line HERE)

*

'Asphalt Pavement 101' class(WEBINAR ONLY)

Tuesday & Wednesday, May19 & 20, 9 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Contact: Sophie You (916)791-5044

Details HERE. *

Asphalt PavementSmoothness Specifications

(WEBINAR ONLY)

Greetings!

This weekly bulletin contains the latest news and information ofinterest to the asphalt pavement industry in California. Please feelfree to distribute this newsletter to others who may be interested inasphalt pavements.

SPECIAL REPORT: COVID-19 pandemicweighs on state & local public worksbudgets; Workers Comp executive orderraises alarm; Caltrans oil index gets newscrutiny

As the asphalt pavement industry in California continued to movecarefully forward last week on public and private paving projects inthe midst of a global pandemic and a wounded economy, Gov. GavinNewsom delivered another blow in the form of an executive order onworkers compensation insurance that shook the industry like avibratory roller.

Meanwhile, the Caltrans oil index, used to calculate asphalt priceadjustments and intended to smooth out price spikes, receivedrenewed scrutiny as the posted oil price for May 20 stood at $109,down from $350 in January and widening the gap from the price ofliquid asphalt binder across the state.

And in the first assessment of the impact of the coronavirus- COVID-19 public health emergencythat has triggered widespread"stay at home" orders acrossthe state and nation, thestate Department of Financeprojected California's statebudge surplus would vanish,replaced by a $50 billion deficit that could take years to erase.

As of May 9, the California Department of Public Health reportedthere were 66,680 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 2,745 deathsin California. That compared to 21,794 cases and 651 deaths a monthprior. One closely followed model predicted California couldexperience more than 6,000 COVID-19 deaths by August. The CDPHcentral repository for COVID-19 information in California is HERE.

Although road construction largely has been allowed to continue inCalifornia since March 19, when the governor issued a statewide "stayat home" order, several San Francisco Bay Area counties laterimposed moratoriums on commercial construction. Those counties onApril 29 announced an extension of "stay at home" orders throughMay, but also lifted the commercial construction restriction as long ascertain safety guidelines are met. The San Francisco order andconstruction guidance, which was mirrored by neighboring counties,can be found HERE. Of the new restrictions, the addition of a "COVID-19 Safety Compliance Officer" in the list of additional requirements

A Teichert paving operation beingcompleted under new COVID-19

safety protocols.

Tuesday, May 26, 9 a.m. to11 a.m.

Contact: Sophie You (916)791-5044

Details HERE. *

Quality Asphalt PavingWednesday, May 27, 9 a.m.

to 11:30 a.m.(WEBINAR ONLY)

Contact: Sophie You (916)791-5044

Details HERE. *

Asphalt PavementSmoothness - Best Practices

(WEBINAR ONLY)Thursday, May 27, 9 a.m. to

11 a.m. Contact: Sophie You (916)

791-5044Details HERE.

SOCIALIZE

CHOOSE ASPHALT

Asphalt is used on about 95percent of paved roads in

California and across the U.S.Why? Because it's smooth,

quiet, safe, durable and 100percent recyclable. Visit theAsphalt Pavement Alliancewebsite learn more aboutwhy asphalt is the right

choice now more than ever.

created the most confusion and consternation in the constructionindustry generally lauded for keeping workers safe on the job.

The coronavirus is easily transmitted via airborne droplets expelledby those who have been infected, and the COVID-19 illness it bringsabout can lead to mild to severe flue-like symptoms, withhospitalization and death for some, particularly those with underlyinghealth conditions. There is no known cure. To slow the spread of thevirus, public health officials have issued a series of "social distancing"and other orders across the state and nation to slow the spread of thevirus, which include banning large gatherings, keeping at least 6-feetapart, personal hygiene and wearing of protective face coverings.

Generally, the health orders issued carried exemptions for thepreservation of essential services related to health, safety and theprotection of vital infrastructure, such as utilities, transportationsystems and housing, and supply chains critical to ensuringCalifornians continue tohave access to food, medicalcare and other servicesduring the emergency. Roadconstruction, along with theupstream supply chainsupporting it, was generallyconsidered an essentialactivity so long as propersafety precautions were inplace.

Last week, the governormade a series ofannouncements to relax some "stay at home" restrictions for certainleisure activities and low-risk business operations while urging cautionand continuing restrictions for many other types of businesses wereclose contact by people could spread the virus quickly.

But it was his May 6 executive order establishing a "rebuttablepresumption" for workers to access workers compensation benefits ifthey contracted COVID-19 that sent shockwaves through the businesscommunity.

"We are removing a burden for workers on the front lines, who risktheir own health and safety to deliver critical services to our fellowCalifornians, so that they can access benefits, and be able to focus ontheir recovery," Newsom said in announcing the executive order."Workers' compensation is a critical piece to reopening the state andit will help workers get the care they need to get healthy, and inturn, protect public health." His full press announcement and link tothe Executive Order is HERE.

