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                Safety Eligibility Letter B-97A
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Longitudinal Barriers and Bridge Rails
                          **Code:**
            B-97A
                          **Date:**
            04/04/2008
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Yodock Wall Co., Inc.
                          **Device Description:**
            Modified Side Rail Support
                          **View PDF:**
            b97a.pdf (151.13 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter B-97A





			
			 
			**Download Version**PDF [1.26 MB]
			
			DOT logoU.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration**
			1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C. 20590
			April 4, 2008
			In Reply Refer To: HSSD/B-97A
			
			Mr. Leo J. Yodock, III
				1000 Market    Street
			Bloomsburg, PA 17815
				
			Dear  Mr. Yodock:
			This letter is in  response to your request for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance  of a modified roadside safety system for use on the National Highway System  (NHS).
			Name of  system:
					Yodock Barrier WallType of  system:
					Water Filled Barrier Models 2001 and 2001MTest Level:
					Model 2001: TL-3; Model 2001M: TL-2Testing  conducted by:
					Texas Transportation InstituteDate of  request:
					August 27, 2007Date of follow-up:
					March 27, 2008You requested that we find this system 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.”
			**Requirements**Roadside  safety systems should meet the guidelines contained in the NCHRP Report 350,  "Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway  Features". FHWA Memorandum “ACTION: Identifying Acceptable Highway  Safety Features” of July 25, 1997 provides further guidance on crash testing  requirements of longitudinal barriers.
			**Description** The  Yodock Barrier Wall is comprised of 1170-mm long low-density polyethylene units  that are 1170-mm tall, 610-mm wide at the base, and 280-mm wide at the  top. The individual units are connected  at the ends with polyethylene couplers and along the sides by 89 mm x 89 mm x 6.4 mm  structural steel tubes supported by steel brackets which extend through two  forklift holes in each unit. These tubes  are mounted at a centerline height of 706 mm. In the original design the structural steel  tubes rested on 102-mm square wood blocks.  Your present request is to replace the wood block design with an  all-steel bracket assembly as shown on the enclosed drawings.
			You are  in the process of developing a permanently installed configuration but wish to  gain FHWA acceptance for this modification of the support bracket. To support this request you sent drawings,  video of the test, and the test data summary sheet. Mr. Nicholas Artimovich of my staff verbally  concurred in this design change on August 10, 2007, and you subsequently  requested formal documentation. The full  crash test report will be submitted when your present development efforts have  been completed.
			**Crash Testing** A  30.6-meter long Yodock Water Cell Barrier was subjected to NCHRP Report 350  test 3-11. The pickup was successfully contained by the system which had a  deflection of 4.09 m. The results of the  test are summarized in the enclosed test data summary sheet.
			**Findings** The test  met the requirements of the FWHA and NCHRP Report 350. Therefore the requested modification is  acceptable for use on the NHS, when permitted by a highway or transportation  authority, under the range of conditions the original design was tested.
			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 B-97C 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.
			  Yodock Walls 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, 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 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 David A. Nicol
							David A. Nicol
							Director, Office of Safety Design
							Office of Safety U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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