2025 March Educational Workshop Recap
The 2025 AMAP March Workshop was held March 4-6 in Dallas, Texas, and brought together 85 AMAP member, non-member, academic, and government agency attendees. This informative workshop gathered leading experts to share the latest developments and featured a series of focused sessions that explored state perspectives, binder chemistry, testing, and practical application.
The first session on Regional and Texas Perspectives offered a deep dive into Texas' experience with modified asphalt binders. After an opening welcome from AMAP President Tanya Nash, TXDOT's Travis Patton began with an overview of the state’s evolving approach, followed by Pravat Karki, who discussed TXDOT's binder certification and test methods. Next, Amit Bhasin (UT - Austin) provided updates on Item 300 and also presented on testing and specifications related to high-performance (HP) binders. TXAPA's Jim Warren addressed the challenges and opportunities in specification implementation, while Robert Lee (CRH Materials) offered a contractor’s perspective on HP in Texas. The session concluded with a lively panel discussion featuring Bhasin, Warren, and Lee. Chait Bhat (Asphalt Institute) rounded out the session with an industry-focused presentation on holistic pavement sustainability.
The next session focused on modified binder chemistry and the science behind modified asphalt. Dwayne Johnson (Paragon) began with an overview of binder chemistry, followed by Chris Lubbers (Kraton Corporation), who introduced asphalt emulsions. Kraton Corporation's Richard Blackwell (also Chair of the Education Committee, who organizes the Educational Workshop), presented on the role of polymers in modification, and Dennis Muncy (Ingevity) provided an overview of various asphalt modifiers. Finishing out the day, Tanya Nash (ATS) concluded the session with a look at the evolution of binder specifications.
Bright and early on the second morning, Gina Paroline (Anton Paar) led a session on binder chemistry with back-to-back presentations on binder testing and rheology, starting with fundamental concepts and moving into testing methodologies that support performance evaluation.
The final session shifted focus to the practical aspects of modified asphalt. Mike Worden (Associated Asphalt) presented on both the preparation and handling of modified binders and their application in asphalt mixtures. Texas A&M University's Fujie Zhou discussed modifications to Hamburg testing for high-grade binders. Finally, Andre Smit (TXDOT) highlighted pavement preservation strategies, and Edith Arambula (Texas A&M University) closed with an update on the implementation of balanced mix design (BMD) in Texas.