Asphalt Pavement Industry Builds on Sustainability with Upcoming Conference

LANHAM, Md. (August 20, 2015) — A focus on the sustainability of asphalt pavements is changing green construction for road owners and creating a new competitive edge for pavement contractors. The 2015 Asphalt Sustainability Conference, Oct. 13–14 in Portland, Oregon, features learning and networking opportunities designed to help road owners and builders enhance existing sustainability programs to meet tomorrow’s demands, as well as to establish and leverage new sustainability efforts. The conference is organized by the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson, creator of the groundbreaking Oregon Department of Transportation’s Sustainability Plan, will keynote the conference with a discussion of the future of sustainable transportation. NAPA 2015 Chairman Michael Cote of The Lane Construction Corp. will open the conference with his perspective on sustainable transportation and what it means for sustainable development.

The conference’s three half-day sessions are organized so that attendees can maximize opportunities to gain valuable information and insights that can be put to use in their own sustainability programs. Educational sessions are geared for contractors, department of transportation and public works personnel, construction managers, environmental managers, engineers, designers, specifiers and decision-makers in the road construction sector.

Speakers at the conference include acknowledged leaders in sustainability: Gina Ahlstrom, FHWA; Dr. Jeralee Anderson, Greenroads; Dr. Joe Mahoney and Dr. Stephen Muench, University of Washington; Dr. Amlan Mukherjee, Michigan Technological University; and Dr. Richard Willis, National Center for Asphalt Technology.

Topics on the conference agenda include a discussion of FHWA’s Sustainable Pavements Program and the opportunities it creates, how to build a green construction business, sustainability innovations at asphalt plants, lessons learned about reclaimed asphalt pavement mixtures from the recent industry tour of Japan, the use of porous asphalt at the Port of Portland, long-life asphalt pavements, understanding life-cycle assessment and environmental product declarations and the use phase of sustainable pavements.

Asphalt Sustainability Conference attendees can earn up to 12 professional development hours (PDHs) during the meeting. For more information or to register, visit the Asphalt Sustainability Conference site.