USA Banner
  U.S. flag
              An official website of the United States government Here's how you knowOfficial US Government Icon
              **Official websites use .gov**A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
            Secure Site Icon
              **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                  A **lock** ( A locked padlock ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 
 U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation
 Search DOT
            Search
                    About FHWAFHWA Organization
                Headquarters Offices
                Field Offices
                Strategic Plan
                Business Opportunities
                Staff Directories
                Careers
                Highway History
                Contact UsProgramsAcquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                Safety
                Browse by TopicsResourcesCore Highway Topics
                Federal Aid Essentials
                Automation
                Complete Streets
                Laws and Regulations
                Policy & Guidance Center
                Section 508
                Publications and Statistics
                Professional Development
                National Highway Institute
                Resource Center
                Accessibility Resource Library
                FHWA Research LibraryNewsroomPress Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Photos
                Videos
                Media ContactsMenu FHWA Highway Safety Programs Home
                        Safety
                        Roadway Departure Safety
                        Reduce Crash Severity
                        Hardware Eligibility Letters


            
            In This Section
        Roadway Departure Safety
                Strategic Approach
                                Strategic Plan
                Crash Emphasis Brochures
                Focused Approach
                Noteworthy Practices
                Partner Resources
                Keep Vehicles on the Road
                                Pavement Friction
                Horizontal Curve Safety
                Rumble Strips and Rumble Stripes
                Nighttime Visibility
                Provide for a Safe Recovery
                                SafetyEdge
                Clear Zones
                Reduce Crash Severity
                                Overview
                Hardware Eligibility Letters
                Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD)
                                Overview
                All Public Roads
                Proven Countermeasures
                Systemic Approach
                Safety Action Plans
                FoRRRwD Resources
                
                Safety Eligibility Letter CC-108
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Barrier Terminals and Crash Cushions
                          **Code:**
            CC-108
                          **Date:**
            11/10/2010
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            TrafFix Devices
                          **Device Description:**
            TrafFix Devices Sentry End Treatment
                          **View PDF:**
            cc108.pdf (1.31 MB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter CC-108

			 

			**Download Version**PDF [1,434 KB]

			

			DOT logoU.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration**

			1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C. 20590

			November 10, 2010

			In Reply Refer To: HSSD/CC-108

			

		  Mr. Felipe Almanza

            	TrafFix Devices

                160 Avenida La Pata

                San Clemente, CA  92673

           	Dear Mr. Almanza:

            This letter is in response to your request for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of a roadside safety system for use on the National Highway System (NHS).

		  Name of system:

					TrafFix Devices Sentry End TreatmentType of system:

					Crash CushionTest Level:

					NCHRP Report 350 TL-2Testing  conducted by:

					KARCO EngineeringTask Force 13 Designator:

					PendingDate of  request:

					November 11, 2009Date of completed package:

					April 29, 2010Request initially acknowledged:

					February 1, 2010You requested that we find this system acceptable for use on the NHS under the provisions of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 “Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features.”

            **Requirements**Roadside safety devices should meet the guidelines contained in the NCHRP Report 350 or the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH).

            **Description**The TrafFix Devices test level 2 (TL-2) Sentry End Treatment is a terminal for the TrafFix Devices Sentry Water-Cable Barrier.  The Sentry End Treatment consists of three sections made of high density polyethylene (HDPE).  The Sentry End Treatment sections and the Sentry Water-Cable Barrier sections are identical in shape and size.  The end treatment sections are yellow in color, whereas the barrier sections are white and orange.  Each end treatment section is freestanding with an approximate width, height, and length of 22-1/2 inches, 46 inches, and 84 inches respectively.  Each section has 11 connecting lugs, with 5 of them on one end and six on the opposite end.

            Each of the four upper lugs on each Sentry End Treatment section contains an independent corrosion resistant steel wire rope.  A 1-1/8-inch diameter steel T-pin drops through the 1.5-inch diameter holes in the lugs, linking the sections together.  The empty weight of each wall segment is approximately 160 pounds, prior to them being filled with water.
            
            Upon installation, each of the end treatment sections is filled to a depth of approximately 9 inches of water ballast.  The first Sentry End Treatment section will have a rounded steel end cap marked with retro-reflective materials.  The second and third sections, in the area of the end treatment cavity above the water are pre-filled with energy attenuating foam.
            
            The weight of the first section, when filled with water, is approximately 520 pounds.  The second and third sections weigh approximately 550 pounds because of the additional weight of the foam.
            
