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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-233
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-233
                          **Date:**
            04/13/2006
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Plastic Safety Systems
                          **Device Description:**
            PSS Type III Barricade
                          **View PDF:**
            wz233.pdf (233.47 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**April 13, 2006**


**Refer to: HSA-10/WZ-233**

Mr. Chuck Mettler, R&D/QC
	Plastic Safety Systems, Inc.
	2444 Baldwin Road
Cleveland, Ohio  44104

Dear Mr.  Mettler :
Thank you for your email  correspondence of December 9, 2005, requesting the Federal Highway  Administration (FHWA) acceptance of the addition of lightweight warning lights  to your company's Type III Barricades.  You requested that we find these modified devices acceptable for use on  the National Highway System (NHS) under the provisions of National Cooperative  Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 "Recommended Procedures for the  Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features."
**Introduction**
The FHWA guidance on crash testing  of work zone traffic control devices is contained in two memoranda. The first, dated July 25, 1997, titled "INFORMATION:  Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features," established four categories of  work zone devices: Category I devices are those lightweight devices which are  to be self-certified by the vendor, Category II devices are other lightweight  devices which need individual crash testing but with reduced instrumentation,  Category III devices are barriers and other fixed or heavy devices also needing  crash testing with normal instrumentation, and Category IV devices are trailer  mounted lighted signs, arrow panels, etc. for which crash testing requirements  have not yet been established. The second  guidance memorandum was issued on August 28, 1998, and is titled "INFORMATION:  Crash Tested Work Zone Traffic Control Devices." This later memorandum lists devices that are acceptable under  Categories I, II, and III. Our new  acceptance process was outlined in our memorandum "FHWA Hardware Acceptance Procedures – Category 2 Work Zone  Devices" dated November 11, 2005.
Plastic Safety Systems Type III  barricades were found acceptable in the following FHWA acceptance letters:
WZ-61, December 13, 2000 8  foot wide PSS Type III Plastic Barricade
WZ-102, April 12, 2002 8 foot wide PSS Type III Plastic Barricade with  lightweight warning  light and modified rail spacing
WZ-152, April 10, 2003 Type  III barricade with "ANCHOR" base system
WZ-166, November 12, 2003 12  foot wide PSS Type III Plastic Barricade, 5 feet high
6  foot wide PSST Type III Plastic Barricade, 7 feet high
8  foot wide PSST Type III, Telespar frame, 5 feet high ******Findings**
Past crash testing of generic and proprietary Type III  barricades have shown that lightweight warning lights (approximately 1.5 kg or  less) pose little risk of injury to vehicle occupants. Indeed, in our  acceptance letter WZ-85 we accepted the use of lightweight warning lights to  previously accepted Type III steel framed barricades. Your own tests have shown that the PSS plastic framed barricades  performed in an acceptable manner when using lightweight lights. Therefore, the  Type III Barricades in the FHWA acceptance letters listed above are acceptable  for use on the NHS under the range of conditions tested with or without one or  two lightweight warning lights, when proposed by a State.
This letter may be considered an amendment to the FHWA  acceptance letters WZ-61, WZ-102, WZ-152, and WZ-166.
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-233, 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       PSS Type III barricades may include patented elements, and if so are       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: (a) they 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, copies of which were included with previous correspondence.
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 George E. Rice, Jr./******~for~***
John R.  Baxter, P.E.
 Director,  Office of Safety Design
                                                                      
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