Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Recycling topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate advances recycled-asphalt bill after DOT and industry say higher recycled content is feasible
Summary
A substitute for SB 53 was debated to increase allowable recycled-asphalt content in road projects; UDOT told senators it can accommodate much higher recycled content (up to 60%) with testing, and the measure was advanced with plans for technical review and a revised fiscal note.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate on Jan. 30 moved forward with legislation aimed at increasing the use of recycled asphalt in road construction after an extended floor discussion with industry and Department of Transportation officials.
Senator McMullen, presenting a substitute version of SB 53, said the task force and private contractors recommended raising recycled-content limits to make recycling economically viable for private firms. "Originally the industry called for 25 percent," he said, but during consultations UDOT reported it "can go as high as 60 percent" in places where specifications and testing are met.
Members questioned technical safeguards. One senator asked whether UDOT's materials laboratory had approved widespread use and how oil-content variability from rotor-milled material would be managed to avoid rutting or cracking across the state's climate zones. McMullen said the department and private testing labs would be used to certify compliance and that UDOT would provide additional technical detail at the third reading.
Committee deliberations produced a substitute bill and work to refine the fiscal note; sponsors said new testing arrangements and using independent private labs would reduce DOT's equipment and personnel costs. The Senate approved the measure for placement on the second-reading calendar with a recorded vote showing 29 ayes and no nays.
Next steps: technical experts from UDOT and private laboratories were expected to appear at the third-reading consideration and the sponsor planned to hold the bill briefly to receive UDOT's final fiscal estimate.
