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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-228
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-228
                          **Date:**
            03/21/2007
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Davidson Plastics Corp
                          **Device Description:**
            Steel-Kade Type I Barricade and Type II Barricades
                          **View PDF:**
            wz228.pdf (238.05 KB)
    
    
Skip to contentSkip to contentUnited States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway AdministrationDOT logo
U.S. Department of Transportation
**Federal Highway Administration**
400 Seventh St., S.W.
Washington, D.C.  20590**March 21, 2007**


**Refer to: HSSD/WZ-228**

Mr. Peter Speer
Davidson Traffic Control Products
Filtrona Extrusion, Inc.
3110 70th Avenue East
Tacoma, WA  98424
Dear Mr. Speer :
Thank you for your letter requesting the Federal Highway  Administration (FHWA) acceptance of your company's Steel-Kade Type I and Type  II barricades with angle iron legs and plastic panels as a crashworthy traffic  control device for use in work zones on the National Highway System (NHS). You've requested we find the device  acceptable for use on the NHS under the provisions of National Cooperative  Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 "Recommended Procedures for the  Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features."
The Steel-Kade is a modular barricade comprised of the  following components:**Component**
    **Composition/Brand**
    **Dimensions/Notes**
    **Weight**
    **Quantity**Barricade legs
    Hot-rolled angle iron
    1 1⁄4 x 1 1⁄4 x 45 inches
    2.3 - 3 lbs.
    4 per each12 x 24 inch Panels
    High Density PE
    5/8 x 12 x 24 inches
    1.74 lbs.
    0 - 2 each8 x 24 inch Panels
    High Density PE
    5/8 x 8 x 24 inches
    1.18 lbs.
    0 - 4 each6 x 24 inch Panels
    High Density PE
    5/8 x 6 x 24 inches
    0.89 lbs.
    0 - 2 each4 x 24 inch Panels
    High Density PE
    5/8 x 4 x 24 inches
    0.63 lbs.
    0 - 2 eachHardware Kit
    Steel
    5/16 x 1 inch Bolts, Nuts
    2.1 lbs.
    1 per eachBarricade Light
    Empco-lite
    Model 100 or 2000
    3.3 lbs.
    OptionalThe components listed above are assembled into a complete  barricade as described in the enclosed drawing.  The legs may consist of 12 or 14 gauge, powder coated or galvanized, hot  roll formed, high carbon angle iron or galvanized steel. The barricade configurations consist of  either an 8 or 12 inch top panel, and an 8 inch bottom panel, with an optional  4 or 6 inch panel at the bottom to provide for identification of the user  agency.


In  support of your request you reference our November 1998 acceptance letter,  WZ-6, and our October 2003 acceptance letter, WZ-165, issued for similar parade  style barricades. Type I and Type II  Generic barricades, to which your barricades conform, are detailed in our  memorandum dated November 15, 2001 (WZ-85).  Your Steel-Kade barricade is essentially identical in form and function  to the barricades identified in acceptance letters WZ-6, WZ-85, and WZ  -65. Since the barricades described  above and in the enclosed drawing have either been successfully crash tested or  conform to the FHWA's generic barricade specifications, they will be acceptable  for use on the NHS under the range of conditions that the generic barricades  were tested, when proposed by a State. A  lightweight warning light may be attached to the top of Steel-Kade barricades  provided it is securely attached with the tamperproof hardware supplied
  by  the light manufacturer.
Please note the following standard provisions that apply to the  FHWA letters of acceptance:
Our  acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the devices and  does not cover their structural features, nor 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 they will meet the crashworthiness  requirements of the FHWA and the NCHRP Report 350.
  To  prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance, designated as  number WZ-228, 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  Steel-Kade barricade device described above is patented and considered  "proprietary." 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 by a highway agency* for use on Federal-aid 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, a copy of which is enclosed.

  This  acceptance letter shall not be construed as authorization or consent by the  FHWA to use, manufacture, or sell any patented device for which the applicant  is not the patent holder. The acceptance  letter is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the candidate  device, and the FHWA is neither prepared nor required to become involved in  issues concerning patent law. Patent  issues, if any, are to be resolved by the applicant.Sincerely yours,
**/original signed by /**
John R. Baxter, P.E.
Director, Office of Safety Design
Office of Safety

Enclosures

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