USA Banner
  U.S. flag
              An official website of the United States government Here's how you knowOfficial US Government Icon
              **Official websites use .gov**A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
            Secure Site Icon
              **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                  A **lock** ( A locked padlock ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 
 U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation
 Search DOT
            Search
                    About FHWAFHWA Organization
                Headquarters Offices
                Field Offices
                Strategic Plan
                Business Opportunities
                Staff Directories
                Careers
                Highway History
                Contact UsProgramsAcquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                Safety
                Browse by TopicsResourcesCore Highway Topics
                Federal Aid Essentials
                Automation
                Complete Streets
                Laws and Regulations
                Policy & Guidance Center
                Section 508
                Publications and Statistics
                Professional Development
                National Highway Institute
                Resource Center
                Accessibility Resource Library
                FHWA Research LibraryNewsroomPress Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Photos
                Videos
                Media ContactsMenu FHWA Highway Safety Programs Home
                        Safety
                        Roadway Departure Safety
                        Reduce Crash Severity
                        Hardware Eligibility Letters


            
            In This Section
        Roadway Departure Safety
                Strategic Approach
                                Strategic Plan
                Crash Emphasis Brochures
                Focused Approach
                Noteworthy Practices
                Partner Resources
                Keep Vehicles on the Road
                                Pavement Friction
                Horizontal Curve Safety
                Rumble Strips and Rumble Stripes
                Nighttime Visibility
                Provide for a Safe Recovery
                                SafetyEdge
                Clear Zones
                Reduce Crash Severity
                                Overview
                Hardware Eligibility Letters
                Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD)
                                Overview
                All Public Roads
                Proven Countermeasures
                Systemic Approach
                Safety Action Plans
                FoRRRwD Resources
                
                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-185
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-185
                          **Date:**
            07/16/2004
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Cortina Safety Products Group
                          **Device Description:**
            M-Cade Plastic Type I and Type II Barricades
                          **View PDF:**
            wz185.pdf (92.02 KB)
    
    

**July 16, 2004**

**Refer to: HSA-10/WZ-185**

Mr. John I. Lund
Chief Engineer
Cortina Safety Products Group
10706 West Grand Avenue
Franklin Park, Illinois  60131

Dear Mr. Lund:

Thank you for your letter of March 29, 2004, requesting Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of your company's M-Cade Plastic Type I and Type II Barricades as crashworthy traffic control devices for use in work zones on the National Highway System (NHS).  Accompanying your letter were films of informal bogie crash testing conducted by the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF).  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."

**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 are those lightweight devices which are to be self-certified by the vendor, Category II devices are other lightweight devices which need individual crash testing but with reduced instrumentation,  Category III devices are barriers and other fixed or heavy devices also needing crash testing with normal instrumentation, and Category IV devices are trailer mounted lighted signs, arrow panels, etc. for which crash testing requirements have not yet been established.  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:

**Type I and Type II Barricades**
The M-Cade family of barricades uses plastic waffleboard panels.  The 12x24 panel is 
610x308 mm x 19.05 mm thick.  The thickness steps down to 11.43 mm at each end.  The panel faces are 3.00 mm thick and the ribs vary from 2.50 to 3.00 mm thick.  The mass of the 12x24 panel is 0.80 kg.  The 8x24 panel is similar with dimensions of 610x210 mm and a mass of 0.55 kg.  The "Sand Bar" is 610x83 mm with a mass of 0.25 kg.

The legs are molded in an "H" cross section and measure 46x61 mm with length either 
1118 mm or 1524 mm having masses of 0.76 kg and 0.99 kg respectively.  The legs are held together at the pivot point without fasteners by the unique interlocking configuration of the components.  An optional 12.7 mm plastic push pin may be used to hold the alignment of the open barricade.

Each panel is factory attached to a pair of legs with 6.35 mm steel/aluminum rivets.  The steel center shank of the rivets is 3.80 mm which is slightly less than the 4.15 mm root diameter of the threads used in the 1⁄4 - 20 bolts on the original crash tested barricade cited in the FHWA acceptance letter WZ-6.  Individual components are also provided for field assembly.  You requested that the M-Cade Type I and II barricades, whether assembled in the factory or field, be acceptable with a lightweight warning light (1.5 kg or less).

Following are the tables you provided which list the details of the various barricades for which you requested acceptance.

