Oil Prices Underscore Concrete's Value
ACPA Now Accepting Excellence Awards Nominations
ACPA Encourages Nominations for Distinguished Service Awards
Task Forces to Present Key Findings at Spring Meetings
Course Covers Concrete Basics with Design Guide Focus
Webinar to Focus on Life-Cycle Cost Analysis
Save the Date for ACPA's Mid-Year Meetings

Oil prices once again spiked this week, signaling the strong likelihood that asphalt prices also will follow suit.

Oil prices peaked at $111 per barrel yesterday, then leveled off at $110, according to the Associated Press. As the price of oil increases, so goes the price of asphalt, gasoline, and other derivatives.

The most recent national averages for asphalt (PG-58) was $285.32 on February 4, according to ENGINEERING NEWS-RECORD. This represents a more than 236% increase since 1996. Less than three months ago, asphalt was $281 per ton, up from $270 per ton in 2006.

The Fort Worth Star Telegram (February 21) reported that for the Texas Department of Transportation, the “price of asphalt hot mix rose 89 percent between 2001 and 2007.  For the 326 million gallons [of liquid asphalt] the department used in the past fiscal year, that’s an added cost of $378 million in one year just for asphalt.”

In sharp contrast, the article noted concrete prices in the state have increased only 29 percent for the same period.

Beyond Paving Materials
Also of importance to the industry is the rising price of gasoline and diesel fuels.

Gasoline today reached a record $3.28 per gallon, according to CNNMONEY.COM. According to AAA, the price was $2.972 at this time one month ago, and $2.549 one year ago. 

also reports that the Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects diesel prices will average $3.45 per gallon this year, or 57¢ above the 2007 average price.

The WALL STREET JOURNAL this week attributed price jumps in diesel fuel to limitations at U.S. refineries. The report says refineries set up mainly to produce gasoline have little flexibility to increase diesel supplies. To increase capacity, refineries would have to invest heavily in new equipment, according to energy analysts.

Impact on Construction
ACPA offers several resources that illustrate the effect of oil prices on construction, as well as more information about why concrete is a better value than ever before.

ACPA’s newly updated flyer, “Bottom of the Barrel,” describes rising asphalt prices and provides some surprising information about asphalt escalators used in some states. Click here to download a free copy.

ACPA also offers resources that relate the true, intrinsic costs of asphalt pavements, as well as some of the hidden costs of asphalt. Click here to download a free copy of "The Asphalt Connection" and here to view "Freedom of Failure."

ACPA is now accepting nominations online for the best-of-the-best concrete pavement projects in airports, highways, and streets and roads completed in 2007.

To make the process easier and faster for members, ACPA is accepting nominations for the 19th annual "Excellence in Concrete Pavement" Awards online. Click here to begin the submittal process, as well as for detailed instructions about how to submit nominations, including eligibility requirements.

The awards program is limited to projects completed in 2007. The deadline for nominations is July 18, 2008.

ACPA's Excellence in Concrete Pavement Awards recognize quality concrete pavements projects in the United States and Canada each year.

Awards judging will be held in August. Winners will be formally recognized on December 5 during ACPA's Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

For more information about the ACPA "Excellence in Concrete Pavement" awards, please contact Fiona Mac Niallais at 202-638-2272.

Do you know someone who should be recognized for outstanding dedication and commitment to the concrete pavement industry?

ACPA urges members to nominate people, projects, and organizations for the Association's Distinguished Service Awards.

These awards recognize individuals and teams from industry, the public sector, or academia for their distinguished service to the concrete pavement industry.

ACPA is now accepting nominations for all categories, which are divided into two groups:

Group One ... Nominations are due by May 30. Follow the links to learn more:

• Outstanding Promotional Team/Project
• Outstanding Promoter–ACPA Chapter/State Association or Industry Representative
• Outstanding Health, Safety and Environmental Stewardship

Group Two
Nominations are due by October 3. Follow the links for more information on:
• Hartmann-Hirschman-Egan
• Outstanding Government/Public Official
• Marlin J. Knutson Award for Technical Achievement
• Lifetime Pavement Performance
• Outstanding Educator

ACPA will present these awards during the Association's

Several ACPA Task Forces will present updates on key research and other activities, as well as discuss other important technical issues during the Association's Spring Meetings.

