point of view - mix equipment magazine€¦ · • a man realizes his lifetime dream of living on...

that are coming in from the National Center forAsphalt Technology (NCAT) Test Track atAuburn University will illustrate what today’sasphalt technology can do. On that test track,four trucks hauling triple-trailer assembliesweighing in at about 152,000 lbs. (69 tonnes)each have been subjecting 46 test segments ofpavement to 10 million ESALs in just twoyears. All of those test segments have stoodup to the trucks’ weight with minimal ruttingand pavement deformation.We can build sturdy dedicated truck lanes. Andwhen we do, the positive effects to Interstateusers and truck-lane users will be immediatelyclear. By moving truck traffic to dedicated trucklanes, existing automobile lanes will last threetimes longer. By keeping automobile lanessmoother, fuel consumption will be reduced,along with maintenance costs, tire wear, anddriver fatigue. Less fuel consumption would

lead to lower emissions, lending to a cleaner environment.By keeping cars and trucks apart, the number of accidents,injuries, and fatalities would drop significantly. By driving in theirown truck lanes, truck drivers would be involved in fewer accidents,leading to a reduction in insurance costs for trucking companies—and a subsequent reduction in shipping costs.The domino effect of building dedicated truck lanes will benefiteveryone who uses the nation’s Interstates. And that is why Ibelieve everyone should play a part in financing the cost of buildingthese truck lanes. By increasing the federal gas tax ten cents pergallon, we would generate $16 billion each year. That wouldprovide funds sufficient to build an infrastructure that keeps trucksseparate from cars.It is time to find a way to create dedicated truck lanes—for oureconomy, for our safety, and for our personal freedom.The Interstate highways cannot remain the way we know themtoday if they are to be useful to us tomorrow.

Consider these different scenarios:• A man realizes his lifetime dream of living onhis own small farm—without giving up his dayjob in the big metropolitan city.• A contractor orders a replacement part at fiveo’clock in the evening—and it is delivered to hisjobsite the very next day.• A college student sets out to discover thecountry, coast to coast—without ever boardingan airplane.All of these scenarios are made possible in theUnited States by a powerful network of roads.The simple fact is we depend heavily on ourhighways in general and our Interstate systemin particular. It is an integral part of our nationaleconomy and our personal freedom.In the coming years, we will be seeing anincrease in our dependence on these roads.Right now, 75 to 80 percent of all goods are moved by truck. Asthe economy and the amount of freight being shipped over thehighways grow, so will the number of large trucks. It has beenestimated that in the next ten years, the number of trucks on thenation’s highways will double. Where are we going to fit all of thatadditional traffic?A simple solution has been bouncing around the road-constructionindustry for some time now, and we have finally reached the pointwhere we must take the initiative to make that idea a reality. It isthe concept of dedicated truck lanes.One idea for dedicated truck lanes would suggest the use of theexisting Interstate right-of-way by creating four separate lanesexclusively for truck traffic, leaving four to six lanes for regularpassenger automobiles. Quickly consider these two facts:❏ A truck does as much damage to pavement as 9,600 cars.❏ About 5,000 people die each year when cars tangle with trucks.The key to the dedicated truck lane concept is forged from thosetwo facts: By keeping trucks separate from cars, you increasesafety and decrease pavement damage to the Interstate highways.Those of us in the road-construction industry know that we havethe technology to build a long-lasting, durable pavement that canstand up to heavy truck traffic. A quick examination of the results

HOT-MIX MAGAZINE 5 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 1

POINT OF VIEW

J. Don Brock, Ph.D.Chief Executive OfficerAstec Industries, Inc.

Something that wins agreement from the whole industry:Dedicated truck lanes can benefit all taxpayers.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT TEST RESULTS AT THE NCAT TEST TRACKsee the story on Page 12 of this issue of Hot-Mix Magazine — or contact Rhonda Shelton at Astec Industries:

Phone: 423-867-4210 • Fax: 423-867-4127 • E-mail: [email protected]


AWARDWINNER

THE NAPA 2002 ECOLOGICAL

NAPA’s Ecological Award competitionrecognizes excellence in HMA facility operations.

“NAPA selects the award recipientsusing rigorous criteria to evaluate

the environmental friendliness of their operations.The judges determined that

APAC-Arkansas Inc.operates in an exemplary manner.”

—David B. Carlson2002 Chairman of the NAPA Board of Directors

SOME FOLKS RECYCLE PAPER.Others recycle aluminum cansand glass and plastic milk

bottles. But just a few miles eastof Van Buren, Arkansas there aresome people who have really beenthinking big when it comes toenvironmental friendliness:They’ve taken an old stone quarryand turned it into one of the nicest,cleanest hot-mix asphalt (HMA)plants in the nation. And in return,they won the prestigious NAPA2002 Ecological Award for a NewFacility. The award was presentedin January at NAPA’s 48th AnnualConvention in California.The award winner this year is thePreston Plant operated by theArkhola Division of APAC-ArkansasInc. According to John Sulcer,president of the Arkhola Division,“When we began to design ournew Preston Plant, our objectivewas to build the best possiblehot-mix facility. We were not reallythinking about qualifying for anyenvironmental awards. We justwanted to have a nice plant.”The Arkhola Division has its head-quarters in Fort Smith, Arkansas.Its market area includes northwestArkansas and eastern Oklahoma.“The company started in 1910,”Sulcer explained. “But we’ve beenlocated here in Fort Smith sinceabout 1930. We’ve been an APACcompany since 1968.”Sulcer explained that the companyfocuses solely on being a materialssupplier. They sell HMA, crushedstone, sand, gravel, and ready-mixconcrete. “We now have threedredges on the Arkansas River,four quarries, five sand-and-gravelplants, 22 ready-mix plants, andfive asphalt plants.”The newest plant—an Astec dual-drum hot-mix plant—replaces anolder Astec batch plant. Sulcer saidthey upgraded the facility in orderto supply paving contractors withmix needed to rehabilitate someInterstate highways in the FortSmith area. “We decided weneeded a plant that would give usat least 500 tons per hour (454tonnes per hour),” said Sulcer.“So far, we’ve run more than onemillion tons (900,000 tonnes)


through this plant. And the lay-down crews and quality-controlpeople are very happy with theway the mix looks. It coats welland it gives us a very good mix.”The company’s new dual-drumplant is equipped with an Astecrelocatable 10 x 44-ft. (3.3 x 14.7-m)aggregate dryer; a stationary 8 x22-ft. (2.7 x 7.3-m) mixing drum;an eight-compartment cold-feedsystem; a 650-barrel fines silo; andfive Astec hot-mix storage silos,each with a 300-ton (272-tonne)capacity. The AC system includesa Heatec 35,000-gal. (132,500-L)AC tank; two 25,000-gal. (94,600-L)vertical AC tank; a helical-coil hot-oil heater; a heavy-fuel pre-heater;a 1,000-gal. (3,800-L) automaticcalibration tank; and a 2,000-gal.(7,600-L) liquid-additive tank. Allof the AC equipment is housed ina metal building that preventsrainwater from accumulating inthe containment pond.Sulcer explained that they askedAstec to provide them with thequietest plant possible. As a result,the dryer and the mixing drumare insulated to cut down onnoise and the burner is enclosedto further reduce sound levels.“We are located down in a quarryand it is not very likely that theneighbors would hear much noiseanyway,” said Sulcer. “But keepingthe noise level down is helpful forour own personnel. You need to beable to communicate. And a quietwork environment is better.”Sulcer pointed out another featureon the new Astec plant that makesit worker-friendly: the computerizedcontrol system. “I think that’s thebiggest change we’ve noticed,” hesaid. “We had been pushing but-tons—but this plant is totallycomputerized. I think it’s one of thefirst ones that Astec did. We saidwe wanted it computerized andAstec said ‘Well, we’ll get it foryou!’ We went through a little bitof a trial-and-error period because