**Table 1	Specifications of Cortina M-Cade Barricades**Product
      Number
    Top
      Panel
    Bottom
      Panel
    Top
      Sheeting
    Bottom
      Sheeting
    Sand
      Bar
    Mass,
      Plain
    Mass,
      w/ Light**Type I M-Cades**
    *Represented in Test Run No. 1 and 2*97-11-001-11
    12"
    8"
    Prismatic w/ Arrow
    None
    Optional
    7.0 kg
    8.5 kg97-11-001-44
    12"
    8"
    EGR Sheeting
    None
    Optional
    7.0 kg
    8.5 kg97-11-001-45
    12"
    8"
    Hi-Intensity
    None
    Optional
    7.0 kg
    8.5 kg97-11-001-46
    12"
    8"
    SEG Sheeting
    None
    Optional
    7.0 kg
    8.5 kg**Type II M-Cades**
    *Represented in Test Run No. 1 and 2*97-11-002-11
    8"
    8"
    Prismatic w/ Arrow
    EGR Sheeting
    Optional
    6.6 kg
    8.1 kg97-11-002-44
    8"
    8"
    EGR Sheeting
    EGR Sheeting
    Optional
    6.6 kg
    8.1 kg97-11-002-45
    8"
    8"
    Hi-Intensity
    Hi-Intensity
    Optional
    6.6 kg
    8.1 kg97-11-002-46
    8"
    8"
    SEG Sheeting
    SEG Sheeting
    Optional
    6.6 kg
    8.1 kg**Type II Barrel Eliminator M-Cades**
    *Represented in Test Run No. 1 and 2*97-11-003
    12"
    8"
    EGR Sheeting
    Plain
    Optional
    7.1 kg
    8.6 kg97-11-003-11
    12"
    8"
    Prismatic w/ Arrow
    EGR Sheeting
    Optional
    7.1 kg
    8.6 kg97-11-003-44
    12"
    8"
    EGR Sheeting
    EGR Sheeting
    Optional
    7.1 kg
    8.6 kg97-11-003-45
    12"
    8"
    Hi-Intensity
    Hi-Intensity
    Optional
    7.1 kg
    8.6 kg97-11-003-46
    12"
    8"
    SEG Sheeting
    SEG Sheeting
    Optional
    7.1 kg
    8.6 kg**Type I Excavator M-Cades**
    *Represented in Test Run No. 3 and 4*97-11-001-60
    12"
    8"
    EGR Sheeting
    None
    Yes
    8.0 kg
    **97-11-001-61
    12"
    8"
    Hi-Intensity
    None
    Yes
    8.0 kg
    **97-11-001-62
    12"
    8"
    EGR Sheeting
    Plain
    Yes
    8.0 kg
    ****Type II Excavator M-Cades**
    *Represented in Test Run No. 3 and 4*97-11-002-60
    8"
    8"
    EGR Sheeting
    EGR Sheeting
    Yes
    7.6 kg
    **97-11-002-61
    8"
    8"
    Hi-Intensity
    Hi-Intensity
    Yes
    7.6 kg
    **97-11-002-62
    8"
    8"
    EGR Sheeting
    Plain
    Yes
    7.6 kg
    ****Individual Components for field assembly of Type I 
      and Type II Barricades**97-1100
    Modular Barricade Leg, 44"
    0.75 kg97-1200
   Modular Barricade Leg, 60"
     0.99 kg97-1400
   Modular Sand Bar, 3" x 24"
     0.25 kg97-1500
    Modular Panel, 8" x 24", No Sheeting
    0.55 kg97-1600
    Modular Panel, 12" x 24", No Sheeting
    0.80 kg** Additional testing of the Excavator devices with lights 
      is planned.**Plastic Resin**
The molded components (panels and legs) are molded from Sunoco TI-4230G-5 copolymer polypropylene resin, or from equivalent material obtained from another plastic compounder.  100 percent virgin resin is used except for the reground runners and sprues.  The UV stabilizers are added in advance by the plastic compounder.  The amount of regrind is held to 10 percent or lower for these parts.  This material (or its equivalent) was used in the molding of your PlastX Barricades, which have been found acceptable for use in WZ-47 and WZ-17.

**Testing**
The MwRSF conducted "research and development" style tests of your company's cones using a hard-nosed bogie vehicle of a mass larger than the standard 820C test vehicle.  There are significant constraints involved in using such a non-standard testing device, some of which are:

1. 	The potential vehicle velocity change must be considered insignificant.
2. 	The crush characteristics of an automobile bumper must not be expected to have a significant affect on the trajectory of the test article.
3. 	The profile of the bogie vehicle must be configured to replicate the outline of a production vehicle.  The MwRSF bogie was configured to replicate the outline of a Geo Metro, a vehicle commonly used in testing of work zone devices.
4. 	No part of the test article may intrude into the windshield area of the vehicle after impact.

In these tests it was clear that the "M-Cade" and "Excavator M-Cade " barricades would meet our crashworthiness criteria.  In addition, the M-Cade barricades (with 44 inch long legs) with warning lights would have met our criteria.  We understand you are considering full-scale automobile crash testing of your Excavator M-Cades (with 60inch long legs) to verify their performance with lights.


**Findings**				
The results of the informal testing met the FHWA requirements and, therefore, the devices described in the tables above and detailed in the enclosed drawings are acceptable for use on the NHS under the range of conditions tested, when proposed by a State.

Please note the following standard provisions that apply to the 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, 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 NCHRP Report 350.
To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance, designated as number WZ-1 85, 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.
M-Cade channelizers are patented devices and 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 by a highway agency* for use on Federal-aid 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.  These provisions do not apply to exempt non-NHS projects.  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 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,
/Original Signed by/John R. Baxter, P.E.Director, Office of Safety Design Office of Safety U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

202-366-4000Subscribe to email updates
                    About
  

        
              About FHWA
                Careers
                Org Chart
                Staff Directories
                Work with UsPrograms
  

        
              Acquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                SafetyPolicies, Rights, Legal
  

        
              About DOT
                Accessibility
                Budget and Performance
                Civil Rights
                FOIA
                Information Quality
                No FEAR Act
                Office of Inspector General
                Privacy Policy
                USA.gov
                Web Policies and Notices
                Web StandardsNews & Events
  

        
              Newsroom
                Press Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Media Contacts
                Connect with Us