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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-135
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-135
                          **Date:**
            03/27/2003
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Off the Wall
                          **Device Description:**
            Multi Barrier Barricade
                          **View PDF:**
            wz135.pdf (2.01 MB)
    
    



March 27, 2003
Refer to: HSA-10/WZ-135
Mr. Marc Christensen
Off the Wall Products,
LLC
P.O. Box 1461
Salt Lake City, UT  84110-14461
Dear Mr. Christensen:
Thank you for your letters of June 14, August 16, and
December 17, 2002, requesting Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance
of your company's water-filled longitudinal channelizers as crashworthy traffic control devices for
use in work zones on the National Highway System (NHS).  Accompanying your letter was a report of
crash testing conducted by E-Tech Testing Services, summaries of additional
tests, drawings of the individual units, and videos of the tests. You requested
that we find these devices 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.” On March 12, 2003, you
provided a complete final report covering the crash testing of the device as a
longitudinal channelizer.
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 were those lightweight devices which could be
self-certified by the vendor, Category II devices were other lightweight
devices which needed individual crash testing, Category III devices were
barriers and other fixed or massive devices also needing crash testing, and
Category IV devices were trailer mounted lighted signs, arrow panels, etc.  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.
A brief description of the devices follows:
The Multi-Barrier is a rotation molded hollow plastic
barricade section, which can accept water ballast.  Each high-impact, UV-resistant polyethylene section is 1219 mm (48 inches) tall and 1016 mm (40 inches) long.  Each section is 598 mm (23.5 inches) wide at
the base, tapering on one side to a top width of 152 mm (6 inches).  The wall thickness is 5.1 mm (0.20) inches,
and one section weighs 22.7 kg (50 pounds) empty. The specifications and
drawings are given in the enclosed literature for reference.
Individual units were crash tested as Type II barricades,
and found acceptable in FHWA Acceptance Letter WZ-8 date February 5, 1999.  This action, WZ-135, is to qualify the same
units linked longitudinally and filled with water, deployed as a Test Level-1
(TL-1) longitudinal channelizer.
Testing
Full-scale automobile testing was conducted on your
company's devices.  The crash test
matrix was a modification of both the NCHRP Report 350 tests for longitudinal
barriers and work zone traffic control devices.  The crash tests are summarized in the table below:
Test Number
10-9718-002
10-9718-003NCHRP 350 Test #
1-10 (Pick Up
  Truck)
1-11 (Small Car)Test Article
Off-The-Wall
  Multi-BarrierLength of test article
30 Sections (30.5
  m, 100 ft)
30 Sections (30.5
  m, 100 ft)Mass of individual units
22.7 kg (50 pounds)
22.7 kg (50 pounds)Mass of water ballast
418 kg (921 pounds)
418 kg (921 pounds)Vehicle inertial mass
2011 kg (4433
  pounds)
826 kg (1820
  pounds)Impact speed
51.25 km/h (31.8
  mph)
49.16 km/h (30.5
  mph)Impact angle
25.0 degrees
20.2 degreesOccupant impact speed
4.78 m/s
6.78 m/sRidedown acceleration
-3.45 g's
-3.77 g'sTrajectory
Vehicle penetrated,
  stopped
Vehicle penetrated
  systemVehicle damage
Minor, to grill and
  hood
Minor, to grill and
  hoodOccup. compartment intrusion
None
NoneWindshield damage
No Contact
No ContactFindings
As expected the vehicle penetrated the installation.  The occupant impact velocity of the small
car exceeded that for a work zone traffic control device, but the occupant
impact velocities and accelerations in both tests were within those specified
for a barrier.
The results of the testing met the unique requirements
established for water-filled longitudinal channelizers and, therefore, the
device described above and shown in the enclosed drawings for reference are
acceptable for use on the NHS under the range of conditions tested (Report 350
TL-1), when proposed by a State or other highway agency.
Please note the following standard provisions that apply to
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, thatin-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 FHWA and NCHRP Report 350.
To
     prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance, designated
     as number WZ-135 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
     Multi-Barrier is a patented device and is 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 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 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 Federal Highway Administration to use, manufacture, or sell any
     patented device. Patent issues are to be resolved by the applicant and the
     patent owner.Sincerely yours,
Michael S.
Griffith
Acting
Director, Office of Safety Design
Office
of Safety
Enclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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