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 LS-66
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Luminaire Supports
                          **Code:**
            LS-66
                          **Date:**
            05/05/2008
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Hapco
                          **Device Description:**
            Hapco decorative pole, breakaway B13163 and 13164
                          **View PDF:**
            ls66.pdf (1.3 MB)
    
    "FHWA Logo"

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E.
Washington, DC 20590

**May 5, 2008**

**In Reply Refer to: HSSD/LS-66**

Mr. Greg Mercier
Director of Design Engineering
Hapco
26252 Hillman Highway
Abingdon, VA 24210

Dear Mr. Mercier:

This letter is in response to your request for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of a roadside safety device for use on the National Highway System (NHS).

Name of device: Hapco decorative pole, breakaway B13163 and 13164
	Type of device: Luminaire Support
	Test Level: Test Level 3 (TL-3)
	Testing conducted by: Texas Transportation Institute (TTI)
	Date of request: March 23, 2008
	Date of follow-up: April 8, 2008You requested that we find this device 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 devices 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 luminaire supports.

**Description**
The following two 20 ft (6.1 m) HAPCO decorative luminaire supports were tested at the TTI outdoor pendulum testing facility:

*HAPCO*72133 Cast Base Assembly Georgetown (B13163). The base of the lighting pole was cast aluminum (alloy 356-T6) with a 10-1/8 inch (257.18 mm) round base tapering to a fluted shape for a base height of 42-5/8 inches (1082.68 mm). A 6 inch (152.4 mm) outside diameter tapering to a 3 inch (76.2 mm) outside diameter aluminum tube (alloy 6063-T6) with 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) wall thickness and 16 foot 7 inch (5.05 m) long was welded to the base, giving a total height of 20 feet (6.1 m). A cast aluminum adapter ring was placed on top of the pole to accommodate the round light. The weight of the pole with base was 134 pounds and the round light was 17 pounds, totaling a weight of 151 pounds. The 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) base plate was bolted to a steel reaction plate using 3/4 inch (19.05 mm) anchor bolts on a 7 inch (177.8 mm) diameter bolt circle. Drawings of the HAPCO Georgetown (B13163) decorative luminaire support with cast base assembly 72531 are enclosed.
	*HAPCO* 72133 Cast Base Assembly GeorgetownEmbedded Pedestal (B13164). The base of the lighting pole was cast aluminum (alloy 356-T6) with a 10-1/8 inch (257.18 mm) round base (72133) tapering to a fluted shape for base height of 42-5/8 inches (1082.68 mm). A 6 inch (152.4 mm) outside diameter tapering to a 3 inch (76.2 mm) outside diameter aluminum tube (alloy 6063-T6) with 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) wall thickness and 16 foot 7 inch (5.05 m) long was welded to the base, giving a total height 20 feet (6.1 m). A cast aluminum adapter ring was placed on top the pole to accommodate the round light. Weight of the pole with base was 156 pounds and the round light was 14.6 pounds, totaling a weight 170.6 pounds. The base was welded to a 6 inch (152.4 mm) diameter aluminum tube (12315) with 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) wall thickness, 4 feet (1.22 m) long and flattened the lower 1 foot (0.305 m) to close the opening at the bottom to 2 1/2 inches (63.5 mm), and embedded in NCHRP Report 350 standard soil. Two slotted holes were positioned at 180 degrees to each other in the aluminum ground tube with centerline at 2 feet (0.61 m) below the base. Drawings of the HAPCO Embedded Pedestal (B13164) decorative luminaire support are enclosed.**Crash Testing**
Your company’s decorative lighting poles were tested at TTI’s outdoor pendulum testing facility, as a surrogate for full-scale crash testing. The pendulum bogie was built according the specifications of the Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory's (FOIL) pendulum, and the frontal crush of the aluminum honeycomb nose of the bogie simulated the crush of an actual vehicle. Tests with pendulums are acceptable for most breakaway supports, exceptions being base bending or yielding supports.

Two low speed pendulum tests were conducted on your company’s decorative lighting supports, one test on each of the poles. Summaries of test results are enclosed. All Decorative Lighting Poles met the NCHRP Report 350 occupant risk criteria. In addition, TTI extrapolated the high-speed performance of these four lighting poles installation from the low speed pendulum tests. I agree that the test articles appear to perform appropriately to make such high-speed extrapolations. All high speed extrapolations yield lower change in velocity values than the paired low speed pendulum test.

In tests with HAPCO B13163 and HAPCO B13164 decorative lighting poles the base separated from the ground and the lighting pole separated from the decorative base section. The base fractured at ground line and this performance satisfies the FHWA limit of maximum 3.9 inch (100 mm) stub height remaining after a support breaks away.

**Findings**
In summary, the HAPCO 72133 Cast Base Assembly Georgetown (B13163) and HAPCO Embedded Pedestal (B13164) 20 ft (6.1 m) decorative lighting poles as described above, meet the appropriate evaluation criteria for a NCHRP 350 TL-3 device and may be used at all appropriate locations on the NHS when selected by the contracting authority, subject to the provisions of Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 635.411 as they pertain to proprietary products. The HAPCO Georgetown (B13163) is accepted with luminaire mounting heights up to 20 feet (6.1 m) with shafts up to 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) wall thickness with diameters up to 6 inches (152.4 mm). The HAPCO Embedded Pedestal (B13164) is accepted with luminaire heights up to 20 feet (6.1 m), shafts up to 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) wall thickness with diameters up to 6 inches (152.4 mm), and embedment lengths not less than 4 feet (1.22 m). Furthermore, the embedment tube wall thickness must be equal to the shaft wall thickness.

**Standard provisions**
Please note the following standard provisions that apply to FHWA letters of acceptance:

This acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the device 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, 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 LS-66 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.
	The HAPCO decorative luminaire supports are patented products 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,

			"David A. Nicol signature"

			David A. Nicol, P.E.
			Director, Office of Safety Design
			Office of SafetyEnclosures 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