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                Safety Eligibility Letter B-111
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Longitudinal Barriers and Bridge Rails
                          **Code:**
            B-111
                          **Date:**
            02/11/2003
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Creative Building Products
                          **Device Description:**
            Water Filled Plastic Barrier @ TL-2
                          **View PDF:**
            b111.pdf (393.31 KB)
    
    HSA-10/B111

February 11, 2003
HSA-10/B111
Mr. J.C. Brown
President
Creative Building Products
6409 Highview Drive
Ft. Wayne, IN 46818-1385
Dear Mr. Brown:
In your October 7 letter, you requested acceptance of your
water-filled plastic traffic barrier at NCHRP Report 350 test level 2 (TL-2)
and included copies of crash test
videotapes and test reports prepared by KARCO Engineering, L.L.C. in Adelanto,
California. In reviewing the test
reports, it became apparent that they were inadequate because they failed to describe
the test article, they included no detailed drawings of your barrier, and they
misinterpreted the evaluation criteria recommended in NCHRP Report 350. Based on this misinterpretation, test report
No. KAR22078-04 concluded that the pickup truck test was unsuccessful. A corrected report merely excluded the
summary page, and did not add any description or drawings of your barrier. On November 7, 2002, you sent me a set of
material specifications and dimensioned drawings of the 426 Barrier units. Each unit is made from 8-mm (5/16-inch) thick
low-density polyethylene and stands 1070-mm (42-inches) tall, including a
180-mm (7-inch) vertical reveal, a 445-mm (17.5-inch) lower sloped face, and a
445-mm (17.5-inch) upper sloped face.
The base width is 610 mm (24 inches) and the top width is approximately
250 mm(10 inches). Three 13-mm (1⁄2-inch)
diameter galvanized steel cables threaded through three 50-mm (2-inch) holes in
the barrier segments connect the 1830-mm (6-ft) long units. The three cables are connected together at
each end of the barrier installation with standard cable clips (U-bolts). These details are shown on the Enclosure to
this letter that was received electronically on February 4.
Staff members have reviewed the crash test videos and agree
that your 426 Barrier meets the appropriate evaluation criteria for an NCHRP
Report 350 test level 2 (TL-2) barrier.
The vehicle was not redirected, but rather captured by the barrier,
which reportedly deflected 3.14 m (10.3 ft) when struck at 73 km/h (45.4 mph)
by the 2000-kg pickup truck. The same
barrier deflected 0.9 m (37 in) when impacted by the 820C vehicle at the TL-3
speed of 100.7 km/h (62.6 mph) and 20 degrees.
In both tests, the vehicles impacted near the mid-point of a 32-unit
line of barriers. Thus, a minimum of
sixteen 1830-mm (6-foot) long segments would normally be required in advance of
the area in which the reported deflection would be acceptable to the using
agency. Impacts nearer either end would
most likely result in far greater deflections and possible penetrations of the
barrier. In both the high speed small
car test and in the lower TL-2 speed pickup truck test, occupant impact
velocities and ridedown accelerations were well below the NCHRP Report 350
maximum allowable values of 12 m/sec and 20 g's.
Based on review of the actual crash tests and the drawings
that you provided separately, I will consider your 426 Barrier, as shown on the
enclosure, to be acceptable for use as a TL-2 barrier (based on the pickup
truck test) on the National Highway System (NHS) when selected by the
appropriate authority. Please be
advised that future requests will be returned without action if the
accompanying test reports do not include the information identified in Chapter
6 (Test Documentation) of NCHRP Report 350 or contain errors resulting from
misinterpretation of test results.
Please note also the following
standard provisions that apply to FHWA letters of acceptance:
Our
     acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the
     devices and does not address their conformity with the Manual on Uniform
     Traffic Control Devices.
Any
     changes that may adversely influence the crashworthiness of the device
     will require a new acceptance letter.
Should
     the FHWA discover that the qualification testing was flawed, that
     in-service performance reveals unacceptable safety problems, or that the
     device being marketed is significantly different from the version that was
     crash tested, it reserves the right to modify or revoke its acceptance.
You
     will be expected to supply potential users with sufficient information on
     design and installation requirements to ensure proper performance.
You
     will be expected to certify to potential users that the hardware furnished
     has essentially the same chemistry, mechanical properties, and geometry as
     that submitted for acceptance, and that it will meet the crashworthiness
     requirements of FHWA and NCHRP Report 350.
To
     prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance shall not be
     reproduced except in full. This
     letter, and the test documentation upon which this letter is based, is
     public information. All such letters and documentation may be reviewed at
     our office upon request.
The 426 Barrier may include patented components and
     considered to be a proprietary product.
     The use of proprietary work zone traffic control devices in
     Federal-aid projects is generally of a temporary nature. They are selected by the contractor for
     use as needed and removed upon completion of the project. Under such conditions they can be
     presumed to meet requirement "a" given below for the use of
     proprietary products on Federal-aid projects. On the other hand, if proprietary devices are specified for
     use on Federal-aid projects, except exempt, non-NHS projects, they: (a) must be supplied through
     competitive bidding with equally suitable unpatented items; (b) the
     highway agency must certify that they are essential for synchronization
     with existing highway facilities or that no equally suitable alternative
     exists or; (c) they must be used for research or for a distinctive type of
     construction on relatively short sections of road for experimental
     purposes. Our regulations
     concerning proprietary products are contained in Title 23, Code of Federal
     Regulations, Section 635.411.Sincerely yours,
(original signed by Michael S. Griffith)
Michael S. Griffith
Acting Director, Office of Safety
Design
Office of Safety
Enclosure U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

202-366-4000Subscribe to email updates
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