LS-37 

u.s.Deponment - 

of TmnspcftaIii’ 

EL=y 

C. Richard Briden, P.E. 

Engineering Manager 

P & K Pole Products 

84 Foundry Street 

Newark, New Jersey 071054606 

Dear Mr. Briden: 

July 13, 1995, 

400 Seventh St,. S.W 

Washw,gton. D,C, 20590 

Refer to: HNG-14 

Thank you for your April 25 letter requesting Federal Highway Administration's 

(FHWA) acceptance of your company's aluminum breakaway,bases. Your letter ,was 

accompanied by seven test reports by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) 

dated February or March 1995. and video documentation on each test. We 

received supplemental data from SwRI on June 12. 

Pendulum testing was conducted to assess the breakaway performance of the 

bases. Requirements for breakaway supports are found in the American 

Associatidn of State Highway and Transportation Officials' "Standard 

Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway S~igns. Luminaires and 

Traffic Signals." Testing guidelines are found in the National Cooperative 

Highway~Research Program Report 350, "Recommended'Procedures for the Safety~ 

Performance Evaluation of Highway Features." Both have been adopted by FHWA. 

You requested individual acceptance letters for each base. This letter is for 

the hardware evaluated i~ti test PK-104.dated February 1995. A summary of the 

test da~ta is shown below and drawinas of the cast aluminum shoe base are 

enclosed. 

support 

lam.. mll an 
The results of this test and the high-speed extrapolation meet the change in 

velocity and stub height requirements adopted by AASHTO and FHWA. Therefore, 

the tested aluminum breakaway base described above is acceptable for use on 

the National Highway System (NHS), ,under conditions comparable to those 

evaluated. when selected by a highway agency. 

Our acceptance is limited to the breakaway characteristics of the system and 

does not cover its structural features. Presumably. you will supply potential 

users with sufficient information on structural design and installation 

requirements to ensure proper performance. We anticipate that the States will 

require certification from P & K Pole Products that the hardware furnished has 

essentially the same chemistry, mechanical properties, and geometry as those 

used in the tests, and that they will meet the FHWA change in velocity 

requirements. * 

Because the P & K Pole Products breakaway aluminum bases are proprietary, to 

be used in Federal-aid highway projects, except exempt non-NHS 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 existing highway facilities or that no equally 

suitable alternate 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. 

Sincerely yours, 

2,Enclosures 

Geometric and Roadside Design Acceptance Letter LS-37 
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