Even with a winter storm that moved eastward over the area, nearly 200 individuals from industry, WVDOH, and academia joined together for the 45^th Annual Asphalt Paving Conference and WVDOH Statewide Asphalt Preconstruction Meeting held in Charleston on February 19 and 20.

Statewide Asphalt Preconstruction Conference

The APAWV conference, with support from WVDOH, FHWA and WVU, was kicked off with the statewide asphalt preconstruction conference.  Chaired by WVDOH State Pavement Engineer Eric Lough, WVDOH staffers offered presentations on Contract Administration and Specification Updates, ADA Curb Ramp Compliance, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise rules, among others.  In addition, a Q&A panel was conducted between industry and WVDOH personnel, answering critical questions submitted prior to the event.  Special thanks for their contributions to the preconstruction meeting to: Shawn Smith, director, Contract Administration Division; Daniel Brayack, assistant director, MCS&T Division; Doug Kirk and Gehan Elsayed, chief engineers of environmental compliance and planning & program implementation; David Ballard, assistant director and Alex Hunt, ADA program manager, Civil Rights Compliance Division; and Janie Adkins, specifications engineer, Technical Support Division.

Presentations for Q&A Session, Contract Administration Update-Smith, Importance of Drainage-Kirk, 2025 Spec Updates-Adkins, ADA Ramp Compliance - Hunt
A recording of the entire pre-construction meeting can be found on YouTube here.

Shawn Smith, Dan Brayack, Eric Lough, John Crane, Gehan Elsayed, David Ballard, Dave Withrow

Morning General Session

Following the Preconstruction Meeting, the Asphalt Paving Conference commenced with APAWV Chairman Chet Rodabaugh, WV Paving Inc. offering opening remarks.  The session continued with presentations from ASTEC’s Director of Sustainability, Trevor Wagoner; J.F. Allen Company’s Quarry Operations Manager, Chad Miller; and Asphalt Institute’s Regional Engineer Jason Wielinski.  Wagoner, presented on asphalt production with high RAP contents, overviewing advances in asphalt plants to handle 65%+ RAP contents.  Wagoner also covered the importance of fractionation, and other consistency controlling techniques necessary to achieve a quality product at higher RAP contents.

Focusing on aggregates, Miller offered a presentation entitled Good Asphalt Starts with Good Stone, where he outlined what it takes to make quality asphalt at the plant and quality stone at the quarry.  Miller discussed some advantages and disadvantages of different quarry operations, open pit versus underground mines, different types of crushers, and overviewed many quarry best practices.  The morning concluded with Wielinski coving the best practices of balancing the paving operations, focusing on setting goals and developing a plan to achieve that goal, moving consistently and methodically throughout the day.  Wielinski demonstrated, using various parameters, how to calculate the final rate which the paver should operate to maintain a balanced, consistent rate of paving.  Wielinski also discussed the importance of communication between everyone involved in the project.

Presentations for Strategies for High RAP-Wagoner, Good Asphalt Starts With Good Stone-Miller, Balancing the Paving Operation-Wielinski 

Awards Luncheon

The paving awards luncheon featured remarks by John Crane Executive Director of APAWV as well as WVDOT’s recently appointed Secretary of Transportation and Commissioner of Highways Todd Rumbaugh.

John Crane

Crane discussed the state of our roadways in WV and while this winter has done some dramatic damage, overall roadway quality is and has been improving across the state.  Crane alluded to how the increased funding through the Roads to Prosperity and IIJA helped dramatically, but he also discussed the general attitude shift around pavement construction, with a higher focus on quality over quantity and making our pavements last longer.  Crane mentioned advances in our specifications over the years resulting in an overall improvement in field densities of 1.5%, which would equivalate to an increase of over 10% to a pavements service lift.  Crane concluded by discussing the Joint Subcommittee for Asphalt Materials’ goals to continue improving WV’s roadways and he challenge the audience to get involved where and however they can.

Todd Rumbaugh

Secretary Rumbaugh elaborated further regarding the damage our roadways have seen this winter season, which included not only snow and freezing conditions but also multiple flooding events across the states.   Rumbaugh also discussed his new position as Secretary under Governor Patrick Morrisey and their vision and objectives for WV’s infrastructure.  Rumbaugh discussed the potential need to shift towards a more efficient Division of Highways.  With budgetary outlook not as elevated as they were under previous administrations, the need to restructure or combine divisions and decrease management will become necessary.  The Secretary also said they will try to utilize more technology wherever possible from Artificial Intelligence to help analyze data to Starlink hubs in remote areas to enable communications between the project personnel, office staff, and contractors to aid projects.

