Roll of Honor - Bernard A. Vallerga

Bernard A. Vallerga

Bernard A. “Barney” Vallerga pioneered the development and methods of applications of petroleum oils and resins for use in reconstituting aged asphalts in pavements. His work led to the widespread use of restorative agents in the present day asphalt pavement recycling industry.

Mr. Vallerga began his career as Materials Testing Engineer for the Hershey Inspection Bureau in Oakland, California. In the early 1950s, he was a Professor of Engineering at University of California at Berkeley. From 1953 to 1960 he was Managing Engineer for the Asphalt Institute’s Pacific Coast Division. Since 1972, he has owned and managed his own materials research and civil engineering consulting company, B. A. Vallerga Inc. of Oakland, California.

Mr. Vallerga is the author of more than 200 research and investigative engineering reports relating to materials and systems in pavement design, construction, pavement rehabilitation, hydraulic revetments and soil stabilization with asphalt.

He graduated from University of California in Berkeley with a B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering. Mr. Vallerga was a Captain in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. He is a life long member of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT), a life member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and a Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is also an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Mr. Vallerga has been chairman of the Subcommittee on Asphalt Durability of the Transportation Research Board from 1980 until the 1990. He was a recipient of AAPT’s Award of Recognition in 1988 and ASTM’s Prevost Hubbard Award in 1989.

Elected: 1990