SMA Workshops in Hawaii

Don Watson, recently retired from NCAT, spent a week in Hawaii sharing his 49 years of experience and knowledge of SMA with consultants, contractors, and government agencies. In recognition of his accomplishments he was inducted into NCAT’s Wall of Honor on February 28, 2019.

Things got start on April 9th. HAPI members that have placed SMA met with Don to acquaint him with local conditions. Don next went on a tour of the HDOT Likelike lab facility to prepare for the lab session on April 12th. The last stop was a meeting with Casey Abe to discussion NCAT and their relationship with the DOT’s.

Two all-day workshops were conducted at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Conference Facility. 27 and 30 people attended the workshop on April 10th and April 11th, respectively. Click here for a list of the workshop attendees on both days.

The workshop covered 1) an introduction to SMA and related research, 2) mix design procedures and mix production, 3) placement and compaction, 4) quality control and trouble shooting, 5) application and performance, and 6) review of HDOT’s specification.

Attendees gained an understanding of SMA and how the stone on stone contact characteristic of the mixture differentiates it from State Mix IV and V, which are dense-graded mixtures. They also learned that it wise to evaluate how the local supply of binder and aggregate affects how the specifications are developed.

Here’s what attendees remembered most about the workshops:
– What SMA is, how it is produced and how can it be an effective pavement.
– SMA can extend life of pavement and typically cost effective alternative for high volume roadways.
– The entire workshop is worth remembering.

On April 12, laboratory staff from the HDOT, the City, and HAPI members gathered at the HDOT Likelike Lab Facility. The group ran tests necessary for the design of a SMA mixture, including hands-on work in the lab and a group review of the required calculations.

HAPI and the State Highways Division’s Work Force Development Program partnered to bring these SMA training workshops to Hawaii. HAPI recognized a need for improving the knowledge and understanding of SMA as HDOT is planning to use SMA in future on the on-going Pali Highway project, the upcoming resurfacing of Nimitz Highway, and hopefully others. Partnering with the State Highways Division was a success.

It was a very productive week for learning about SMA.