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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-220
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-220
                          **Date:**
            01/13/2006
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Yodock
                          **Device Description:**
            Slimline Channelizer  Model 2001SL
                          **View PDF:**
            wz220.pdf (285.11 KB)
    
    
Skip to contentSkip to contentUnited States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway AdministrationDOT logo
U.S. Department of Transportation
**Federal Highway Administration**
400 Seventh St., S.W.
Washington, D.C.  20590**January 13, 2006**


**Refer to: HSA-10/WZ-220**

Mr. Leo J. Yodock, III
	623 NE 5th Terrace
	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida  33304

Dear Mr.  Yodock :
Thank you for your letter of  September 15, 2005, requesting Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance  of your company's "Slimline Channelizer"; model 2001SL Longitudinal Channelizing  Barricade as a crashworthy traffic control device for use in work zones on the  National Highway System (NHS). Accompanying  your letter were reports of crash testing conducted by the Texas Transportation  Institute and video of the tests. You  requested that we find it acceptable for use on the NHS as a test level 2  (TL-2) device 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:
The Slimline Channelizer is a  low-density polyethylene water filled unit that is 18 inches tall. It is rotationally  molded and has a nominal wall thickness of 1/4 inch. The overall length of an individual unit is 78 inches and when  interconnected with adjacent units, the nominal segment length is 72 inches. The top width of the unit is 6 inches and  the bottom measures 12 inches wide. Flanges extend an additional 14 inches on each side at the base  of each unit. Empty weight of the unit  is 38 pounds, and 330 pounds when filled with 35 gallons of water. A drawing of a single unit is enclosed for  reference.
**Testing**
Full-scale automobile testing was  conducted on your company' devices.  Each unit was anchored to the unreinforced concrete apron with six 3/8  inch x 4 inch Hilt Coil Anchors. Two  20x30 inch sign panels were installed on the channelizer installation in the  vicinity of the impact; one sign panel was mounted on a 34-inch long 2  pound-per-foot u-channel and the other panel was mounted on a 43-inch long 2  inch I.D. Schedule 40 pipe. Other  appurtenances installed and impacted included 44-inch long 2 3/8 inch O.C.  plastic delineators and reflectors. Individual units link to form a  longitudinal channelizing barricade by interlocking the male/female connectors  on the end of each unit. The overall  length of the 20 units was 
120 feet.
The tests are summarized in the  table below.NCHRP Report 350    Test 3-71Test Number
400001-YWC9Model
2001SL Slimline    Longitudinal Channelizing Barricade (LCB)Flags? Lights?
Yes, two sign    panels and warning lightsMass of Test Vehicle
820 kgImpact Speed
71.0 km/hrImpact Angle
19.1 degreesVelocity Change
5.28 m/sOccupant Impact Speed
4.3 m/s    (longitudinal)Extent of contact
Cosmetic damage to    bumperWindshield Damage
No contact with    windshieldOther notes
Auxiliary devices    showed no potential for windshield damage**Findings**
The vehicle overrode the Slimline  LCB with no tendency towards instability.  Damage was limited to scrapes to the bumper. The auxiliary signs, lights, and road tubes had no adverse effect  on the impact. There was no occupant  compartment deformation.
The results of the testing met the  FHWA requirements and, therefore, the device described in the request above and  detailed in the enclosed drawing are acceptable for use as a TL-2 LCB on the  NHS under the range of conditions tested, when proposed by a State.
You also requested that we accept  the Slimline LCB with or without water ballast, fastened to the pavement with  as little as two anchors, or free standing, and with or without the use of the  delineator posts, signs, and lights. In  brief, we concur with these requests.
The vehicle traversal of the LCB  will be very different when the ballast is omitted and/or when the attachment  to the pavement is reduced. However,  based on prior testing of larger LCBs that are freestanding with little or no  ballast, the test vehicle simply breaks through the LCB and knocks the individual units  aside. Although we considered the  possibility that a vehicle could "capture"; individual units if they deform and  ride under the vehicle, we have seen no such behavior in any temporary work  zone device over the last five years of crash testing.
The Slimline LCB can also be  expected to perform in a satisfactory manner if impacted without delineator  posts, light or signs present.
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 the NCHRP Report 350.
To       prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance, designated       as number WZ-220 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.
The       Yodock Slimline LCB is a patented device and is 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. 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

Enclosure
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