All members are invited to join the Task Force meetings. Highlights will include:

- An update on an ACPA-developed guide for state agencies trying to

use Alternate Design/Alternate Bid strategies during the Innovative Contracting Task Force meeting;

- Updates on the Next Generation Concrete Surface, as well as surface characteristics research conducted by the Federal Highway Administration and Purdue University, during the Noise/Surface Characteristics Task Force meeting; and

- The opportunity to provide input on the 2009 ACPA Education & Training program during the Education & Training Task Force meeting.

The Spring Meetings are scheduled for March 31 to April 2, at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.

Click here to register and for additional event details. For more information, email ACPA@pavement.com or call 847-966-2272.

For more information on the Innovative Contracting and Education & Training Task Forces, contact Mike Ayers at 217-621-3438. For more information on the Noise & Surface Characteristics Task Force, contact Larry Scofield at 480-775-0908.

Click here to view the complete program, which also includes instruction in:

• Construction operations
• Mix design
• Surface texturing
• Life-cycle costs
• Rehabilitation strategies & selection
• Concrete overlays
• Restoration techniques
  

For more information about Concrete Pavements 101, contact Mike Ayers at 217-621-3438.

ACPA encourages contractors, agency personnel, consultants, and others to participate in upcoming web-based training on life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) for concrete pavements.

"Life Cycle Cost Basics" is a one-hour webinar that will describ the concepts of LCCA, as well as how to evalaute true life-cycle costs of pavements.

The webinar is scheduled April 4 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. (CDT). The cost is $25 per person. Details will be announced late next week.

After the webinar, participants will have the opportunity to earn one Professional Development Hour (PDH) by passing a brief exam. For more information, visit the ACPA website at

www.pavement.com. Be sure to follow the links to
ACPA's education & training page, and then, click on the flyer for ACPA's webinar program.

ACPA recently revised the dates for the annual Mid-Year Meetings. The event will now be held July 21 to 23 to accommodate the greatest number of Committees and Task Forces, as well as the ACPA Education Foundation's "Scramble for Scholars" Golf Outing.

The event will be held at the Marriott Oak Brook Hills Resort in Oak Brook, Ill. The resort, conveniently located to downtown Chicago and O'Hare International Airport, is home to Willow Crest Golf Course.

ACPA will announce further details as they are finalized. For more information, email ACPA@pavement.com or call 847-966-2272.

Chapter Engineer Appointed to University Advisory Board ... Kerry Sutton, P.E., the Director of Engineering (Southeast Michigan) for the Michigan Concrete Paving Association, has been appointed to serve on the Pavement Enterprise Advisory Board at Michigan Technological University. The Board provides university students the opportunity to work on actual projects, assists them in finding summer internships, and provides career advice. The Board consists of engineering and business leaders who work directly in the pavement industry, including government agencies, trade associations, contractors, consultants, and materials suppliers. (Source: Michigan Concrete Paving Association's CONCRETE SOLUTIONS)

Conference Draws Record State, Local Official Attendance ... Budget cuts didn't stop a record number of state and local officials from attending the ACPA—Mid-Atlantic Chapter's Virginia Concrete Conference last week.

Approximately 300 Virginia DOT (VDOT) personnel, municipal officials, and others participated for the annual technology transfer event covering concrete pavement construction methods and materials.

In his opening remarks, VDOT Commissioner David Eckern recognized attendees as the decision-makers responsible for using the information presented during the conference to "better deliver the transportation program in the Commonwealth," said Robert R. Long, Jr., Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter.

"We are very pleased to see the conference continue to grow," Long said. "This conference is now well established and recognized as the premier technical forum for concrete for the Commonwealth."

Course content covered the latest developments in concrete pavements, including an update on end-result specifications and concrete pavement maintenance. Also on the program was a presentation about designing and constructing municipal concrete pavements, delivered by ACPA's Director of Streets & Roads, Scott Haislip.

For more information, contact Bob Long at 804-272-6337.

Here is a list of upcoming meetings and events occurring in the transportation community. Events appearing in blue fields are sponsored or co-sponsored by ACPA National. All others are hosted by ACPA affiliated Chapter/States or other organizations. Is your event missing or listed incorrectly? Please contact Erin McKnight at 847-966-2272.

Click here for a complete list of events.

(Managing Editor)
Communications Assistant
Erin McKnight
847-966-2272