Asphalt Industry News March 2006

World of Asphalt to Feature Live Equipment Demo Event
Industry-wide effort will spotlight "Best Practices in New Technology"
World of Asphalt 2006 will feature a live equipment demonstration event that illustrates technological advancements in roadbuilding techniques, to help industry professionals meet today's ever increasing project specifications demands.

The event is themed "Best Practices with New Technology" and will feature a variety of equipment outdoors in working conditions. Attendees can see firsthand the latest technologies to build better pavements with optimum smoothness and density. Equipment manufacturers, contractors and suppliers have joined together in this cooperative effort as an educational service to the industry.

The World of Asphalt 2006 Show and Conference will be held March 13-16, 2006 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The show's demonstration event is scheduled for March 15 (Wednesday) from 10 a.m. to noon at the convention center.

During the World of Asphalt 2006 demonstration, equipment will operate across six lanes and demonstrate warm mix asphalt operations including milling, brooming, tacking, paving, rolling and testing. Equipment will be accessible post-event for attendees to obtain a closer look. The demonstration event is free to all show attendees and simultaneous interpretation into Spanish will be offered.

The demonstration event is being spearheaded by the National Asphalt Pavement Association's (NAPA) Associate Member Council, under the direction of Chuck Deahl, National Accounts Manager of Bomag Americas, and David Apkarian, president of Transtech Systems. NAPA is a World of Asphalt co-owner.

NAPA associate-member show exhibitors participating include Ames Engineering, Bomag Americas, Broce Mfg., Caterpillar, Cleform Tool Corp., Dynapac, E.D. Etnyre and Co., Ingersoll Rand Co., Keith Mfg., LeeBoy, PaveSmart, Process Heating, Roadtec, Sakai America, Terex Roadbuilding, Trail King Industries, Transtech Systems, Troxler Electronic Labs and Wirtgen America.

NAPA contractor members participating include APAC-Southeast Central Florida Division, Hubbard Construction Co. and Ranger Construction-North Division.

For more information, visit www.worldofasphalt.com.

Highway Construction Material Costs Skyrocket 22% in Past Two Years
Could impact efforts to improve safety & reduce congestion, says ARTBA
A 22-percent increase in the cost of materials used for highway and street construction over the past two years is eroding the impact of the new federal highway bill and will likely limit the ability of the states to meet their ever-growing transportation needs, according to an analysis by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).

In 2005 alone, highway contractors paid 13 percent more for materials over the previous year, ARTBA's analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' data found. By contrast, the overall rate of inflation for 2005, as measured by the consumer price index, was just 3.4 percent.

"Construction costs are going up much faster than highway construction budgets," says Alison Premo Black, the ARTBA research economist who conducted the analysis. "Last year, Congress enacted a new highway bill that increases federal funding for highways about 4.5 percent per year. This is only a fraction of the recent rise in construction costs. State governments will need additional financial resources to move forward on transportation projects that could improve road safety and reduce traffic congestion."

Black's analysis found that materials and services account for about one half of total project costs.

Increases have hit a number of important highway construction materials including iron and steel, which rose more than 60 percent in two years; asphalt paving mixtures up 10 percent; construction sand, gravel and crushed stone up 11 percent; and ready mix concrete up 18 percent. The cost of construction machinery rose 10 percent, while diesel fuel for construction vehicles rose 88 percent in two years.