1. Invest in snow tires- For most Pennsylvanians it is wise to invest in snow tires in order to survive the negative temperatures, slush, snow, and ice. In areas such as Northwest PA it will snow for at least 5 months out of the year. Pennsylvania’s experience winter weather conditions for almost half of the year and deem winter tires a necessity!
2. Service vehicle– First, choose a mechanic you trust to service your vehicle. The mechanic will ensure the wiper blades and brakes are in functioning order, add any necessary windshield wiper fluid, check battery levels, confirm all lights and heater/defroster are operational, and check air pressure levels in tires as well as tire tread depth. Remember to periodically perform a self-check ensuring that all above mentioned services are in working order throughout the winter months.
3. Prepare an emergency kit– It is in your interest to prepare an emergency kit and store it in your vehicle for the winter months. It is recommended that each kit should at least include non-perishable food, water, first-aid supplies, warm clothes and a blank, a small snow shovel, and a cell phone and car charger.
4. Keep a snowbrush and ice scraper handy- Reduce time defrosting your windshield by brushing off the snow and using a handheld ice scraper. These tools expedite the defrosting process and come in handy for those who are unable to park in a garage.
5. Ensure your gas tank is half full- It is crucial to make certain that your gas tank stays at least half full during the peak winter months. Condensation can build up in near-empty gas tanks in extremely cold temperatures. The condensation causes fuel freeze-up and an inactive battery start up.

To find out more regarding vehicle preparation, visit our valued customer’s website (http://www.dot.state.pa.us/). Please leave a comment below if you have any questions regarding these 5 tips or you would like to give your personal advice on the topic!

Asphalt:

• Less expensive
• Easier to repair
• Recyclable
• Innovative technology- Warm Mix Asphalt

Concrete:

• More expensive
• Harder to repair
• More durable
• Reinforced with metal rebar- increase strength and helps reduce cracking
• Staining- match brick or other material

The state often uses concrete for highway construction because it is longer lasting. Commercial/industrial businesses and private individuals often choose asphalt for the “Smooth Quiet Ride”.

“Although some form of pavement recycling had been practiced as early as 1915, the first sustained efforts to recover and reuse old asphalt paving materials were conducted during 1974 in Nevada and Texas. Bolstered by the sponsorship of the Federal Highway Administration, (FHWA), more than 40 states performed and documented RAP demonstration projects between 1976 and 1982.” -Mike Cook, GraniteRock

Currently, Joseph McCormick Construction is at the top of the industry when it comes to RAP. Through this, they are able to reduce the demand for virgin aggregates and asphalt cement needed to manufacture new hot mix asphalt and recycles over 15,000 tons of RAP annually.  Through the use of a RAP program, the company is able to reduce the use of virgin materials therefore preserving landfill space.

“Asphalt is being recycled more than most other solid waste products, which might surprise you. Around 80% of all asphalt paving is used again after recycling and the asphalt industry is seen in many circles as the ‘greenest’ industry in the world right now.” – Daniel Wood, Athens-Atlanta Asphalt

Part of the ‘green’ reputation that asphalt possesses is due to the RAP that has been a hit in the past few decades. More contractors will look to asphalt as the push to ‘go green’ continues over the next few years and beyond.

Warm mix asphalt technology has been introduced to provide a more sustainable alternative to conventional hot mix. Hot mix is produced in temperatures above 300°F while warm mix was designed to be up to 75°F lower than the traditional mix. Warm mix is not only intended to create a more sustainable earth, but also to provide direct benefits to the asphalt companies.

1. Less energy exerted- Reduced temperatures exert less energy in the form of burning fuels.
2. Fuel saving and emission reduction- Reduced mixture temperatures decrease emissions from fuels and fumes at both the plant and paving site. Asphalt companies will also experience 30-35% savings in fuel consumption.
3. Superior performance- Asphalt paving mixtures can be hauled further distances providing better performance at cooler temperatures
4. Paving in colder months- In cooler weather, warm mix cools more slowly giving workers more flexibility and time to work with asphalt. This allows paving to occur in cooler months, providing a longer work period and more time for additional jobs.
5. Uniform density- Lower viscosity of warm mix asphalt makes it easier to manipulate and compact, helping to achieve a more uniform density in pavements.
6. Most sustainable paving option- Due to reclaimed asphalt, recycled asphalt shingles and other reusable materials can be used in combination with warm mix. Therefore, warm mix asphalt paving is truly the most sustainable paving option

To learn more about warm-mix and other green roadway construction technology please visit the Road Ahead is Green section of our website (https://www.jmccormickconstruction.com/the-road-ahead-is-green)

 One of the leading causes for accidents today is texting and driving. Often, people driving do not realize how great of a danger that texting and driving causes. Texting and driving not only causes you to take your eyes and ultimately your full attention off the road. This could be because of any emotions that the text you are reading or sending might cause, or just because you get too wrapped up in the message and do not even realize that you are not focusing on the reality in front of you. Texting and driving is regularly compared to an elderly person driving, because your reaction times slows down significantly.

