The Estonian Infra Construction Association (ESTICA) was founded in June 05, 1991. The association acts as a non-profit organisation and incorporates companies and state enterprises that operate in road industry (member companies) and diploma road engineers (individual members). The goal of ESTICA is to promote the development of road-building sector and encourage its activities.
The Estonian Infra Construction Association is a member of European Asphalt Pavement Association (EAPA) since June 01, 1994 and an external member of National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA, USA) since January 01, 1996.
ESTICA regularly organises professional conferences "ASPHALT DAYS", topic specific seminars and workshops, and provides tehcnical information to its members.
A local standard of asphalt mixtures Asphalt Specifications AL ST (1992, revised 1997, upgraded 2002, renewed 2007), developed by ESTICA has contributed much to the fast progress of Estonian asphalt industry in last 15 years. Asphalt Specifications AL ST is a standard for designing, producing and laying of quality asphalt mixtures using local road-building materials. The primary objective of Asphalt Specifications AL ST was to bring into line the common practice of producing asphalt mixtures in Estonia with the opportunities of material suppliers and the needs of customers in the best possible and acceptable way. Asphalt Specifications AL ST and Testing Methods for Asphalt Mixtures and Pavements (35 methods developed by ESTICA 2000-2003), have significally improved the technical capability and competence of the industry.
On the initiative of ESTICA, in conjunction with the transition to the single European standards, the development of Estonian National Asphalt Standards based on Eurocodes and Eurostandards EVS 901 "Road construction" has begun. This legal document assembles part by part corresponding series of standard family EN 13108 and product groups. Up to the present the following topics are covered:
EVS 901-1: Part 1: Aggregates for bituminous mixtures
EVS 901-2: Part 2: Bituminous binders
EVS 901-3: Part 3: Bituminous mixtures
Whereas the EU approach is different from traditional Estonian method, the working team has published a user guide on the subject "Comments on the EVS 901 Road construction" (in Estonian).
Historically, shale oil bitumen, a locally produced binder from natural resource oil shale, has played an important part in developing asphalt-grouted surfacings in Estonia. Some special techniques of cold mix-in-place and surface dressing, based on shale oil bitumen and crushed limestone are worked out. Today shale oil bitumen is used mostly in surface dressing. In 2005 the working group of ESTICA updated the Standard for Shale Oil Bitumen and corresponding 3 testing methods.
The ESTICA has been active in publishing original professional non-fiction publications. "Small Book of Surface Dressing" (1999, author Rein Freiberg), "Small Book of Road Laboratories" (2005, author Eda Lepp), “Small Book of Asphalt I” (author Vello Mespak), "Small book of Asphalt II" (2011, author Vello Mespak) and "Small book of Asphalt III" (2013, author Vello Mespak) have found good receipt by the experts.
Since 1993 ESTICA has compiled data collection “Estonian Asphalt in Figures”. Since 2006 this data set is available online.
