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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-319
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-319
                          **Date:**
            08/29/2012
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Accuform
                          **Device Description:**
            FRC786 Tilt Adjust Stand - Spring Version, X-Footprint Portable Sign Stand
                          **View PDF:**
            wz319.pdf (834.63 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter WZ - 319
            
            	
          	DOT logo
            	U.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration
                400 Seventh St., S.W.Washington, D.C.  20590**
                
          	
			 
			**Download Version**PDF [835 KB]
                
        	August 29, 2012
            In Reply Refer To: **WZ-319**
            Matt Racine
            	Accuform Signs
                16228 Flight Path Drive
                Brooksville, Florida 34604
            Dear Mr. Racine:
            This letter is in response to your request for the Federal  Highway Administration (FHWA) to review a roadside safety system for  eligibility for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program.
            Name of  system:
                    FRC786 Tilt  Adjust Stand – Spring VersionType of  system:
                    X-Footprint  Portable Sign StandTest  Level:
                    NCHRP  Report 350 Test Level 3Testing  conducted by:
                    N/ADate of  request:
                    April 24,  2012Date initially acknowledged:
                    May 8, 2012Date of completed package:
                    July 16, 2012
            
            **Decision**The following device is eligible, with details provided in  the form which is attached as an integral part of this letter:
            FRC786 Tilt Adjust Stand – Spring VersionBased on a review of crash test results submitted by the  manufacturer certifying the device and subsequent modifications described  herein meets the crash test and evaluation criteria of the National Cooperative  Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350, the device is eligible for  reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program.  Eligibility for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program does not establish approval  or endorsement by the FHWA for any particular purpose or use.
            The FHWA, the Department of Transportation, and the United States Government do not endorse products or services and the issuance of a  reimbursement eligibility letter is not an endorsement of any product or service.
            To be found eligible for Federal-aid funding, roadside  safety devices should meet the crash test and evaluation criteria contained in  the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 or the American Association of State Highway and Transportation  Officials’ Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH).
            **Description**The initial device, the FRC750 stand, was the subject of  FHWA Letter WZ-286 dated November 12, 2009.   Your present request is to modify that stand as follows:
            The locking mechanism changed from a push button to a pin sliding guide, as shown in the enclosed drawing, to be more user friendly.
              	A spring mechanism was added to the base to add flexibility and shed wind gusts. It also helps to reduce the potential for tip-over of the stand from wind and reduce the amount of strain on the threaded stud.
				The clamp was changed from a tightening bracket to a weld nut on a threaded stud/arm know, making it easier to secure the roll up sign to the stand.You also provided the following comparisons supporting the  fact that the proposed changes are insignificant with regard to crash performance:
            The  heights are similar and within 2” of each other.
              	The  breaking points of both versions are the same.
              	The  changes do not affect the structure of the stand but improve human interaction.You provided this information in your “Request for Federal  Aid Reimbursement Eligibility of Highway Safety Hardware” dated July 16, 2012.  A copy is enclosed for reference.
            **Summary and Standard Provisions**Therefore, the system described in FHWA Letter WZ-286 and  modified as described above, and detailed in the enclosed drawings is eligible  for reimbursement and may be installed under the range of conditions initially  crash tested.
            Please note the following standard provisions that apply to FHWA eligibility letters:
            This finding of eligibility does not cover other structural features of  the systems, nor conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
            	Any changes that may influence system  conformance with NCHRP Report 350 criteria will require a new reimbursement  eligibility letter.
                Should the FHWA discover that the qualification  testing was flawed, that in-service performance reveals safety problems, or  that the system is significantly different from the version that was crash  tested, we reserve the right to modify or revoke this letter.
                You are expected to supply potential users with  sufficient information on design and installation 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 crash test and  evaluation criteria of the NCHRP Report 350.
                To prevent misunderstanding by others, this  letter of eligibility is designated as number WZ-319 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.
                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.
                The FHWA does not become involved in issues  concerning patent law. Patent issues, if any, are to be resolved by the  applicant.
                Accuform sign stands are patented products and  considered 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 of Mike S. Griffith***
            Michael S. Griffith
              Director, Office of Safety Technologies
              Office of Safety
Enclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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