            The sections are set in position, connected by the T-pin and T-pin keeper, and filled with water to the indicated level.  The second and third sections have previously had the foam installed with a pathway through the foam for filling with water. Anti-rotation spacer frames are installed on the rearward end of each consecutive Sentry End Treatment sections.  Filling the space between two connecting elements eliminates the rotation between the sections.  Enclosure 1 illustrates detailed design drawings and general layout of the end treatment.

            **Crash Testing**The Sentry End Treatment was crash tested by KARCO Engineering according to NCHRP Report 350 test designations 2 -40, 2-41, 2-43, and 2-44 guidelines.  As described above, the test article consisted of three yellow sections which measured 19.3 ft.  The test article was linked to 12 to 14 Sentry Water-Cable Barrier sections (orange and white) according to this chart:
            
            Test Number
                	Number of Sentry Sections2-40
                    Fourteen2-41
                    Twelve2-43
                    Twelve2-44
                    TwelveThe overall length of the test article ranged from 94.8 ft to 106 ft, 8-3/8 in.

            In all of the tests the test vehicles remained upright.  The post-impact trajectory of the test vehicles show that the vehicles did not rebound into adjacent lanes.  All occupant risk values are below the preferred limits in all four tests.  Enclosures 2 through 5 summarize the results of test 2-40 through 2-44 respectively.

            **Findings**According to NCHRP 350, test designations 2-40, 2-41, 2-42, 2-43, and 2-44 are to be conducted for non-redirective gating crash cushions for TL-2.  All of these tests were conducted except test designation 2-42.  The system described above and shown in Enclosure 1 passed all tests which were conducted.  In your letter you requested test 2-42 be waived.  Your request is accepted on the grounds that the main purpose for test 2-42 is evaluation of Occupant Impact Velocity (OIV) and Occupant Ridedown Acceleration (ORA) when a small car (820 kg) impacts the crash cushion.  However, the 820C vehicle impacted the system head on (with 1/4 of vehicle width offset) and the OIV and ORA are below preferred limits.  The design of the crash cushion is such that it provides more stiffness longitudinally than laterally.  Consequently, it is expected that the crash cushion would have passed test 2-42 had it been conducted.  The TrafFix Devices TL-2 Sentry End Treatment system is designed to be attached to a minimum of ten and without limit to the maximum number of Sentry Water Cable Barrier sections.

The system described above is acceptable for use on the NHS, when such use is acceptable to a highway agency.

			Please note the following standard provisions that apply to FHWA letters of acceptance:

			This acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the systems 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 system 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 system being marketed is significantly different from the version that was crash tested, we reserve the right to modify or revoke our 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 the FHWA and the NCHRP Report 350.

                To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance is designated as number CC-108 and shall not be reproduced except in full.  This letter and the test documentation upon which it is based are public information.  All such letters and documentation may be reviewed at our office upon request.

                Because some water ballasted barriers and channelizers are similar in appearance, the FHWA recommends labeling each unit or module to indicate limitations on use.  When used as a barrier all hardware, both internal and external that was used in the crash testing, shall be installed per the manufacturer’s instructions. Recommended guidance for such labels may be found on the Web site of the AASHTO/AGC/ARTBA Task Force 13 at http://www.aashtotf13.org.

                TrafFix Devices barriers and terminals are patented products and considered proprietary.  If proprietary systems are specified by a highway agency for use on Federal-aid projects, except exempt, non-NHS 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 the 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.

                This acceptance letter shall not be construed as authorization or consent by the FHWA to use, manufacture, or sell any patented system for which the applicant is not the patent holder.  The acceptance letter is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the candidate system, 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,

						*/* Signature of Michael S. Griffith */*

                        Michael S. GriffithDirector, Office of Safety TechnologiesOffice of Safety5 Enclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

202-366-4000Subscribe to email updates
                    About
  

        
              About FHWA
                Careers
                Org Chart
                Staff Directories
                Work with UsPrograms
  

        
              Acquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                SafetyPolicies, Rights, Legal
  

        
              About DOT
                Accessibility
                Budget and Performance
                Civil Rights
                FOIA
                Information Quality
                No FEAR Act
                Office of Inspector General
                Privacy Policy
                USA.gov
                Web Policies and Notices
                Web StandardsNews & Events
  

        
              Newsroom
                Press Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Media Contacts
                Connect with Us