Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association (ARRA) Names 2018 Special Recognition Award Winners

Caption: On behalf of John McClelland,Trevor Moore, Miller Paving Limited, accepts the  2018 Charles R. Valentine Award for Excellence in Cold Recycling from ARRA President Darren Coughlin. Photo courtesy of ARRA.

Caption: Nominator Patrick Faster, Gallagher Asphalt Corporation, congratulates Cotena Alexander, City of Atlanta Department of Public Works, who accepted the 2018 Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Hot In-Place Recycling on behalf of Commissioner William Johnson. Photo courtesy of ARRA.

Caption: Nominator Tom Flowers, Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions, Inc. accepts the 2018 Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Full Depth Reclamation & Soil Stabilization at the ARRA Annual Meeting on behalf of recipient Robert Lee. Photo courtesy of ARRA.

GLEN ELLYN, IL, March 13, 2018 – During the 42^nd Annual Meeting of the Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association held February 20-23, 2018, in Indian Wells, California, ARRA congratulated three individuals as recipient of their 2018 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 honoree was John McClelland, Director of Public Works for Perth County, Ontario, Canada, named as the recipient of the 2018 Charles R. Valentine Award for Excellence in Cold Recycling.  Nominator Bentley Ehgoetz of Lavis Contracting noted, “John McClelland is a true pioneer in our industry for faith in the process and innovative mindset to explore opportunities within Cold In-Place Recycling. A testament to his dedication is an overwhelmingly 90% of his roadways have been recycled with CIR.” 

Perth County has one of North America’s longest running in-place asphalt recycling programs and has been performing cold in-place recycling on its roads successfully since 1991.  Out of a total 442 kilometer road network, approximately 90% has been remediated using CIR with average yearly workloads in the range of 15 50 20 km for a total capital budget of $4 million. The Miller Group completed Perth County’s first CIR project in 1991.  Perth has completed a CIR project every year from then until today. Several of the early projects are still in service today with over 20 years of life. 

ARRA next named William Johnson, Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Atlanta, as the recipient of the 2018 Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Hot In-Place Recycling. The city of Atlanta, Georgia, has the typical agency problem of twice as much infrastructure issues than their budget will pay for. 

Johnson quickly realized that recycling, specifically hot in-place recycling, with significant cost savings over typical mill and fill operations and substantial reductions in construction traffic, was the best plan of attack for the city.   Their 21 miles of roadway slated for 2017, at a cost of more than $1 million, realized a savings of 19% under Johnson’s leadership.

ARRA’s final honoree was Robert Lee, the recipient of the 2018 Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Full Depth Reclamation & Soil Stabilization. During a thirty-year career that includes employment with both industry (Koch Materials) and public agency (Texas Department of Transportation), Lee has been both an expert in the application and champion of the utilization of many types of roadway stabilization and recycling.  One area in which Lee has particularly helped advance asphalt recycling in Texas is his inclusion of “Report Only” testing in mix design specifications and ongoing post-construction evaluation of recycled roadways that has helped compile data and continuously improve the mix design performance criteria. 

Retiring this year as the Director of Flexible Pavements for the Texas Department of Transportation, Lee’s body of work spoke to his qualification for special recognition by ARRA.  Although deserving of recognition across many categories, Robert’s input and expertise which were instrumental in the drafting of the current Texas DOT specs for FDR and Base stabilization, hence his awarding in the FDR and Soil Stabilization category.

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.