FOR MORE INFORMATIONabout Astec’s hot-mix asphalt plants, contact Diane Hunt at Astec:

423-867-4210Fax: 423-867-3570

E-mail: [email protected]

it was their first one. But now it’sworking great. It’s very easy forthe operators—and they love it.“You can start it up on automatic.It’s all on the screen, it’s allsequenced. You can see yourtemperatures. All of the data isrecorded so you can go back andsee what took place during theprevious 24 hours. The controlsystem is a really nice set-up.”Some of the featuresthat led to the NAPA award:❏ The plant is located in a quarrypit that has a 40-ft. (12-m) highwall around the facility. It willprobably never been seen by theneighbors—and the location helpsreduce dust emissions and noise.❏ A pond near the plant collectsall rainwater run-off—and thiswater is then used for plant wash-down and for watering the grassand flowerbeds on the property.❏ Extensive paving around theplant ensures that trucks neverhave to leave the pavement. Thearea where the aggregate stock-piles are located is also paved toimprove drainage and reducemoisture levels in the aggregate. ❏ The plant itself is equipped withan extensive emissions-controlsystem. Plant personnel regularlymonitor baghouse emissions toensure that it is working properly.❏ The entire site has been land-scaped with grading, berms, sod,trees, and shrubs. An irrigationsystem for the grass and flower-beds uses water from the quarrycontainment pond. ❏ Access roads for the haul truckswere designed so that arrivingand departing trucks never haveto cross paths on their way to oraway from the storage silos. “We had never really invested a lotin landscaping any of our plantsbefore,” said Sulcer. “But on thisone, we really wanted to take astep forward and make it look nice.We’re very proud of it.” ▼▲▼


into the paver’s hopper, the coolermaterial tends to gather at theoutside edges of the hopper. Asthe material in the hopper is rundown, the cool material fallsinward toward the slat conveyorsand is eventually conveyed back tothe auger chamber to be screededout onto the mat.Tests have shown that it is moredifficult to properly compact acooler mix—resulting in high airvoids and roughness in the coolspots, and making these spotsvulnerable to rutting and breakup.Through an infrared camera, thenew mat behind a paver that wasnot supplied the mix by a Shuttle

Buggy MTV is a field of red andorange (hot areas) scattered withspots and streaks of greens andyellows (medium temperatures)and even blues (very cool). Thetemperature differential in a matlike this can be as much as 100° F(56° C). Behind a paver suppliedby a Shuttle Buggy MTV, the freshmat appears in the infrared imageas a solid, consistent field of redand orange. The temperature dif-ferential in a mat like this one isusually less than 10° F (6° C).

Visual evidence like that whichthe NDOT engineers saw throughtheir infrared cameras can bevery difficult to ignore.

Nevada’s new specification:versatile, beneficial MTVsAccording to Hale, NDOT hasrequired the use of MTVs—whichis described in the specification asa self-propelled material-transfervehicle with storage and continu-ous internal remixing capabilities—within the Clark County area(including the city of Las Vegas)for some time. The agency onlyrecently expanded the specificationto include all mainline Interstatepaving operations in the state ofNevada. “And I think we will beexpanding it beyond mainlineInterstate paving soon,” Hale said.Aside from the reduction of tem-perature segregation, Hale saidNDOT has discovered some otherbenefits that come from using theShuttle Buggy MTV.“Once we specified MTVs in ClarkCounty, including some of oururban streets, we realized thatthere are a lot more benefits,”said Hale. “For instance, whenpaving confined areas, they canload up the Shuttle Buggy MTV ata convenient location, and thenthe Shuttle Buggy can maneuveraround to keep the paver sup-plied, without needing to worryabout getting a truck in thosesmall spaces, too.”NDOT discovered that the ShuttleBuggy MTV also solved a common,recurring problem with coatedaggregates, said Hale.“When are using performance-graded asphalt in Clark County.But some of the plants are notgiving us a very good coating onour aggregates, even though ourspec requirement is that the coat-ing has to happen at the dischargeof the drum,” he explained. “Well,once the mix runs through theShuttle Buggy MTVs, it tends tobe completely coated. That’s notreally how it should be—it’s notwhere we really want the coatingto occur—but that is an addedbenefit of the MTVs.”

Despite some initial reluctanceat the new NDOT specifications,most contractors in the area

have come to realize that there aremany benefits offered by theRoadtec Shuttle Buggy® MTV

...benefits both seen and unseen.

WHY NDOT SPECS CALL FORMATERIAL-TRANSFER VEHICLESWHY NDOT SPECS CALL FOR

MATERIAL-TRANSFER VEHICLESTHROUGH THE NAKED EYE,

you might not immediatelybe able to see the benefits of

using a Roadtec Shuttle Buggy®

material-transfer vehicle (MTV).But look at a freshly placed matof hot-mix asphalt (HMA) with aninfrared camera (see the photoson the facing page) and suddenlythe advantages become very clear.It was that kind of high-tech view-point that influenced the thinkingof the engineers at the NevadaDepartment of Transportation(NDOT) when they were consider-ing the use of MTVs in all main-line paving operations. Accordingto Jeff Hale, a quality assuranceengineer for NDOT, they werealready aware of and interested inthe Shuttle Buggy MTV’s ability toreduce material segregation. Butonce they started doing a littlemore research, they discoveredthe potential to eliminate temper-ature segregation, as well.“Originally, we wanted to requirethe use of the MTV to eliminatemany problems with materialsegregation,” said Hale. “Then, ourmaterials people saw some stud-ies on the Shuttle Buggy MTV andthey bought one of those infraredcameras. They have been workingwith those cameras and examiningthe Shuttle Buggy MTV’s effectson temperature segregation. It isvery impressive to see the differ-ence between the temperature ina mat placed with the help of aShuttle Buggy MTV compared toone that was placed without one.”