Needless to say, texting and driving is something that most people should hope to see on the decline in the coming years. New technologies are coming out every day in an effort to stop texting and driving from even occurring. Different apps put your phone in a driving mode that prevents you from receiving text messages, and automatically replies to them with a message saying that you are driving. Other technologies allow you to talk on the phone through a speaker phone by connecting your phone through Bluetooth to your car, and in a similar way, allow you to talk out your text messages and read them aloud, so your eyes are not taken off the road. Lastly, there is a text-free driving pledge that all teens and parents are encouraged to sign in attempt to eliminate the distraction to new drivers.

It has become increasingly clear that texting and driving is a serious problem. As long as text-free driving initiatives  and innovative technology to minimize this distraction continue, we should finally experience a reduction in texting and driving among teens and young adults.

“The Erie Bayhawks and the NBA Development League work to promote the love of reading through the Read to Achieve program. The program, which includes schools from the Erie City School District, Millcreek Township School District, and Diocese of Erie schools, includes special Read to Achieve Nights and monthly Reading Timeouts. To date, The Bayhawks have over 5,000 student participants in the Read to Achieve program.”
– Erie Bayhawks NBA Development League

The Erie Bayhawks are a prime example of a philanthropic organization that reaches out to the children of Erie by stressing the importance of education.

“The reading program is supported by Reading Timeouts, in which Bayhawks players take time out of their schedules to visit participating schools. While at the schools, players often times talk to students about the importance of reading and read them a book. This past season, the Bayhawks did over 35 Reading Timeouts to participating classrooms. A chart is provided to all participating classrooms and teachers can help students track their progress. Once their goal is met, each student is presented with a free ticket to a select Bayhawks game, courtesy of PNC bank.”
– Erie Bayhawks NBA Development League

The Bayhawks and PNC bank pair education and basketball to promote an overall health lifestyle for all children in the community. It is crucial for all businesses, big and small, to volunteer their time, resources, and capital to the community. The citizens idolize those businesses who take the initiative to implement these types of programs and respect what businesses can do for the community that the government cannot. Ultimately, serving your peers is expected, but going above and beyond will most definitely not go unnoticed.

Many contractors are coming to the realization that the most profitable contractors own their  asphalt production plants.

1. Low Cost
- Vertical integration means that contractors can provide their asphalt services at the lowest cost possible because of the elimination of middlemen.
2. Mix Control- 
wHaving the ability to own asphalt production plants allows the company to control every part of the mix. Most production plants have custom mixes to ensure the best possible results. The quality and consistency of asphalt is superior to those Contracting companies that do not own their production plants.
3. Recyclable Material- 
Asphalt is able to be recycled into new material after each job locally at the plant site. Therefore, these contractors provide a more sustainable alternative to their customers.
4. Warranties
- Many contractors who own their asphalt production plants are able to offer warranties on their asphalt work. Few other paving contractors are willing to offer such guarantees, especially when they’re using asphalt made by somebody else.

Please comment below or contact us to learn more about asphalt contractors and asphalt production plants.

“The Highway Trust Fund spends more than $48 billion annually to repair and modernize roads, bridges and transit systems in every state across the country. This revenue comes from a motor fuels user fee that has not been raised since 1993. Simply, we are trying to fund a 2014 transportation system on 1993 dollars.”

You do not have to be an economist to understand that funding a current system on 1992 dollars is not feasible in any way, shape or form. The Highway Trust Fund is projected to expire at the end of the year, which will cause extreme financial cuts in all highway and transit programs (on the upward of 90%).

“This will throw many planned road and bridge projects into disarray. Infrastructure requires sustainable funding and long-term planning to be successful. You cannot plan and build a new bridge if you are unsure whether the funding will run out by the time you are halfway done.”

As you can see, unpredictable funding will halt not only current projects, but will hinder any progress in creating future plans. Unfortunately, this is only half the problem.

“Without this legislation, we will lose a huge opportunity to build on reforms that speed up project timetables and enhance performance measures that were successfully adopted in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act. While some cities and states are tackling deficient bridges and adding transit lines, we still face a growing backlog of projects due to years of underinvestment in infrastructure.”

How would you like your child to bring home a failing grade on his/her report card?

“Last spring, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which awarded our nation’s infrastructure a GPA of D+.”

If that doesn’t hit home, how about these staggering facts…

“The truth is that American families and businesses are already paying for our inadequate infrastructure. The more time we sit in traffic, the more we spend on gas. The longer it takes a package to get across the country, the higher the price. The ASCE estimates that deficient, unreliable transportation infrastructure will cost the average American family more than $1,000 each year by 2020.”

Just image what you can buy (or save) with $1000 every year!

“Businesses will pay a price, too. Between now and 2020, we’ll spend an additional $430 billion for transportation and productivity will go down as we struggle to compete in a global economy.”

Currently, US productivity levels are at an all time low, despite the technological advancements in the recent years. We simple can’t afford to see decreases in productivity while competing with economies that are quickly surpassing the US.

“Will we choose to make a D+ worse by not addressing America’s $1.6 trillion infrastructure gap? Or, will Congress finally commit to the longer-term, sustainable funding mechanisms that our ailing roads, bridges and transit systems so desperately need?”

Please comment below; we are eager to hear your thoughts on this topic! We would like give a special thank you to Patrick Natale (Please follow @thehill on twitter!)