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                Safety Eligibility Letter B-141E
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Longitudinal Barriers and Bridge Rails
                          **Code:**
            B-141E
                          **Date:**
            04/08/2009
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Trinity Industries
                          **Device Description:**
            CASS with C-Channel posts
                          **View PDF:**
            b141e.pdf (1.25 MB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter B-141E

			 
			**Download Version**PDF [1.28 MB]
			
			DOT logoU.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration**
			1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C. 20590
			April 8, 2009
			In Reply Refer To: HSSD/B-141E
			
			Mr. Brian Smith
				Trinity Highway Products, LLC 
				P.O. Box 568887
				Dallas, TX 75356-8887
				
			Dear Mr. Smith:
			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:Trinity CASSType of  system:Cable BarrierTest Level:NCHRP Report 350 TL-3Testing  conducted by:Texas Transportation  InstituteDate of  request:November 25, 2008Date of  completed package:February 26, 2009You 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 systems should meet the guidelines contained  in the NCHRP Report 350. The FHWA  Memorandum “Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features” of July 25, 1997, provides  further guidance on crash testing requirements of longitudinal barriers.
			**Description**In our FHWA Acceptance Letters B-119 dated May 13, 2003, and  B-119B dated August 28, 2003, we accepted Trinity Highway Products’ 3-cable CASS Cable Safety System with c-channel posts at 2.0m (6’6”), 3.0m (10’0”) and 5.0m  (16’5”) post spacing for use on the NHS under the NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 3  (TL-3) criteria.
			Your  present request is for acceptance of a modified, 4-cable CASS system with c-channel posts. The original 3 cables of the CASS system with c-channel posts remain at the same  heights. The modification is the  addition of a fourth cable located at a height of 585mm (23”), midway between  the bottom and middle cables of the 3-cable CASS  system with c-channel posts, and separated by plastic spacers as shown in the  enclosed drawings.
			You correctly noted that terminating  the fourth cable must be properly addressed, and you did so by modifying the  NCHRP TL-3 compliant terminal that was accepted in the FHWA letter CC-76 dated  July 29, 2002. The modification includes  increasing the length of the CASS  Cable Terminal through the addition of a fourth Cable Release Post as shown in  the enclosed drawing. The fourth cable  remains at the 585mm (23”) height on the traffic side of the terminal from Post #9 through Post #4, at which point  it begins its descent towards its termination at Cable Release Post #1X.
			**Findings**Because the spread of the four cables is within the limits  of the 3-cable system tested with c-channel posts, we consider this system to be similarly  crashworthy. In addition, the modified,  4-cable CASS system with c-channel  posts are acceptable for use on the NHS under the NCHRP Report 350 TL-3  conditions at all previously accepted post spacing and embedment types (driven  post, post set in driven tube sleeve, and post set in tube sleeve encased in a  concrete footing) under the range of conditions tested and discussed above,  when such use is acceptable to a highway agency.
			Please note the following standard  provisions that apply to the 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 B-141E 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.
				The Trinity CASS barriers 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,
						David A. Nicol
						David A. Nicol, P.E.Director, Office of Safety DesignOffice of Safety U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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