What you cannot see:temperature segregationTemperature segregation com-monly occurs during truck trans-port of the HMA from the plant tothe paving site. The material onthe top of the load and on theoutside edges of the truck natu-rally becomes cooler than thematerial toward the center of theload. When the material is dumped


The final two benefits that Halecited were factors that can beviewed and appreciated with thenaked eye: a smooth mat and aversatile piece of machinery.“When we specified MTVs, wewere also looking for the smooth-ness benefits,” said Hale. “Plus, Iwas happy to find out that theShuttle Buggy MTV is capable ofworking with both the windrowand the Flow Boy trailers. It is avery flexible piece of equipment.”

The Shuttle Buggy MTV:big investment, big returnsAccording to Hale, contractorsworking in the Las Vegas areawere skeptical about the potentialbenefits of using a Shuttle BuggyMTV on paving projects—andreluctant to make the investmentto add a MTV to their line ofpaving equipment.“But our contractors in southernNevada went out and purchasedthem anyway,” said Hale. “Andthe specification has definitelybeen successful.”Among those paving professionalswho were initially reluctant wasJoe McDonough, paving managerfor Wells Cargo, Inc., a pavingcontractor headquartered in LasVegas. He admitted that if NDOThad not required MTVs, he doubtsthe company would own one.“I hate to admit it,” McDonoughsaid, “but, quite honestly, I don’tthink we would have bought aShuttle Buggy if we hadn’t beennudged by NDOT. It is a bigchunk of change, and you arealways trying to minimize yourpaving train as much as youhumanly can. Less is usually bet-ter. But in this particular case, thebenefits involved with the ShuttleBuggy MTV far outweigh the cost.”Wells Cargo purchased their firstShuttle Buggy MTV—an SB-2500—in the summer of 2002 whenthey contracted to pave a segmentof the Las Vegas I-215 beltway, aproject where MTVs were required.McDonough said that even withthat very first application, it wasclear that the Shuttle Buggy MTVcould eventually provide thepaving contractor with many ben-efits and advantages.

“We were putting down an arterialmix with a coarse gradation,” saidMcDonough. “That mix has a ten-dency to get a lot of segregationand rock pockets. The ShuttleBuggy MTV resolved the majorityof that problem right away by re-mixing the HMA. Plus, it smoothedit up a little. It didn’t look as coarse.And the remixing action also keptus from getting cold pockets inthe mat that might have aggravatedthe situation.”McDonough added that becausethe Shuttle Buggy MTV nevermakes direct contact with thepaver, they completely eliminatedthe problem of “bump grinds” inthe finished mat.

“We had no bump grinds on themainline paving of the I-215 job,”said McDonough. “I’m convincedthat the Shuttle Buggy MTV was amajor contributing factor in that.It made a big difference.”

McDonough noted that anotherbenefit of the Shuttle Buggy MTVwas the convenience of shortertruck lines in the paving train.

“On the I-215 job, we were paving27 miles (43 km) from the plant,”he said. “Not only do you haveheat loss in the truck on the tripfrom the plant to the paving site,but then the trucks usually wouldhave to wait in line, allowingmore loss of heat. With the

Shuttle Buggy MTV working outthere, the trucks could step rightup there and get rid of their hot-mix either directly into the ShuttleBuggy MTV or onto the ground,and then they could head back tothe plant. The result was a reduc-tion of the amount of trucksstanding in our paving train, plusit speeds up the travel speed.”

For Las Vegas Paving Corporation,they made the decision to purchasetheir first Shuttle Buggy MTV dur-ing the 1990s when they werecontracted to pave the new LasVegas Motor Speedway.

“One of the requirements for thespeedway paving was that onceyou started the pass, you had tocomplete that pass before youcould stop,” said Rick Ewing, thedispatch coordinator for Las VegasPaving. “The Shuttle Buggy MTVwas excellent for that applicationbecause if your hot-mix plantwent down or if your trucks hadtrouble, you already had two loadsof mix in the Shuttle Buggy MTVto keep you going.”

When Clark County and NDOTbegan requiring the use of MTVson most of their paving jobs,Ewing said Las Vegas Paving optedto purchase two more ShuttleBuggy MTVs.

“We have had good success withthe Shuttle Buggy MTV, especiallywith the smoothness of the matthat it helps produce,” said Ewing.“Plus, because of the remixing ofthe material, you don’t get a lot ofsegregation when you use theShuttle Buggy MTVs.”

Despite some initial reluctance atthe new NDOT specifications,most contractors in the area havecome to realize that there are manybenefits offered by the RoadtecShuttle Buggy MTV—benefits thatare both seen and unseen. Andsometimes, you have to use it forawhile before you see it.

“At first, I couldn’t see why wewould need this piece of equip-ment,” said McDonough, with agenuine laugh. “But now I realizethat the applications you arecapable of doing with this machineare just about limitless.” ▼▲▼

FOR MORE INFORMATIONcall your Roadtec Regional Sales Manager or call Carmen Mercer:

800-272-7100Fax: 423-265-7521


The top photo was taken with an infrared camera looking back from the paveron a mat that had been dumped into the hopper without remixing. Notice thewhite spot has a temperature of 118.3° C (244.9° F). The green area (Spot 1)has a temperature of only 89.8° C (193.6° F). The temperature segregation isquite clear. In the bottom photo, the mat was laid by a paver that had beenfed by a Roadtec Shuttle Buggy material-transfer vehicle (MTV). Notice thatall of the spots measured are close to the same temperature—visual proof thatremixing in a Shuttle Buggy MTV prevents temperature segregation.


IT IS NOT ALL THAT UNUSUALfor business-minded people towish they could stretch their

investments just a little further. Infact, that should be the goal ofanyone working to make a profit.And that is exactly the businessstrategy that Superior Industrieshad in mind when they designedand developed their new line oftransfer conveyors: the Extender™Series. Through a portable andflexible design, the Extender Seriestransfer conveyors help producersget more for their money.

“We spent a lot of time talkingwith producers in the field whenwe developed this conveyor line,”a Superior Industries spokesmansaid in a recent interview. “Wefound that most producers whodeal with aggregates need theability to configure their stockpilesin a way that meets their particularoperation’s demands.”

The engineers at SuperiorIndustries found that producerstypically encounter difficulty withmoving aggregate from one pointto another because they either donot have enough total length inconveyors to get the job done, orbecause simply moving a transferconveyor between stockpilesproves to be a time- and money-consuming hassle.

The uniquely flexible design of theExtender Series eliminates theneed for multiple transfer conveyorunits. And because they are totallyportable, they can be moved easily—not just between differentstockpiles, but between differentcities, as well.

