Section 39 Updates & More!

Sorry about the lack of posts lately but I'm hoping that some of our new website features will make up for it. As you may have already noticed, we've added three more tabs to the navigation bar on the website.  "Test Method Updates" is a page that compiles all of our posts regarding changes to test methods.
"Superpave" is a page that compiles all of our posts regarding Superpave.  

"Caltrans Section 39 Updates" is the new page that we're most proud of.  We've gone through all of the Revised Standard Specification (RSS) Updates since the inception of the Caltrans 2010 Specifications and created red-lined documents to make it easier for you to see the changes for each update.  The exciting thing is that we're utilizing Google Docs which allows you to add comments to any section of the document.  This will allow you to share your opinions on changes as they come out.  Quality in California will share your comments with industry committees and/or Caltrans to ensure that your voices are heard, even if you don't have time to attend a meeting yourself.  Please take advantage of this great tool and let us know if you have any problems using the software or any suggestions on how to make the website better.

We're excited to move the website towards being a comprehensive tool for you to use to communicate with other industry and government leaders in construction quality control.  Feel free to share any ideas or suggestions by email at toni@qualityincalifornia.com.

"A Beginner's Guide to AASHTO Accreditation"

As part of their Fall 2012 newsletter (which I highly recommend you sign up for) AMRL recently published an article on how to get started with your AASHTO laboratory accreditation   As you must know by now, if you plan on pursuing Caltrans work in the near future you will need your labs to be AMRL accredited so this article will likely interest you.  It's short, to the point, and can be found here.  

We've also started a discussion forum to help you discuss any issues and questions you may have in regards to the AASHTO laboratory accreditation process.  The discussion forum can be found here: AASHTO Lab Accreditation Forum.  Feel free to post any questions you may have, even if you feel more comfortable posting them anonymously.  Our aim is to get you the answers you need to make this an easy transition over the next couple of years.    As always, good luck!

UPDATE 11/9/12:  Bob Lutz, AMRL Manager and Brian Johnson, Supervisor of the AASHTO Accreditation Program will be trolling our AASHTO Lab Accreditation Forum and will answer any questions that you have for our readers.