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                Safety Eligibility Letter B-119A
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Longitudinal Barriers and Bridge Rails
                          **Code:**
            B-119A
                          **Date:**
            05/15/2003
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Trinity Industries
                          **Device Description:**
            3-cable rail (posts on 5-m centers) @ TL-3
                          **View PDF:**
            b119a.pdf (286.76 KB)
    
    May
15, 2003
Refer to: HSA-10/B-119A
Mr. Rodney A. Boyd
Trinity Highway Safety
Products Division
P.O. Box 568887
Dallas, Texas  75356-8887
Dear Mr. Boyd:
In his March 31 letter to Mr.
Richard Powers of my staff, your representative, Mr. Don Johnson, requested
formal Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of a modified version
of the wire rope traffic barrier called the Cable Safety System (CASS) that was
originally accepted for use on the National Highway System (NHS) in my May 13,
acceptance letter B119.  Whereas the
original design used a 3-m post spacing, the modified design used a 5-m spacing
for all the CASS line posts.  Included
with the second letter were copies of a Texas Transportation Institute report
dated March 2003, entitled "NCHRP Report 350 test 3-11 of TRINITY Cable Safety
System (CASS) with 5m Post Spacing" and videotapes of the crash test.
The CASS barrier remained as
described in my original acceptance letter, consisting of three 19 mm diameter, pre-stretched
3 x 7 strand steel cables.  Mounting
heights were 530 mm, 640 mm, and 750 mm above the
ground and each cable was tensioned to 24kN using turnbuckles attached to
swaged threaded fittings on each end. 
These cables were supported by 1600-mm long, galvanized 100 x 50 x 4 mm
C-channels driven into a Report 350 standard soil.  As shown on Enclosure 1, the upper central section of the post
web was removed to accept the cables, which are kept separated in a vertical
plane by the insertion of plastic spacer blocks, a stainless steel strap, and a
plastic cap over the top of each post. 
In this modified version, the posts were set on 5-m centers rather than
3-m apart as in the initial test.  A
2000-kg pickup truck impacted the CASS barrier at 99.4 km/h near the mid-point of
a 100-meter long test installation at an impact angle of 25.7 degrees.  As seen on the test summary sheet (Enclosure
2), all Report 350 evaluation criteria were met.  The cable rail deflected 2.8 meters with the 5-m post spacing.
Thus, the CASS barrier, as
described above, meets NCHRP Report 350 evaluation criteria as a test level 3
barrier and may be used on the NHS as either a roadside or median barrier when
such use is acceptable to the contracting agency.  Since it is a proprietary product, the provisions of Title 23,
Code of Federal Regulations, Section 635.411 apply to its use on Federally
funded projects, except exempt non-NHS projects.  The need to use crashworthy (or shielded) terminals emphasized in
my May 13 letter for the 3-m post spacing design applies to the 5-m post
spacing layout as well.
This Acceptance Letter shall
not be construed as authorization or consent by the FHWA to use, manufacture,
or sell any proprietary device for which ownership may be in question.  All FHWA acceptances are based primarily on
staff review of the crashworthiness characteristics of the proposed device and
we are neither prepared nor required to become involved in issues concerning
patent law.  Patent issues, if any should
arise, are to be resolved by the applicant.
Sincerely yours,
(original signed by
Michael S. Griffith)
Michael S. Griffith
Acting
Director, Office of Safety Design
Office
of Safety
2 Enclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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