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                Safety Eligibility Letter B-169
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Longitudinal Barriers and Bridge Rails
                          **Code:**
            B-169
                          **Date:**
            01/24/2008
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Easi-Set Industries
                          **Device Description:**
            JJ Hooks on 20 ft Kentucky CMB
                          **View PDF:**
            b169.pdf (59.89 KB)
    
    HSSD/B-169


DOT logo
U.S. Department of Transportation
**Federal Highway Administration**
400 Seventh St., S.W.
Washington, D.C.  20590January 24, 2008
In Reply Refer To:  
HSSD/B-169

Mr. Brian Stock
Easi-Set Industries
5119 Catlett    Road
PO Box   400
Midland,   Virginia   22728
	
Dear Mr. Stock:
Thank you for your letter of September 25, 2007, requesting  the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) acceptance of a J-J Hooks  Connection with the 20-foot long Kentucky Precast Barrier. You requested that we find this barrier  acceptable for use on the National Highway System (NHS) under the provisions of  the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350  "Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway  Features” based on similarity to another 32-inch tall crash tested design.
**Introduction**
The FHWA guidance on crash testing of roadside safety  hardware is contained in a memorandum dated July 25, 1997, titled “INFORMATION:  Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features.”
You enclosed a drawing of the pin-and-loop Kentucky design which was based on the  successfully tested Ohio Precast Concrete Barrier. The Ohio  barrier was accepted via FHWA Acceptance Letter B-93 dated January 8, 2002. The Kentucky  design is 3 inches wider, therefore heavier, but uses 3⁄4 inch steel bar  pin-and-loop connection details that are comparable to the Ohio barrier.
Your request was for acceptance of the Kentucky barrier details, but using the J-J  Hooks connection in lieu of the 3⁄4 inch pin-and-loop connector. The J-J “hooks”  are formed from 
  10-mm thick steel plates connected through the barrier by  three No.16 ASTM A706 Grade 60 reinforcing bars. This connection design was accepted in FHWA  letter B-52 dated March 26, 1999. As the  performance of concrete barriers using the J-J hooks connection was better than  that of the Ohio  pin-and-loop connection we concur in your request.
**Findings**
The Kentucky  precast concrete barrier using the J-J hooks connection detail is acceptable  for use on the NHS when requested by 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 device(s).
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 B-169 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  JJ-Hooks concrete barrier connection is a patented product and considered  proprietary. If proprietary devices are  specified by a highway agency 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 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  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,
        Signature of David A. Nicol
      David A. Nicol 
Director, Office of Safety  Design
Office of Safety U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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