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                Safety Eligibility Letter SS-178
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Sign Supports, Mailboxes, and Delineator Posts
                          **Code:**
            SS-178
                          **Date:**
            02/21/2013
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Ground Connection LLC
                          **Device Description:**
            Ground Connection Ground Screw Foundation
                          **View PDF:**
            ss178.pdf (919.56 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter SS-178 - Safety

			

						
**Download Version**PDF [919 KB]

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

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

February 6, 2013
In Reply Refer To:
  HSST/SS-178
  
  
  Mr. Ron Powell
    Chief Executive Officer
    Ground Connection, LLC
    P.O. Box 5668
    Pine Bluff, Arkansas  71611
Dear Mr. Powell:
This letter is in response to your request for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to review a roadside safety system for eligibility for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program.
Name of system:
      Ground Connection Ground Screw FoundationType of system:
      Base for breakaway slip basesTest Level:
      NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 3Testing conducted by:
      Texas Transportation InstituteDate of request:
      October 24, 2012Date initially acknowledged:
      November 13, 2012Date of completed package:
      November 13, 2012**Decision:**
The following device is eligible, with details provided in the form which is attached as an integral part of this letter:
Ground Connection, LLC, Ground Screw Foundation with integral break away plate.Based on a review of crash test results submitted by the  manufacturer certifying the device described herein meets the crash test and  evaluation criteria of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program  (NCHRP) Report 350, the device is eligible for reimbursement under the  Federal-aid highway program.  Eligibility  for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program does not establish  approval or endorsement by the FHWA for any particular purpose or use.
The FHWA, the Department of Transportation, and the United  States Government do not endorse products or services and the issuance of a  reimbursement eligibility letter is not an endorsement of any product or  service.
**Requirements**
To be found eligible for Federal-aid funding, roadside safety devices should meet the crash test and evaluation criteria contained in the NCHRP Report 350 or the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH).
**Description**
The device and supporting documentation are described in the attached form.  Test 510602-GCL P1 consisted of a 4 foot × 8 foot sign mounted on a 21⁄2 diameter schedule 80 pipe support on a Texas triangular slip base of 1⁄2-inch thick steel.  The sign assembly was bolted to a triangular slip base plate welded to a single 31⁄2-inch diameter, 42-inch long ground screw installed in standard soil.  The generic slip base hardware had been crash tested under NCHRP Report 350 criteria on numerous occasions on rigid foundations. It is commonly referred to as the "omni-directional," "three-bolt," or "triangular" slip base.  The Ground Screw Foundation is considered a modification to the foundation of the previously tested slip-base system.  Because there was no change to the slip base mechanism itself, FHWA agreed that the system may be tested and evaluated under NCHRP Report 350 criteria.
**Summary and Standard Provisions**
Therefore, the system described and detailed in the attached form and drawing is eligible for reimbursement and may be installed under the range of conditions tested.
Please note the following standard provisions that apply  to FHWA eligibility letters:
This finding of eligibility does not cover other structural features of  the systems, nor conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
  Any changes that may influence system  conformance with NCHRP Report 350 criteria will require a new reimbursement  eligibility letter.
  Should the FHWA discover that the qualification  testing was flawed, that in-service performance reveals safety problems, or  that the system is significantly different from the version that was crash  tested, we reserve the right to modify or revoke this letter.
  You are expected to supply potential users with  sufficient information on design and installation requirements to ensure proper  performance.
  You are expected to certify to potential users  that the hardware furnished has the same chemistry, mechanical properties, and  geometry as that submitted for review, and that it will meet the crash test and evaluation criteria of the NCHRP Report  350.
  To  prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of eligibility is designated as  number SS-178 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.
  This 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 FHWA does not become involved in issues  concerning patent law. Patent issues, if any, are to be resolved by the  applicant.
  The  Ground Connection LLC anchors are patent-pending products and considered  proprietary.  If proprietary systems are  specified by a highway agency for use on Federal-aid 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.Sincerely yours,
      
      */* Signature of Michael S. Griffith */*
      
      Michael S. Griffith
        Director, Office of Safety Technologies
        Office of SafetyEnclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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