The three models in the ExtenderSeries each feature an extendablehead and tail, allowing them toextend well beyond their compact,road-transport mode.❏ The Extender model extendsmanually on the head and tail endsof the conveyor. In road-transportmode, the Extender conveyor isapproximately 80 ft. (24 m) long.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONabout the Extender Series transfer conveyors, contact Mary Erholtz

at Superior Industries:800-321-1558

Fax: 320-589-2260E-mail: [email protected]

When it is set into place, it can beadjusted to the desired length byusing its telescoping mechanism.With both the head and tail stingersfully extended, the Extender con-veyor is just over 228 ft. (70 m)long. The Extender’s portabilityfeatures include a double-axlecarrier with two hydraulic landinglegs. The axle assembly consists

of a hydraulic raise package on themain frame to adjust the height to40 in. (102 cm) at the axle; a 9 hp(7 kW) Honda gas engine; and avalve package to operate the winchand hydraulic raise on the axle.

❏ The Extender Plus features ahydraulic extend on the head endof the conveyor. In road-transportmode, the Extender Plus is justover 85 ft. (26 m) long; whenfully extended in material-transfermode, it reaches nearly 150 ft.(46 m) in length.

❏ The Extender Plus with Tail Foldfeatures the easiest set-up optionswith hydraulic extend on the headend and hydraulic power-fold onthe tail end. In road-transportmode, this model is just over 85 ft.(26 m) in length. In material-transfer mode, it can reach over195 ft. (60 m) in length.

In addition to these basic features,there are a number of other optionsavailable with the Extender Seriestransfer conveyors.

But the most attractive feature isprobably the cost-effectivenessthese uniquely designed toolsdeliver as a result of reduceddowntime, labor, and the use offront-end loaders.

“With the options offered by thethree Extender Series models,producers will discover that justone Extender can do the work ofseveral other transfer conveyors,”said the Superior Industriesspokesman. “We are confidentthat the Extender Series will gowell beyond the aggregate pro-ducers’ expectations.” ▼▲▼

HOW TO STRETCH YOUR INVESTMENTIN PORTABLE CONVEYORS

HOW TO STRETCH YOUR INVESTMENTIN PORTABLE CONVEYORS

Easily portable and quickly set-up,the Extender™ Series transfer conveyor

from Superior Industriesgives the aggregate produceran affordable way to stretch

his equipment investmentwhile increasing productivity.

Quickly unfolded... ...and ready to work!

ADVERTISING:


AVERY AMBITIOUS PROJECTrecently reached a veryimportant mile marker—the

1.6-million mile marker, in fact.For the last two years, the 1.7-mile(2.7 km) test track at the NationalCenter for Asphalt Technology(NCAT) at Auburn University inAlabama has been the stage forstate-of-the-art pavement testingand evaluation. The purpose ofthe NCAT Test Track is to subject46 pavement test sections to10,000,000 equivalent single axleloads (EASLs) and about 1.6 mil-lion miles (2.6 million km) drivenin just two years.

NCAT released a report coveringfindings from the first two yearsof traffic and research at the trackin November 2002. Although thetraffic and research program atthe NCAT Test Track will continuefor an additional two years, manyvaluable lessons have alreadybeen learned from the first half ofthis large-scale experiment.

Some background on the NCATTest Track at Auburn UniversityThe basic concept behind theNCAT Test Track evolved from aneed to confirm the performancetests that are conducted on hot-mixasphalt (HMA) pavements in thelaboratory. In real-world settings,no truly reliable test methodsexist—except to place test sectionson public roadways. But thismethod presents several difficultissues, including traffic disruption,scientific control, and safety.

A closed test track built exclusivelyfor the purpose of testing the per-formance of asphalt pavementswas the obvious answer, althoughit was also quite an ambitiousanswer. To help finance the project,NCAT looked to a number ofsponsors, namely state DOTs whowere interested in placing theirown HMA formulas on the testtrack. Through their help, as wellas the help of numerous agencies,contractors, and manufacturerswithin the HMA industry, theNCAT Test Track became a reality.The paving of the track began onMarch 21, 2000. The variousmixes were all produced by anAstec Turbo Six Pack® portable

in the various pavement samples.But they were also able to examineother items, including the differencebetween the performance of fine-graded versus coarse-gradedmixes; the effect of asphalt gradeon performance; the effect ofaggregate type on performance;and performance of several mixturetypes, including Superpave, stone-matrix asphalt, and open-gradedfriction courses. Preliminary findings reportedby the NCAT research teamIn the preliminary report releasedin November, NCAT revealed theirfindings over two years of studyat the Test Track. Here are someof their observations, taken fromthe November report:❏ Automatic belt sampling andmix sampling devices used duringconstruction provided rapid, safe,representative samples.❏ The amount of rutting in thetest sections was negligible. Themeasurable rutting that was seenoccurred in three stages. The firststage was the initial seating andcompaction of the mix. The secondand third stages were the twosummers. Rutting essentiallystopped when the seven-dayaverage maximum air temperaturewas below 82° F (28° C). Ruttingin the second summer (2002)was measurably less than that inthe first summer (2001)—eventhough the summer temperatureswere higher in 2002.❏ Diamond grinding was used onseveral transverse joints in aneffort to improve the smoothnessat the joint. The ground area wasnot sealed after grinding andactually performed very well. Thegrinding process greatly improvedthe overall smoothness that wasdemonstrated at the transversejoints during the test period.Many other findings—and detailson the construction of the track,the mix types used on the varioussections, and testing methods—can be found in the report (NCATReport No. 2002-12). A copy ofthe report is posted at the NCATTest Track website and can bedownloaded free of charge. (Seethe yellow box at the left for moreinformation.) ▼▲▼

To simulate 10 to 15 years of wearover a two-year period, a truckingcompany was contracted to drivefour trucks hauling triple-trailerassemblies around the Test Trackat 45 miles per hour (72 km perhour) for a total of 17 hours a day,six days a week.Each Monday, the trucks took theday off so researchers couldaccess the track and collect data.One of the main factors the NCATteam was looking for was rutting

HMA facility that was located onthe property. Paving equipmentincluded a Roadtec SB-2500Shuttle Buggy® material-transfervehicle and a Roadtec SP-100Stealth™ paver. Throughout theconstruction process, the HMAwas subject to numerous methodsof testing and quality control.Paving for the NCAT Test Trackwas completed on July 14, 2000.And on September 19, the trackwas opened for traffic.

HOW TO GET A COPY OF THE REPORT:To download a copy of the entire NCAT report, go to their website

http://www.eng.auburn.edu/center/ncatClick on “NCAT Publications”

and then click on“Report No. 02-12

NCAT Test Track Design, Construction, and Performance”

THE NCATTEST RESULTS

ARE IN!

The NCAT Test Track recorded10 million EASLs and 1.6 million miles

over a period of two yearsto study the validity of

performance tests for HMA pavements.


PORTABILITY•This Tennessee contractor

found that Astec equipment can beaffordable, fast, and flexible

for creating cement-treated base.

