Asphalt shortage surfaces
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By CHARLES F. TRENTELMAN
Standard-Examiner staff
OGDEN -- A national shortage of asphalt, coupled with skyrocketing prices and an untimely bankruptcy by a major supplier, means the Utah Department of Transportation will not be resurfacing two major roads in Weber County, and 30 other projects statewide could get pushed to next year.
UDOT officials were scrambling Wednesday to figure out which of their dozens of projects statewide they could still do.
Region One spokesman Vic Saunders said a map of project priorities sent to him by UDOT Wednesday evening shows the Lane Gain project on Interstate 15 in Davis County still a priority for this year, with $14 million worth of asphalt still to be put down.
But, Saunders said, that could change if the supply of asphalt dries up. He said UDOT will try to finish on schedule this year because the Lane Gain is so close to completion and a critical part of the Legacy Highway project as well.
Other work on I-15 and Legacy Highway will continue on schedule, but the two projects in Weber County, just announced Wednesday morning, are now being delayed indefinitely.
UDOT had planned to put new pavement down on Wall Avenue in Ogden between 12th Street and the U.S. 89 intersection on Saturday. It had also planned to put new pavement on Riverdale Road between 3600 South and 4300 South, starting Tuesday.
For now, UDOT has no idea when it will be able to do either project, Saunders said.
Asphalt is the thick, sticky, oily substance that is mixed with small rocks and laid down as new pavement. Some asphalt is pumped from the ground directly, but most is refined from oil, and Saunders said that's the problem.
"Asphalt is a byproduct of the oil refining process, and sometimes it's a better deal for the refiners to make other products than asphalt," he said Wednesday afternoon. "Right now the market is strong for gasoline and not so strong for asphalt."
Just like every other oil product, the price of asphalt is rising.
Nile Easton, senior spokesman for UDOT, said the price of asphalt mix, the product laid down on the road, was $356 a ton at the beginning of the year.
"Now it's closer to $900 a ton," he said. That has shrunk how much UDOT can afford to do, although it did have firm contracts at the lower price for many projects.
Still, "We have about 30 projects, 17 percent of the total, that are going to have to be bumped to next year."
Not every UDOT project will be hurt by the shortage. Work on Riverdale Road's widening, farther south than the delayed repaving, will go on, Saunders said, because that will be done with concrete, not asphalt.
In fact, he said, UDOT may start looking at using concrete instead of asphalt for some projects if the asphalt shortage continues.
Concrete is cheaper than asphalt, he said, and actually makes a more durable surface.
The problem is that asphalt is a lot easier and quicker to put down. Concrete requires a lot of preparation work, and takes several days to cure after it is put down. Asphalt can be layered directly on the old surface and cars can drive on it almost immediately.
Saunders said UDOT still plans to redo 12th Street in Ogden between Washington Boulevard and I-15 next year, but now may look at doing it with concrete instead of asphalt.
Easton said UDOT is considering asking contractors to submit bids for most future projects for both asphalt and concrete.
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Chris is close if you quote mix tons, the article is close if you quote liquid binder tons. Apples and Oranges.