The reaction from the business community was immediate.

"The Executive Order issued today will unnecessarily and significantlydrive up costs for California employers through increased workers'compensation insurance rates at a time when they are struggling tokeep Californians employed," the California Chamber of Commercesaid in a statement. "Imposing a legal presumption that any employeewho contracts the coronavirus is covered by workers' compensationbenefits shifts the cost of this pandemic to employers."

Other news out of Sacramento was just as devastating. The Newsomadministration on May 7 projected the state budget deficit willballoon to $54.3 billion, the biggest deficit in state history. Thefigures were released by his Department of Finance, which prepares

GET TECHNICAL

Are you an engineer, designeror technical professionalwho makes decisions on

pavement type selection? TheDriveAsphalt website has

technical reports and otherresources may be just what

you're looking for. ClickHERE for more information.

CalAPA

California Asphalt PavementAssociation (CalAPA)

Mailing address:P.O. Box 981300

West Sacramento, CA 95798

Main office:1550 Harbor Blvd., Suite 211West Sacramento, CA 95691

(916) 791-5044 (phone)

BACK ISSUES

Did you miss an issue of theCalifornia Asphalt Insider? Noproblem! Past editions of thenewsletter are available at

the CalAPA newsletter archive page.

MAGAZINE

the annual state budget proposed bythe governor. The DOF memo is HERE.A day later, the non-partisanLegislative Analyst's Office projectedthe deficit to be between $18 billionand $31 billion -- not quite ashorrifying but still massive. "Thestate's newly emergent fiscalchallenges are unlikely to dissipatequickly and will extend well beyond the end of the public healthcrisis," the LAO said, predicting that budget deficits will "persist foryears to come." The LAO report is HERE.

The governor's official revised budget will be released May 15 and willgive a clearer indication of how those deficits will be dealt with, andthe impact on transportation, which is largely funded through gas-taxand use fees, supplemented in many counties by sales-tax leviesdevoted to transportation. The state's fiscal year begins July 1.

Similar dire warnings have been made by various cities and countiesduring the week. The San Diego City Council, for example, wasreviewing a city budget that anticipates the COVID-19 emergency willcost the city more than $300 million. Mayor Kevin Faulconer hasproposed eliminating 354 city jobs to help close the gap between taxrevenues and expenses.

The triple whammy of geopolitics, a global glut on oil supplies andthe COVID-19 emergency has pushed oil prices downward, which inturn has pushed the Caltrans crude oil price index to historic lows.The oil index is used to calculate asphalt price adjustments, but thewidening gap between the price of oil and the going price for asphaltbinder sold in California continued to be wide, creating pain for somestate highway projects that include the index provision. The May 20posting was $109, compared to $359 in January, the lowest price inmore than a decade. The posted prices can be found HERE. Industryand Caltrans representatives were communicating last week aboutthe harm an out-of-balance index could cause to an industry alreadyunder siege by other COVID-19-related impacts.

Undeterred by the shifting coronavirus landscape, asphalt associationscontinued to updatemembers on relevantinformation and push outeducational information innew and compelling ways. OnMay 6, CalAPA held its mostwidely attended RegionalTechnical Committee meetingcompletely on-line, withmore than 88 CalAPAmembers and public worksagency representatives inattendance. Moderated by CalAPA Technical Director Brandon Milar,participants heard an update on the Caltrans Independent Assuranceand Joint Training & Certification Programs from Jeremy Peterson-Self (an electronic copy of his presentation is HERE), and a technicalpresentation on polymer modified binders by Gary Fitts with CalAPA-member Kraton Polymers U.S. (his presentation is HERE).

CalAPA will hold "Asphalt Pavement 101" classes on-line on May 19 &20 (details HERE), as well as pavement smoothness classes (newspecifications class May 26 -- details HERE; smoothness best practicesMay 28 -- details HERE). CalAPA's popular Quality Asphalt Paving classwill be held on-line on May 27 (details HERE).

Skip Brown (left) and RogerSmith.

CalAPA produces a highlyregarded magazine,

California Asphalt, and anannual membership

directory. To view currentand past issues of the

magazine, click HERE. Foradvertising sales information,

click HERE or call KerryHoover with Construction

Marketing Services at (909)772-3121.

STAY INFORMED

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GET CERTIFIED!

The Caltrans-industry JointTraining & Certification

Program (JTCP) for materialstechnicians is holding classes

in Northern and SouthernCalifornia. Click HERE to visit

The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), a CalAPA partner,continues to update its COVID-19 information page HERE. CalAPACOVID-19 "Member Alerts" continue to be posted on the CalAPAwebsite HERE.

As the the impacts from the pandemic continue to unfold, CalAPA willcontinue to keep the industry informed of pertinent information as itbecomes available. For more information, contact CalAPA at (916)791-5044, or visit the CalAPA Safety page on the association's websiteHERE.