WHEN YOU THINK OF ASTEC,you probably tend to thinkof “asphalt technology,”

the phrase from which the name“Astec” was derived and the areawhere the company has becomean industry leader. But when theMemphis Division of APAC-Tennessee, Inc. needed an efficientway to create cement-treated base(CTB), they turned to Astec—afrequent equipment supplier fortheir asphalt operations—for asolution to their cement handling.“Our old pugmill machines justwere not keeping up with thecrews in the field,” said MikeMorganthaler, project managerfor the Memphis Division ofAPAC-Tennessee. “So we went tothe Astec people and asked themto design a production unit thatthe crews in the field would not bewaiting on. And this is what wecame up with.”The CTB plant Astec developed israted at 500 tph (454 tonnes perhour), with three cold-feed binsto allow the production crew tochange mixes on the fly.“We can run—on average—about400 to 450 tph (363 to 408 tonnesper hour),” said Morganthaler. “Ifwe really wanted to push the thing,though, we could probably get upin the 600 tph (544 tonnes perhour) range. Now—with this new

equipment—we can producewhatever the crews out there inthe field can handle.”Morganthaler was interviewed forthis story in February. And at thattime, he said that since the plantwent into production in November2002, it had produced 35,000 tons(31,751 tonnes) of material.

In addition to producing the normalmaterial, Morganthaler said theAstec CTB plant can be used tomake other kinds of mixes.“Its main function is to make acement-treated base, but we canalso make a cement-treateddrainable base and a cold mixwith it,” said Morganthaler. “And

now we’re kicking around the ideaof a continuous-flow concrete,the kind that you would normallymake in a central-mix plant.”

The Astec CTB plant came with aportable 10 ft. x 14 ft. (3 m x 4 m)three-bin cold-feed system, a 30in. x 50 ft. (76 cm x 15 m) inclinedself-erecting conveyor, a portable30 in. x 50 ft. (76 cm x 15 m)conveyor with a 500 tph (454tonnes per hour) CTB mixer, aProcess Mate control system, a100 ton (91 tonne) portable self-erecting surge bin, and a portablecontrol house.

“The surge bin looks just likewhat you’d find in an Astec SixPack HMA plant,” Morganthalersaid. “Then the surge bin wasdesigned to sit on the load cellsso the system can weigh out thematerial and automatically printout the truck tickets.”

Morganthaler said he is especiallyimpressed by the plant’s portabilityand efficiency. And—given theirplans for moving the plant around—portability is a key factor.

“It works great. It is completelyportable. And it doesn’t requireany big cranes or big equipmentto erect,” said Morganthaler.

“Plus, it’s built very heavy—it isincredibly stout.” ▼▲▼

The cement-treated base (CTB) plant that Astec provided to the MemphisDivision of APAC-Tennessee features a three-bin cold-feed (lower left), amixer (lower right), and self-erecting conveyors that deposit the material ina portable, self-erecting surge bin (above).


And this Nevada contractor chosean Astec lime-blending system

for another simple reason:“It does a lot more than lime.”

ASPHALT CONTRACTORSwho do business in statesthat require the addition of

hydrated lime to hot-mix asphalt(HMA) probably don’t think of alime-additive system as anythingmore than a requirement. Theycertainly don’t think of it as beinga versatile piece of equipment.More likely, they view it as simplyan extra component for theirasphalt-production facility.But for Guy Wells, the presidentand CEO of Wells Cargo, Inc., ageneral contractor headquartered inLas Vegas, Nevada, the company’spurchase of its newest lime-additivesystem promised to provide use-fulness well beyond its normallime-handling capabilities.“It does a lot more than lime,” saidWells, referring to the company’snew Astec portable lime-blendingsystem. “It has been marketed asa lime-silo pugmill system, but itdoes a lot more than that.”Wells Cargo purchased the 350tph (317 tonnes per hour) lime-blending system for two primaryproduction purposes:❏ To provide their HMA facilitywith a fast way to mix aggregatewith hydrated lime;❏ And to add optimal moisture totheir road base and fill materialon utility projects.

“We plan to be using this unit justabout 100 percent of the timeduring busy seasons,” said Wells.“When it’s not being used to intro-duce lime to our asphalt materials,it will be used as a pugmill to getoptimal moisture in our road base.”Wells explained that utilizing theportable lime-additive system as

a way to mix water with base andfill material will prove to be muchmore economical—and muchfaster—than traditional methods.“On utility projects, for example,your fill material needs to be at anoptimum moisture for good com-paction,” said Wells. “This unitallows us to achieve that optimum

moisture level without tying up awater truck and a loader all day,every day. In other words, it is atime and resource saver.”

The lime-blending system WellsCargo acquired from Astec, Inc.features full portability and ahydraulic self-erecting system.

“It only takes half a day to set upthis whole unit after it has beenmoved from one site to another,”said Wells. “It is completely self-contained. We even have theoption of portable power. So youonly need water and power con-nections, and it’s ready to go.”

The lime-blending system has aportable 750-barrel dry-additivesystem, a 10 x 14 ft. (3 x 4 m)cold-feed bin; a 30 in. x 40 ft. (76cm x 12 m) conveyor; a lime pug-mill; a Kolberg Series 13 radialstacker measuring 30 in. x 80 ft.(76 cm x 24 m); an Astec ProcessMate 96 computer control system;and an Astec control center.

The portable nature of the systemhas proven to be a unique solutionto every-day problems, said Wells.

“Adding moisture to base is anexpense that everyone encounters,”said Wells. “That is where we seeutilization for this system, when itis not being used as a partner forthe HMA plant.” ▼▲▼

The lime-blending system that Las Vegas-based Wells Cargo, Inc. purchasedfrom Astec (above photo) includes a single cold-feed bin, a 750-barrel dry-additive system, a 40-ft. (12-m) conveyor, a lime pugmill, a Kolberg radialstacker, and a portable control house with computer controls.

The Astec lime-additive system that is currently being used by Wells Cargowas designed to be quickly and easily portable so that the contractor can useit in a number of different locations. The largest component of the system—the 750-barrel dry-additive silo—features a portable frame and running gear.

When the unit reaches the new plant site, two large hydraulic cylinders pushthe silo into the vertical position. According to Guy Wells, president and CEOof Wells Cargo, “It only takes half a day to set up this whole unit. You onlyneed water and power connections, and it’s ready to go.”

•VERSATILITY


26,000,000 CUBIC YARDS26,000,000 CUBIC YARDSIT’S JUST A LITTLE CONTRACT THAT REQUIRES THE MOVING OFIT’S JUST A LITTLE CONTRACT THAT REQUIRES THE MOVING OF

Hartsfield Atlanta International Airportwants to build a fifth runway...but first they need to move

a small mountain of dirt and rockto provide a level construction site.

