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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-281A
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-281A
                          **Date:**
            04/18/2016
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            MDI Worldwide
                          **Device Description:**
            50TRI Tripod sign stand
                          **View PDF:**
            wz281a.pdf (1.16 MB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-281A
			
			
			 
			**Download Version**PDF [1.15 MB]
			
			DOT logoU.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration**
			1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C. 20590
			April 21, 2016
			In Reply Refer To:
HSST-1/WZ-281A
			
			Mr. Troy Tapley
MDI Worldwide
38271 W. Twelve Mile Road
Farmington Hills, Michigan  48331
			Dear Mr.Tapley:
			This letter is in response to your May 5, 2015 request for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to review a roadside safety device, hardware, or system for eligibility for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program.  This FHWA letter of eligibility is assigned FHWA control number WZ-281A and is valid until a subsequent letter is issued by FHWA that expressly references this device.
			**Decision**
The following devices are eligible, with details provided in the form which is attached as an integral part of this letter:
50TRI tripod sign stand***Scope of this  Letter***
            To be found eligible for Federal-aid funding, modified  roadside safety devices should meet the crash test and evaluation criteria  contained in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350.  However, the FHWA, the Department of Transportation, and the United States  Government do not regulate the manufacture of roadside safety devices.  Eligibility for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program does not  establish approval, certification or endorsement of the device for any  particular purpose or use.
            This letter is not  a determination by the FHWA, the Department of Transportation, or the  United States Government that a vehicle  crash involving the device will result in any particular outcome, nor is it a  guarantee of the in-service performance of this device. Proper manufacturing,  installation, and maintenance are required in order for this device to function  as tested.
This finding of eligibility is limited to the  crashworthiness of the system and does not cover other structural features, nor  conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
      ***Eligibility for  Reimbursement***
      FHWA previously  issued an eligibility letter for the roadside safety system described in your  pending request. Your pending request now identifies a modification to that  roadside safety system.
      The original  roadside safety device information is provided here:

Name of system:
			    50TRI tripod sign standType of system:
			    Work Zone Traffic Control DeviceDate of  original request:
			    April  30, 2009Date of original FHWA eligibility letter:
			    July  1, 2009FHWA  Control number
			    WZ-281The pending  modification(s) consists of the following changes:
      Use       with the following comparable 48" × 48" (16 - sq. ft) and smaller sign       substrates:
        0.375"        [9.5mm] and 0.500" [12.7mm] thick plywood signs
          0.080"        [2mm], 0.100" [2.5mm], and 0.125" [3mm] thick solid aluminum
          0.080"        [2mm] and 0.125" [3mm] aluminum laminates such as: Alpolic, Dibond,        Reynolite or similar substrates
          0.400" [10mm] to 0.625" [16mm] corrugated plastics***Full Description  of the Eligible Device***
      The device and supporting documentation, including reports of the crash tests or other testing done, videos of any crash testing, and/or drawings of the device, are described in the attached form.
      ***Notice***
      If a  manufacturer makes any modification to any of their roadside safety hardware  that has an existing eligibility letter from FHWA, the manufacturer must notify  FHWA of such modification with a request for continued eligibility for  reimbursement. The notice of all  modifications to a device must be accompanied by:
      
      Significant modifications – For these modifications, crash        test results must be submitted with accompanying documentation and        videos.
          Non-signification modifications – For these modifications, a        statement from the crash test laboratory on the potential effect of the        modification on the ability of the device to meet the relevant crash test        criteria.FHWA's determination of continued eligibility for the modified  hardware will be based on whether the modified hardware will continue to meet  the relevant crash test criteria.
      You are expected to supply potential users with sufficient  information on design, installation and maintenance 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 test and evaluation  criteria of the NCHRP Report 350.
     Issuance of this  letter does not convey property rights of any sort or any exclusive privilege.  This letter is based on the premise that information and reports submitted by  you are accurate and correct. We reserve the right to modify or revoke  this letter if: (1) there are any  inaccuracies in the information submitted in support of your request for  this letter, (2) the qualification testing was flawed, (3) in-service  performance or other information reveals safety problems, (4) the system is  significantly different from the version that was crash tested, or (5) any other  information indicates that the letter was issued in error or otherwise does not  reflect full and complete information about the crashworthiness of the system.
      ***Standard Provisions***
      To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of eligibility       designated as FHWA control number WZ-281A 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 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.
        If       the subject device is a patented product it may be considered to be       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 Michael S. Griffith
			Michael S. Griffith
Director,  Office of Safety Technologies
              Office of SafetyEnclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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