Rumbaugh then shifted his discussion to the highway program, discussing the need for a revision to the STIP, State Transportation Improvement Plan, in order to focus efforts where they are needed.  Rumbaugh mentioned that the WVDOH need to keep bridges and pavements at certain levels and where money had been shifted towards expansion projects, the levels had started to flatten out and have begun to decline from our goals.  WVDOH must maintain that over 70% of their pavements are in good condition and that less than 10 percent of bridges are in poor condition.  Currently, bridges sit around 13% and pavements around 69%.

Rumbaugh also mentioned highlighting some changes to the construction program and their impact on the asphalt and construction industry.  He first mentioned that decisions will be pushed back down to lower level DOH staffers, in hopes to expedite projects.  For instance, regional and district level construction engineers will be tasked with approving change orders which fall in certain limits.  He also discussed WVDOH’s continued implementation of AASHTOware Project(AWP), the use of AWP for Purchase order projects the possibility of moving to a 5 year recertification for technicians, E-ticketing or additional products, changes to friction testing on new pavements and bridges, removal of Bond Strength penalty structures, requiring joint sealing on all 401 projects.

Nathan White(WVU)

Clay Poling(WVU)

Secretary Rumbaugh concluded by thanking everyone for the hard work that is done to keep WV roads safe and accessible to the traveling public, as well as the partnership between the WVDOH and industry and how successful it has been and encourage the continued cooperation.  Crane then joined Rumbaugh to presented industry and the WVDOH with awards for Quality Craftsmanship, Thomas J. Medvick Excellence in PWL, and Commissioner’s Award for Excellence for projects constructed in 2024.

To conclude lunch, Mr. Crane presented students with the John Gray and Dean Blake scholarships.  This year Nathan White and Clay Poling received the two

scholarships respectively.  White and Poling are both current undergraduate students at West Virginia University studying Civil Engineering.  Both received high praise from their professors.

Afternoon General Session

The afternoon session opened with remarks from the Federal Highways Administration’s WV Division office Deputy Division Administration, John Rogers.  Rogers was followed by Faustina Rodriguez a research scientist from the Heritage Research Group, who discussed the fundamentals of recycling agents, how they work, how they affect binder properties, and how to select an effective dosage rate.  Phil Blankenship, president of Blankenship Asphalt Tech and Training, overviewed ongoing issues and challenges that the industry faces and how balanced mix design and other mixtures modifications can help manage some of them.

Following a brief break, Nathan Moore, assistant director for test track research at NCAT, presented an overview of the WVDOH section that was placed on the track during its 2024 reconstruction.  The section examines a thin lift asphalt overlay with calcined bauxite, the same aggregate used in high friction surface treatments (HFST).  In addition, Moore talked about the use of the SDX Screed Plate from Caterpillar regarding the goals of added mechanical texture to help friction.  The Pat Parsons Asphalt Faculty Fellow at WVU, Dr. James Bryce followed, discussing asphalt and pavement research at the university.  Rounding out the day, Shawn Jack, asphalt group supervisor for the WVDOH presented on the bond strength specification and the field investigation conducted to determine if failed bond strength testing lead to premature pavement failures.  Given no evidence of the claim, Shawn informed the audience that the WVDOH would be moving away from the penalty structure associated with the bond strength testing.

Presentations: Recycling Agents-Rodriguez, BMD General & Future-Blankenship, WVDOH Enhanced Friction Asphalt Overlay-Moore, Asphalt Research Update-Bryce, Bond & PWL-Jack

More information on the individual presentation including copies of the presentations can be found at www.asphaltwv.com.  Save the date for the 46^th Annual Paving Conference being held Thursday, February 26, 2026.

Commissioner’s Award for Excellence in Asphalt Paving, Two-Lane, Two-Way Projects &
Quality Craftsmanship Awards for Best Surface Appearance & Quality Craftsmanship Awards for Best Rideability Best
West Virginia Paving, Inc. and District One
WV 62 Longdale – Jackson Co. Line, Mason County , S327-62-44.62 00

Thomas J. Medvick Excellence in PWL Asphalt Paving Award
West Virginia Paving, Inc. and District Nine
US 19 Fayette County Line – Mount Lookout, Nicholas County, S334-19-0.00 00

Quality Craftsmanship Awards for Best Longitudinal Joint
W-L Construction and Paving, Inc. and District Five
WV 259 Mount Airy – Lehew, Hampshire County, S314-259-5.80

Quality Craftsmanship Awards for Best Transverse Joint
West Virginia Paving, Inc. and District Three
US 33 Hereford – Marshall Co. Line, Jackson County, S318-33-17.82 00