JUST LET YOUR IMAGINATIONplay with this figure for amoment: 26 million cubic yards

(19.9 million m3). Why, that’senough to cover New York City’ssprawling Central Park with 20 ft.(6.1 meters) of dirt and rock. Orto put it another way: You couldcover 650 football fields (includingthe end zones) to the same depth.That’s a lot of dirt and rock to bemoved. Especially when you musthave it done in just three years.“I would say this is probably oneof the largest civil earthmovingprojects that has been undertakenin a long time,” said Roy H. Jump,Jr., vice president with C. W.Matthews Contracting Company,Inc. “It’s a $360 million contract.And that is just part of the total$5.4 billion improvement programthat is underway at HartsfieldAtlanta International Airport.”C. W. Matthews Contracting isone of three companies bringingtheir experience and talents to

work on the earthmoving part ofthe project under the structure of5R Constructors, LLC. The othertwo companies are APAC-Georgia,Inc. and Thrasher TruckingCompany, Inc.

The name “5R Constructors” isan acronym for “Fifth Runway,which is the reason they aremoving all that dirt and rock.Hartsfield Atlanta International isthe world’s second-busiest airportin number of flights, with about900,000 takeoffs and landings ayear. The airport’s existing fourparallel runways will not be ableto handle the growing traffic inyears to come—so a fifth runwayis considered essential.

The 9,000-ft. (2,743-m) runwaywill actually cross over Interstate285 when it is completed. Thiswill require a 1,100-ft. (335-m)wide tunnel structure so the run-way can span up to 18 lanes ofInterstate 285 traffic. There willalso be a shorter tunnel for a

This is the mammoth earthmoving and embankment project that is being doneby 5R Constructors to prepare the site for a fifth parallel runway at HartsfieldAtlanta International Airport (seen at the top of the photo).


The Astec Industries family of companies worked ona turnkey basis to provide most of the equipmentthat will be used in crushing and moving the pro-jected 26 million cubic yards (19.9 million m3) ofdirt and rock. Sources of equipment includedTelsmith, Superior Industries, Kolberg-Pioneer,Breaker Technology, Osborn Engineering, and Astec.

The project management was carried out by AstecIndustries. This challenging engineering achievementincluded the placement of crushers, scalpers, andconveyors so they would be capable of moving up to7,500 tons (6,800 tonnes) of material per hours,non-stop. About 75% of the material moved is dirt,and the remaining 25% is granite rock.

FOR INFORMATION OR AN EQUIPMENT LISTcontact Wendell Feltman at Astec, Inc.

423-867-4210Fax: 423-827-1550


parallel taxiway. But first, theyneeded to move all that materialto level the embankment site.“The three companies that joinedtogether for this project have beenplanning it for years,” said Jump.“But Systems Group of AstecIndustries was extremely helpfulin pulling this thing together.Their ideas about the mechanical,electrical, and control portions ofthe project were key elements.”

All of the contractors have hadlengthy experience with conven-tional earthmoving and grading.But this project was going torequire moving the dirt and rockup to five miles (eight km) beforethe grading and compaction couldtake place. One expert estimatedthat it would take five millionroundtrips to move the requiredamount of material one truckloadat a time. If they could eliminatethose roundtrips, they couldspeed up the process and keepthe roads safer for local motorists.

“We started working with themto come up with a way to moveall of that material overland byconveyors,” said Wendell Feltmanof the Astec. The concept wedeveloped involves two station-ary crushers, four relocatablescalping plants, and two portablecrushers. It also involves the useof a long-distance conveyor sys-tem that is a total of five miles(eight km) long.”The dirt and granite rock ispicked up at several quarries andborrow pits in the area. It isscreened and crushed beforebeing loaded onto the overlandconveyor system. When thematerial arrives at the other end,where the centerline of the new

runway will be, it is unloaded.“We have a number of conveyorsand unloading bins at the actualembankment jobsite,” explainedFeltman. “We designed them tobe capable of unloading about6,000 tons (5,400 tonnes) perhour while dropping the materialinto the big Caterpillar 777s thatdistribute it for compaction. It wasdesigned for 6,000 tons (5,400tonnes)—but I think they areusually running it at about 7,500tons (6,800 tonnes) per hour.”It takes about seven seconds toload each truck and each truckmakes the cycle from the loadingbin to the dump-site in aboutthree minutes. There is a total offour loading stations, with two

bins at each station—which meansthat eight trucks can be makingtheir cycles simultaneously.“Since the start of the job, we’vebeen getting better every month,”said Jump. “We started movingmaterial in September and wemoved about 2.2 million tons(2.0 million tonnes) by the endof January. In January alone, wemoved about 1 million tons(910,000 tonnes).”Much of Jump’s positive attitudecomes from their success so faron the project. Adverse weathercould slow them down a bit—but that is part of the game.“The great news for us is thateverything on this very advancedand sophisticated system workedexactly as it was designed towork. Astec’s electrical and con-trols people did a super job. Asfar as I’m concerned, this mate-rial-processing system from theAstec Industries is really an engi-neering marvel!” ▼▲▼


Last year, Tampa, Florida-based E. A.Mariani Asphalt Company added aHeatec polymer-blending system totheir terminal in Tampa, Florida.According to the company’s president,George Mariani, Jr., the new equip-ment should help maintain the highlevel of quality that has become theirhallmark over a period of 56 years.

The facility includes three 35,000-gal.(132,487-L) Heatec vertical tanks(shown in the photo to the right).Two of the vertical tanks are used forstoring polymer and one for rubber.Inside each of the vertical tanks is aHeatec polymer-agitation system.

The control system of the Heatecpolymer-blending system (photo atbottom left) includes fiber optics toprevent problems that might becaused by lightning strikes.

A 62-in. (157-cm) x 48-in. (122-cm)box dumper powered by a hydraulicunit is used to unload polymer intothe hopper (photo at bottom center).A 150-cu.-ft. (4 m3) polymer hopperis connected via a 14-in. (36-cm)diameter x 30-ft., 2-in. (9-m) longscrew conveyor to two 4,000-gal.(15,141-L) blending tanks.

The system is served by a 5,000,000Btu Heatec helical-coil heater (photoat bottom right). It has a combinationPower Flame gas-oil burner, 3-in. (8-cm) diameter coil, 3-in. (8-cm)ceramic-fiber insulation on the shell,and 4-in. (10-cm) ceramic-fiberinsulation on the head.

TERMINALQUALITY

TERMINALQUALITY

TERMINALQUALITY


“Polymer blending is a science.There is a lot of chemistry involved

that will varywith the source and quality

of the asphalt and the crude.”