New smoothness, HMA paving classes addedto CalAPA schedule of on-line training

Just in time before the paving season gets into full swing, CalAPA'son-line technical training offerings have been expanded to includelive webinar-style offerings of popular "Quality HMA Paving" and apavement smoothness specifications and best practices classes. Theyjoin the "Asphalt Pavement 101" class that will be held in twoinstallments on May 19 & May 20. All CalAPA webinars and events arelisted on the association's on-line calendar HERE. The "Asphalt Pavement 101" class is a good overview of everythingasphalt, touching on how asphalt pavements are designed,constructed and maintained. It is taught by Roger Smith, a formersenior materials engineer with Caltrans and the Asphalt Institute, aswell as a former executive director of CalAPA. Although the class isjust a half-day it is packed with loadsof useful information for contractorand agency paving crews, qualitycontrol specialists, lab personnel andothers who interact with asphaltpavements. The class will be held intwo installments on May 19 & May 20for one registration fee. Details areHERE. Just added to the calendar is areturn of "Quality Asphalt Paving," a"boots on the ground" view ofpractical asphalt paving techniquesand best practices, taught byveteran paving contractor andconsultant Skip Brown, who in hiscareer has personally supervised theplacement of more than 4 million tons of HMA on highways andparking lots in California. His on-line class will be held May 27. Detailsare HERE. Also returning to the schedule are training smoothness classes brokenup into a deep-dive into new pavement specifications, and also intobest practices to achieve optimum pavement smoothness andincentive payments. Both classes are taught by Mike Robinson, alongtime industry figure and consultant. Details on the May 26specifications class is HERE. Details on the May 28 best-practices forachieving smooth pavements class is HERE. Attendees to all CalAPA on-line classes receive customized electronic certificates of completion,as well as a digital reference book. While the COVID-19 pandemic

Mike Robinson

our JTCP resource page tolearn more.

DESIGN!

To visit the PAVEXpresswebsite, click HERE. To view

the companion website,PaveInstruct, click HERE.

LEARN! We can bring CalAPA's

popular training classes toyour facility at a date and

time convenient to you! ClickHERE to view our "hosted"

training class flier, or contactCalAPA at (916) 791-5044 for

details. This service isavailable to public agenciesand CalAPA members only.

response discourages face-to-facemeetings and classes, CalAPA willutilize internet technology tocontinue the sharing of technicalinformation related to asphaltpavements.The classes are livelyand interactive, with on-line polls,the opportunity for participants tohave specific questions answeredand more. For more information on CalAPAtraining classes, contact Sophie Youof CalAPA at (916) 791-5044. Tolearn more about CalAPA's "hosted"training opportunities, view our flierHERE.

Tech Term of the Week

Each week we highlight a word, acronym or other referencecommonly used in the asphalt pavement industry in California.

ASPHALT JOINT FILLER: An asphaltic product used for filling cracksand joints in pavement and other structures.

Paving Pointer of the WeekEach week we highlight a key point or best practice of interest toasphalt paving crews, inspectors and others working in the field. Wewelcome suggestions. More tips can be found in our Asphalt ParkingLot Construction Checklist HERE.

COMPACTION / DENSITY: The plans and specifications should specifyhow density is tested. The inspector needs to monitor the specifiedcompaction density with a gauge to ensure that final target densitiesare achieved. Regular visual inspection of the mat during compactionis also required: look for segregation, indentations, properly sealedjoints, and under-compacted areas.

Safety Tip of the WeekEach week we highlight a key tip or best practice to ensure thatasphalt plants and paving operations are safe, comply withappropriate regulations and are accident-free. We welcomesuggestions. More tips can be found in our Safety Checklists postedon our Safety Resources Page HERE.

PROPER USE OF RESPIRATORS: Employers who have never beforeneeded to consider a respiratory protection plan should note that itcan take time to choose an appropriate respirator to provide toworkers; arrange for a qualified trainer; and provide training, fittestingand medical evaluation for their workers. Learn more from theOccupational Safety & Health Administration HERE.

Quote of the Week "The best way out is always through."

Robert Frost

We hope you enjoy CalAPA's Asphalt Insider. We are committed toproviding you with the most up-to-date information on technicalissues, regulation, news, analysis, events and trends in California thatmay impact the asphalt pavement industry. Click HERE to contact uswith any comments or suggestions. Sincerely,

Russell W. Snyder, CAE Executive DirectorCalifornia Asphalt Pavement Association (CalAPA)®

Visit the CalAPA Safety resources page HERE.

The California Asphalt Insider is an official publication of the California Asphalt Pavement Association. For moreinformation or to inquire about membership, call (916) 791-5044, or click HERE to send us an e-mail.

Copyright © 2020 California Asphalt Pavement Association - All Rights Reserved. The CalAPA® name (No. 5,621,794) andlogo (No. 5,621,795) are registered trademarks with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

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