Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association (ARRA) Names 2019 Special Recognition Award Winners

Caption: Jason Wielinski, Heritage Research Group, and Jonathan Pease, Rock Solid Stabilization & Reclamation, accept the Award for Excellence in Full-Depth Reclamation from ARRA President Darren Coughlin on behalf of Lake County Highway Department County Engineer Duane Alverson. Photo by Tom Kuennen, courtesy of FP2.

Caption: John Danello, Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, accepts the Special Recognition Award for Hot In-Place Recycling on behalf of Town of Winchester, CT, Director of Public Works Jim Rollins whom he nominated for the award. Photo by Tom Kuennen, courtesy of FP2.

Caption: Nominator Jonathan Pease, Rock Solid Stabilization & Reclamation, accepts the Award for Excellence in Soil Stabilization on behalf of Cass County, ND, Highway Department Deputy County Engineer Tom Soucy. Photo by Tom Kuennen, courtesy of FP2.

GLEN ELLYN, IL, March 5, 2019 – During the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association held February 18-21, 2018, in Cancun, Mexico, ARRA congratulated four individuals as recipients of 2019 ARRA Special Recognition Awards.

Each year, via the ARRA Special Recognition Awards, ARRA recognizes public officials and consulting engineers who have made outstanding contributions to the asphalt recycling and reclaiming industry.  Nominations are submitted by ARRA members and the ARRA technical committees review all nominations and select the award winners.  

The first recipient recognized was Brian Diefenderfer, Associate Principal Research Scientist with the Virginia Transportation Research Council, the winner of this year’s Charles R. Valentine Award for Excellence in Cold Recycling.  He has led the efforts for Virginia’s I-81 In-Place Recycling Project, which incorporated cold planing, cold recycling, both in-place and cold central plant, and full-depth reclamation. He was instrumental in VDOT’s construction of three test sections at the NCAT test track which incorporated both CCPR and FDR. He has also participated in revising the use guidelines for cold recycled materials in VDOT’s Materials Division Manual of Instructors for Pavement Design. Brian will be presented with his plaque in June at the Virginia Pavement Research & Innovation Symposium.

The 2019 Award for Excellence in Soil Stabilization went to Tom Soucy, Deputy County Engineer for the Cass County, ND, Highway Department.  Soucy partnered with Jonathan Pease, ARRA Vice President, in the presentation of the ARRA regional seminars in North Dakota. Soucy has helped advance the use of soil stabilization both in his county and throughout the midwest.  Since 2012, Cass County, North Dakota, has completed more than 1.4 million square yards of soil stabilization, with more than half a million square yards in 2017 alone.  Over the year, Cass County has continued to improve its soil stabilization specification and partner with our industry to provide a more consistent, higher-performing stabilized layer. In 2016, Cass County hosted one of two regional ARRA In-Place Recycling & Reclaiming Seminars, leading to the development of several in-place recycling projects in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.  In 2017, Soucy also presented on soil stabilization at another regional seminar in Dickinson, North Dakota. 

Next, ARRA recognized Duane Alverson, County Engineer, Lake County Highway Department, as the recipient of the 2019 ARRA Award for Excellence in Full-Depth Reclamation. After attending an LTAP conference and seeing  a presentation on full-depth reclamation, Alverson was motivated to try adding emulsified asphalt for their next FDR project.  The Clay Street project stretches 3.2 miles and reclaims more than 45,000 square yards of existing asphalt and aggregate base.  Implementing FDR with asphalt emulsion is estimated to cost the same as their previous technique of crushing, shaping, and overlaying but will not require them to raise the elevation of their existing road. 

The final special recognition award went to Jim Rollins, Director of the Department of Public Works in the town of Winchester, Connecticut, as the winner of the 2019 Award for Excellence in Hot In-Place Recycling. Rollins took a common sense and aggressive approach to learning about hot in-place recycling and other ARRA recycling methods, visiting many job sites across Connecticut and speaking to engineers and other public works officials to see what methods would work best in his town.  In July of 2018, Rollins partnered with Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming to start a 68,000 square yard hot in-place recycling project for the town of Winchester, Connecticut. In addition, he covered the HIR with Chip Seal to further recognize the benefits of pavement preservation products.  He spoke to other towns and municipalities and continues to promote all disciplines of recycling through the state. 

ABOUT THE ASPHALT RECYCLING & RECLAIMING ASSOCIATION (ARRA):

Incorporated in September 1976, ARRA’s primary function has been to promote the recycling of existing roadway materials through various construction methodologies, to preserve limited natural resources and reduce costs. This ongoing effort continues through education, strategic alliances and partnering at both the industry and agency level.

ARRA is a founding member of the Pavement Preservation & Recycling Alliance along with the Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association and the International Slurry Surfacing Association. PPRA is a partnership of leading industry associations (AEMA, ARRA, ISSA) to advance sustainable, eco efficient, and innovative pavement applications.

To learn more, visit www.arra.org or call us at 630-942-6578.