FOR MORE INFORMATIONabout Heatec’s polymer-blending systems, call Tom Wilkey at Heatec:

800-235-5200Fax: 423-821-7673


IF A SIMPLE HANDSHAKEis mortar that helps to buildyour company’s reputation,

then you know for sure that qualityis of utmost importance. That isthe case with E.A. Mariani AsphaltCompany, Inc., according to thecompany’s president, GeorgeMariani, Jr. He said the people athis company never forget thestandards that helped them growto their current status: the leadingsupplier of asphalt emulsions inthe state of Florida.“We have prided ourselves sinceday one in our integrity and ourquality,” said Mariani. “Every oneof our manufacturing runs iscarefully and thoroughly tested.Every raw-material supply is test-ed. We do not sell anything thatdoes not meet specification.“We have always lived up to eachcontract and handshake that weever had—even though hand-shakes are becoming fewer andfurther between in this business.”E.A. Mariani Asphalt has beenaround long enough to see manychanges in the asphalt industryand the way that business is done.The company was founded in1947 by Mariani’s grandfather,Edward A. Mariani, an Italian whoimmigrated to the United Statesprior to World War I. During WorldWar II, he served in northernAfrica, and later in Italy, helpingto build allied airfields.Following the war, Edward tookthe skills gleaned during the warand acquired a license to make andsell asphalt emulsions in Florida.“He became the first and originaltenant of the Tampa Port Authorityshortly after World War II,” saidMariani. “We have since vacatedthat site, but today we still havean emulsion plant and our newestterminal located in Tampa.”

Today, the company manufacturesasphalt emulsion, asphalt cutback,and refined coal-tar products.They have distribution facilities inMiami and Tampa, plus manufac-turing facilities in five differentcities: their Atlanta facility makesasphalt and coal-tar emulsions; atplants in Memphis, Dallas, andGreensboro, they produce coal-tar

more visible features of this newpolymer-blending system are three35,000-gal. (132,487-L) verticaltanks for storing polymer andrubber; two 4,000-gal. (15,141-L)polymer-blending tanks; and a 150-cu.-ft. (4-m3) polymer hopper.

Mariani said that the quality of theHeatec equipment and servicematched E.A. Mariani Asphalt’sown standards for excellence.

“We were very impressed with thequality of the workmanship,” saidMariani. “Early on, we did have someglitches that were basically theresult of being on the starting endof a learning curve. The equipmentwas not totally familiar to us, andit took us a while to learn how tooperate it properly. But all of ourrequests and inquiries to Heatecwere promptly, adequately, andcorrectly responded to. In fact,Heatec’s representatives madeseveral trips down here to help usthrough that learning curve.”

After gaining some experience withthe manufacturing of polymer-modified asphalt, Mariani said thecompany’s technicians havelearned that, as with any of theirproducts, research, time, andcare are essential throughout theproduction process.

“Polymer blending is a science,”Mariani said. “There is a lot ofchemistry involved that will varywith the source and quality of theasphalt and the crude. It requiresa very conscientious, extensiveevaluation effort in the laboratory,and then a very conscientiousquality-control program to makesure it meets specification.

“There are a number of folks outthere that make the effort, andthere are some who don’t. Peoplewho are interested in doing itright will very quickly realize theimportance of the process.”

Mariani added that the quality ofthe equipment that they use toproduce the polymer-modifiedasphalt is key to making the rightkind of product.

“Heatec wasn’t necessarily thecheapest equipment out there,”Mariani said with emphasis. “But itwas the right equipment.” ▼▲▼

emulsions for pavement mainte-nance; and their Tampa plant—about 4 miles (6 km) from theterminal in Tampa—manufacturesasphalt emulsions. The companyrecently added polymer-modifiedasphalt cement to their list ofavailable products when theyupgraded the production facilitiesat their Tampa terminal.

“We opened our liquid-AC terminalin Tampa in 1994,” explainedMariani. “We rebuilt the dock andadded 40,000 barrels of storage.And just last year, we added thepolymer plant.”The polymer-blending equipmentat E.A. Mariani Asphalt’s Tampaterminal was manufactured andinstalled by Heatec. Some of the

(Above photo courtesy of E. A. Mariani Asphalt Company)


LOBBYING,EDUCATION,

ANDINFORMATION

Ken SimonsonChief Economist

Associated General Contractors of America (AGC)

An Exclusive Hot-Mix Magazine Interview

“I think the service that AGC is providing nowto members, the media, and the public

is unique in that the focusis on the entire economy

and how construction fits into it—and how the economy affects construction.”

With a track record of more than 30years analyzing, advocating, andcommunicating about economic andtax issues, Ken Simonson seemed theideal candidate to fill the position ofchief economist for the AssociatedGeneral Contractors of America (AGC).He moved into that position onSeptember 10, 2001.Prior to making that move, Simonsonspent three years as senior economicadvisor in the Office of Advocacy inthe United States Small BusinessAdministration and 13 years as vicepresident and chief economist for theAmerican Trucking Associations. Hehas also worked with the President’sCommission on Industrial Com-petitiveness; the U.S. Chamber ofCommerce; the Federal Home LoanBank Board; and an independenteconomic consulting firm.Simonson earned a BA in economicsfrom the University of Chicago, andan MA in economics from North-western University. Hot-Mix Magazinerecently spoke with Simonson tolearn more about AGC’s role in theroad-construction industry—and theeconomic future of transportation.For more information about the AGC,you can visit their website on theInternet at www.agc.org.

HOT-MIX: For those who are notfamiliar with the AssociatedGeneral Contractors of America(AGC), could you briefly describewho makes up your membership?

SIMONSON: Basically, AGC is afederation of contractors. Wehave more than 7,000 generalcontractors, 14,000 subcontractorsand specialty contractors, and morethan 12,000 suppliers of goodsand services who serve theconstruction industry.

HOT-MIX: Is your membershipbroken down into local chapters?

SIMONSON: Yes, we have morethan 101 local chapters. Somerepresent a full state and the fullbreadth of the non-residentialconstruction industry. Others aredivided between building, high-way, or heavy construction.

HOT-MIX: How active is AGC inthe road-construction industry?

SIMONSON: Very active. Thehighway-construction side is oneof our most active, both inWashington—where we deal withCongress and the Department ofTransportation—and also out in

members of Congress right toour own office.

HOT-MIX: What other activities orservices does AGC participate in?

SIMONSON: In addition to ourlobbying operation, we provide afull range of member services.These include seminars, trainingprograms, publications, and anumber of CDs that contain itemssuch as construction contractdocuments.

HOT-MIX: Do you provide educa-tional material to your members?

SIMONSON: Absolutely. We havea very extensive catalogue, bothin print and online, which includessafety videos, courses, and certi-fications for all levels of workers.

HOT-MIX: What is your role aschief economist at AGC?

SIMONSON: What I do is a mixbetween educational communica-tion and lobbying. Lobbying isprobably the smallest part of myportfolio, but the amount of lob-bying that I do really depends onwhat is happening with policy-makers in Washington, D.C.

HOT-MIX: There is a lot going onin Washington regarding highwayconstruction this year, isn’t there?

SIMONSON: That’s correct. Thisyear, as the highway bill progress-es, I expect to be working quiteclosely with our legislative staff.I’m in a group called “Governmentand Public Affairs” that is com-prised of both the congressionalrelations and the broader outreachto members of the media and thegeneral public.

