Quality, Innovation & Sustainability
Broaden knowledge and use of best practices by leading the industry in technical expertise, research, education, and other tools.
NAPA members create highly engineered products, allowing people and goods to move across the country in a safe and efficient manner. Smooth, resilient roadways and runways are the reflection of our enduring commitment to innovation, quality, and sustainability.
Innovation such as technology to achieve balanced, performance-focused product design and testing. Quality, rooted in advancements to extend pavement life and design for resilience. Sustainability measures that continually preserve and reuse natural resources.
NAPA is leading the way, leveraging partnerships like the one we established decades ago with the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT), the world’s leading asphalt research center and test track, which continues to advance our collective knowledge. Following the passage of sweeping infrastructure legislation and working with our partners in all sectors, we will continue to lead the way.
EPDs: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORTS FOR CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
Along with a new administration, 2021 ushered in a renewed focus on environmental stewardship in construction practices. NAPA was ahead of the curve when we designed and implemented Environmental Production Declarations (EPDs) for asphalt mixtures 5 years ago. This year, we expanded our commitment to helping asphalt mixture producers operate economically, sustainably, and in step with evolving customer requirements.
In July, we unveiled an updated Emerald Eco-Label EPD tool with Optimizer, empowering users to evaluate the environmental and economic benefits of operational improvements and compare mixes side by side. The Optimizer helps mix producers evaluate and prioritize energy efficiency upgrades and material selection to reduce the environmental impacts reported in EPDs.
What's in the new PCR for Asphalt Mixtures?
- Revised upstream datasets to align with FHWA LCA Pave software, including the Asphalt Institute’s LCA of Asphalt Binder
- Enhanced transparency of asphalt mixture ingredients and environmental impact indicators
- Expanded geographic scope to include Canada
- Expanded technological scope to include cold central plant recycling (CCPR) technologies
- New provisions for portable asphalt plants
NEW EPD REQUIREMENTS ENACTED IN 2021
A future in which environmental impacts are included in the procurement process is becoming reality in some markets, such as:
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was the first U.S. agency to enact an Embodied Carbon Specification, requiring that contractors submit EPDs on asphalt mixes. They will use data related to a product’s global warming potential, as reported in EPDs, to inform the development of future policies, with a goal of reducing embodied carbon emissions.
Colorado became the first state to require asphalt paving contractors to submit EPDs for all state construction projects. The Colorado DOT will incorporate EPD requirements into contracts beginning in July 2022.
GET READY FOR ENERGY STAR
NAPA collaborated with the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR program for industrial plants to develop an industry focus group for asphalt plants, which reviewed initial drafts (developed by EPA contractors) of the 2022 Energy Guide for Asphalt Plants and the Energy Performance Indicator tool, which will serve as the basis for a future ENERGY STAR Plant Certification program.
MEDIA HIGHLIGHT PLASTICS
NAPA’s 2020 plastics reports made international headlines in Canadian Plastics and World Highways.
AAPTP TAKES FLIGHT
The Airport Asphalt Pavement Technology Program (AAPTP) is an effort between NAPA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to advance multiple focus areas involving asphalt pavements and associated asphalt materials to advance airfield reliability, efficiency, and safety. In 2021, the project launched a website and awarded 6 projects:
$6.5MFunded Amount
- Asphalt Paving Handbook – 2023 Update Asphalt Institute
- Guidance for Selecting Asphalt Binder Grade NCAT
- Balanced Mix Design Rutting Tests University of Nevada at Reno
- Balanced Mix Design – Cracking Tests University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
- Mitigating Delamination and Plastic Flow at High Speed Exits Rutgers
- Improving Performance of Longitudinal Joints at Airfields NCAT
NEW RESOURCES FOR BMD
In February, NAPA released Information Series Publication (IS) 143, Balanced Mix Design (BMD) Resource Guide – a living document that focuses on current implementation status, summaries of asphalt mixture performance tests, guidance for selecting mixture performance tests, guidance for establishing mixture performance test criteria, approaches used in Balanced Mix Design, and training and other resources available on the topic of Balanced Mix Design and Mixture Performance Testing.
Continue readingIS-143 spawned a web-based BMD Resource Guide that continues to be updated under a PEC contract with NCAT.
122
downloads
4,797
views
FEATURED RESOURCES
Practical Considerations for Selecting a Performance Test for Asphalt Mixtures and the Balanced Mix Design: Industry Business Case were developed by the Committee for Engineering Application and Practice and the Future of Mix Design Task Force.
The NCAT Test Track completed its 7th research cycle and published NCAT Report 21-03: Phase VII (2018-2021) NCAT Test Track Findings. This cycle of accelerated pavement testing included continuing studies and new research in areas such as balanced mix design, rejuvenators, pavement preservation, and the cracking group experiment.
2020 RAP/RAS/WMA Survey Results
-
407.8M
tons of asphalt mix
produced in the U.S. 2019-2020
-
274
companies
-
87M
tons of RAP
used in asphalt mixes in 2020
-
1,406
production plants
participated in the survey
MEDIA HIGHLIGHT
Following a one-two punch of hailstorms in northcentral Indiana, Richard Willis gave WTHR a deep education on recycled asphalt shingles (RAS), some of which they used in a story about where old roofing materials end up.
Adding up 2021's hybrid activity, NAPA engineering staff attended 109 virtual and 11 in-person conferences and meetings for SAPAs, strategic partnerships, and industry-related committees, giving presentations nationally to advance asphalt pavements and NAPA membership.
