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Adding Rubber to the Road

March 31, 2016

7th Rubber Modified Asphalt Conference Announced

Putting more rubber in the road is a key theme for the 7th Rubber Modified Asphalt Conference scheduled for November 2-3, 2016 at the Sheraton Ann Arbor Hotel in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The event is hosted by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), the Scrap Tire Research and Education Foundation (STREF), Rubber Pavement Association and the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society.

Conference co-hosts are: the Asphalt Institute, the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), Rubberized Asphalt Foundation (RAF), and the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT). The conference is in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the state host is the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

“The conference is an ideal educational forum for state department of transportation officials and state scrap tire regulators to help improve their understanding of rubber modified asphalt and increase its use,” said John Sheerin, USTMA Director of End of Life Tire Programs.

“There is strong interest in rubber modified asphalt by the FHWA, state departments of transportation and industry,” Sheerin added. “FHWA is interested in more sustainable highways and practices. Additionally, there have been several significant changes in costs, applications and research advances that will lead to new opportunities to use rubber modified asphalt.”

Topics to be discussed will be non-commercial, definitive and will include the history of the technology, current usage and costs, and case studies from state departments of transportation.

Additionally the Scrap Tire Work Group will meet on Tuesday, November 1st to discuss the overall progress of the U.S. state scrap tire markets and programs. The state-run Scrap Tire Work Group includes representatives from government, trade organizations, scrap tire publications, consultants, academia, and scrap tire recyclers.

Information about the conference will be available at www.stref.org.

About USTMA

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association is the national trade association for tire manufacturers that produce tires in the U.S. Our 11 member companies operate 56 tire-related manufacturing facilities in 16 states. U.S. tire manufacturing has an annual economic footprint of $170.6 billion and is responsible for more than 291,000 U.S. jobs in manufacturing, distribution and retailing. The industry supports more than 510,000 additional U.S. jobs in supplier and induced activities, totaling more than 801,000 jobs nationwide. USTMA advances a sustainable tire manufacturing industry through thought leadership and a commitment to science based public policy advocacy. Our member company tires make mobility possible. USTMA members are committed to continuous improvement of the performance of our products, worker and consumer safety and environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.USTires.org and follow us on Twitter @USTires.