LEAP Connection- Vulcan Materials

Emulsion Notes

April 2023

LEAP Connection- Vulcan Materials

Following the Annual General Meeting, 7 members of the 2023 LEAP class headed to Vulcan Materials-West Broadway.  

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) was on site doing inspections, but the LEAP class were the true VIPs. Plant Manager, John Miller and the Director of Technical Services, Steve Langner rented a Mercedes Sprinter van to drive us around the quarry and to their testing lab.

MSHA and the previous day’s rain kept us from getting near the 80 ft deep pit. John estimates that there is another 40 years of life at the location. Vulcan-West Broadway is on the few sites that provide the low volume chip for chip seal (100% passing 3/8”).  The team also handles RAP processing using a portable RAP processor. Due to Vulcan’s ownership of an asphalt plant, a lot of their processing is driven by the asphalt.  

The class was fortunate enough to enter the control tower and see the mill start up before heading over to the testing laboratory. The facility is well-thought out with storage for RAP and virgin aggregate, a room for quick quality checks and a separate area for equipment with a larger footprint and longer-term testing.

Vulcan Materials Company is the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates. The graciousness shown by our tour hosts reflects the commitment Vulcan has to our industry and for that we thank them!

Stay tuned for coverage on the tour provided by Marathon Petroleum Company in the next issue of Emulsion Notes.

Charity Cook

LEAP Class Dean

Paragon Technical Services