HOT-MIX: What does the educa-tional communication part ofyour job consist of?

SIMONSON: My primary functionfrom day to day is to keep theconstruction industry informedon the state of the economy, theopportunities and the implicationsfor different types of construction.Conversely, I inform the mediaand the public about the role ofconstruction in the economy andthe effect that various nationaland local policies would have onconstruction.

the states. Some of our chaptersare almost exclusively highwaycontractors, and others have asignificant highway component.

HOT-MIX: Is AGC more or less alobbying group?SIMONSON: We do have a verydedicated lobbying operation. Weare headquartered in Alexandria,Virginia, just across the river fromWashington, D.C. But in additionto that building, we also have a

townhouse that we convertedinto an office one year ago that isthe closest private office to theHouse office buildings. That iswhere our lobbying staff doesmost of its work and where weregularly host fundraisers formembers of Congress. We alsohave meetings of our own chap-ters when they come to town orwe host coalitions and othergroups. The building provides anexcellent opportunity to bring


HOT-MIX: How do you get all thatinformation out to the constructionindustry, media, and the public?

SIMONSON: I do that throughseveral mechanisms: First, I writea weekly e-mail newsletter calledThe Data DIGest. That e-mail goesto anyone who wants to be on thelist to receive it. Once a month, thesame list receives an analysis ofthe Census Bureau’s Value ofConstruction Put in Place Statis-tics, which gives a very detailedbreakdown of what types of con-struction are underway and howthat has changed compared tothe previous month or previousyear. I sort through that and pickout what’s hot and what’s not.

HOT-MIX: What other publicationsdo you put together?

SIMONSON: Well, eight times ayear I pull out excerpts from theso-called “Beige Book” that thetwelve federal reserve banksaround the country produce. Itsummarizes economic conditionsin each part of the country. Theexcerpts that I send out are theones that are relevant to realestate and construction.

HOT-MIX: Anything else?

SIMONSON: I also have 51 statemailing lists that get the monthlyfigures on construction employ-ment for their particular state.And, periodically, whenever I talkor produce an article for a stateor regional publication, I willsend that out to my state lists.

HOT-MIX: That sounds like a lotof work—but it is certainly aunique service that your groupprovides.

SIMONSON: It is a daily challenge,trying to stay on top of things.But I think the service that AGC isproviding now to members, themedia, and the public is uniquein that the focus is on the entireeconomy and how constructionfits into it—and how the economyaffects construction.

HOT-MIX: In your opinion, whatdirection is the economy going?

SIMONSON: It is a mixed picture.Of course, we have had a won-

derful run on housing, includingsingle-family, multi-family, andhome improvements. Thoseareas have been extremely strongand have helped us avoid a dou-ble-dip recession. I am confidentthat single-family, owner-occupiedhousing and improvements willcontinue to be strong, but I thinkthe market is thinning out forrental and multi-family housing.

HOT-MIX: What about publicconstruction projects?

SIMONSON: I think that publicconstruction, which was verystrong in 2002 and had somemomentum going into 2003, isalso going to weaken. We areseeing many states take reallytough belt-tightening measures.At the same time, the federalgovernment is reorienting itsspending toward defense anddomestic security—and away frominfrastructure, unfortunately.

HOT-MIX: How do things lookfor transportation?

SIMONSON: We are lobbyingfuriously and keeping our fingerscrossed. For many months of thefiscal year 2003 (which beganlast October), Congress failed topass a spending bill for the fullyear. So they continued the high-way spending at the record levelof 2002: $31.8 billion. We havetried to keep them at that levelfor the full fiscal year and usethat as a base for the new high-way authorization bill that willcover 2004 to 2009.

HOT-MIX: That’s a story everyonewill be keeping their eyes on.

SIMONSON: We realize that it’sgoing to be a struggle to squeezeout that kind of money, even

HOT-MIX: So what can pavingcontractors and hot-mix asphaltproducers expect in the monthsto come? What should they belooking for...or what should theybe looking out for?

SIMONSON: They should havetwo major concerns: One is theoutlook for spending for high-ways for the next several years.As I said, that is going to playright up to September 30, andquite possibly beyond that dead-line. And, the other concern, ofcourse, is what is going to hap-pen on the costs side.

HOT-MIX: What exactly do youmean by that? How should theyapproach the issue of “costs” asit relates to their businesses?

SIMONSON: We have seen howvolatile crude oil prices can be.There was a swing from $19 abarrel to $33 a barrel in the courseof 2002, and 2003 could be justas volatile. So I think it would bewise for companies to educatethemselves about hedging andother kinds of risk sharing oncrude and product prices. Thereare a lot of mechanisms for doingthat, and depending on what vol-ume of business you wouldexpect to be doing, it might beworth investigating and gettingeducated about the possibilities.

HOT-MIX: Do you have any finalthoughts or suggestions for thosecontractors who are in the hot-mix asphalt industry?

SIMONSON: In times like these,with a lot of uncertainty and sud-den changes, it is really valuablefor companies to affiliate them-selves with organizations andpublications that give them up-to-the-minute information. I thinkthat AGC does a very valuable jobin keeping its members—includ-ing suppliers and other associatemembers—up to date on thingsthat they need to act on and makedecisions about. If ever there wasa time when you could operatewithout knowing what is happen-ing in your markets and withyour competitors, that time islong gone. ▼▲▼

though there is wide agreementthat we have a lot of congestionproblems and a lot of deterioratingpavements. Obviously, there aremany other interest groups tryingto get their spending boosted atthe expense of highways. I thinkthis is going to go right down tothe wire. TEA-21 expires September30, and I’d be surprised if we havea replacement bill signed into lawmore than a week ahead of thatdeadline.

HOT-MIX: And what do you thinkthat replacement bill is going tolook like?

SIMONSON: It is still too early tosay. We are fighting hard to get asubstantial increase. Last Sep-tember AGC came up with a planthat would have raised spendingto $50 billion a year by 2009from $31.8 billion that we hopedit would start from in 2003. Andthat relied heavily on indexing offuel and other highway taxes,including a one-time retroactiveindexing to reflect the priceincreases that had occurred sincethe last bill was written in 1997.

HOT-MIX: Why not increase thefuel tax to pay for transportationimprovements?

SIMONSON: We purposely stayedaway from explicit fuel-taxincreases. We believed that thereis no chance that the Congressor the President would accept anexplicit increase, but we havegotten an encouraging receptionto the notion of just indexing tokeep things in line with the growthof gas prices. Ten or eleven statesalready do indexing, so it’s not anovel idea. And, of course, there’sindexing spread through differentparts of the federal tax code, too.

“I think the AGC does a very valuable jobin keeping its members...up to date on thingsthey need to act on and make decisions about.

If ever there was a time when you could operatewithout knowing what is happening

in your markets and with your competitors,that time is long gone.”

point of view - mix equipment magazine€¦ · • a man realizes his lifetime dream of living on...

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