Rutgers Asphalt Paving Conference provides practical technical information and relevant presentations on a range of issues facing paving professionals in the field. Now in its 62nd year, the 2019 conference was held at the at the College of New Jersey in Ewing on March 19.
CAIT plays a primary role coordinating this one-day annual event and helps develop the program’s content with the New Jersey Asphalt Paving Association and other industry representatives on the conference planning committee.
During the morning session, CAIT pavement expert Thomas Bennert gave a presentation, “Quality Control Tests for Rutting and Cracking,” that was very well received.
The highlight of the afternoon was a panel discussion that focused on a specific NJDOT highway improvement project. The agency was in charge of resurfacing just under seven miles of U.S. Route 1 between CR 533/Quakerbridge Road in Lawrence (milepost 7.9) and Ridge Road in South Brunswick (milepost 14.5), including doing pavement repair, signal work, and curb and concrete work along both northbound and southbound lanes of that stretch of Route 1. It also widened Route 1 southbound between Nassau Park Boulevard in West Windsor and Quakerbridge Overpass in Lawrence. Combined, the budget for these improvements was approximately $23.7 million.
Major players in the project each shared their unique perspectives of the complex and highly successful undertaking. Project manager Vahid Ganji, Ph.D., P.E., (Michael Baker Corporation) spoke on design aspects of the job. Val Della Pello, Jr. (Della Pello Paving, Inc.) recounted construction challenges and solutions. Assistant resident engineer Yashvi Patel (NJDOT) presented various aspects and responsibilities faced by project owners.
The Rutgers Asphalt Paving Conference is a prime opportunity for CAIT to share the center’s capabilities and how its asphalt materials testing and research benefit industry and agencies out on the road.
Rutgers Asphalt Paving Conference Planning Committee
Asphalt Institute
Greg Harder, Regional Engineer
Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
Thomas Bennert, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director, Rutgers Asphalt Pavement Laboratory at CAIT
Janet Leli, Associate Director of Technology Transfer and Director, New Jersey Local Technical Assistance Program
Brian Tobin, Engineering Research Project Manager
Federal High Administration–New Jersey Division
Helene Roberts, P.E., CMQ/OE, Performance Manager/Pavement and Materials Engineer
New Jersey Asphalt Pavement Association
Kevin Monaco, Executive Director
James Purcell, Technical Director
Stacey Lindenmuth, Executive Assistant
New Jersey Department of Transportation
Robert Blight, Supervising Engineer, Pavement and Drainage Management and Technology
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Mark Wierciszewski, Chief Materials Engineer
Darius Pezeshki, Supervising Engineer
May 2019
Now in its 62nd year, the Rutgers Annual Asphalt Paving Conference still draws hundreds of pavement pros from industry, agencies, and academia. Photo: Brian Tobin.
Crew from Rutgers Asphalt Pavement Lab manned the booth at the paving conference offering helpful information about CAIT pavement research and materials testing capabilities. (L to R) Chris Mazzotta, Edwin Haas, and Benjamin Berger. Photo: Brian Tobin.
