U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Federal Highway 

Administration 

May 20, 2020 

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

In Reply Refer To: 

HSST-1/WZ-399 

Mr. Eric Willetts 

MDI Worldwide 

38271 W. Twelve Mile Road 

Farmington Hills, MI 48331 

Dear Mr. Willetts: 

This letter is in response to your December 2, 2019 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-399 and is valid until a subsequent letter is issued by 

FHWA that expressly references this device. 

Decision 

The following device is eligible within the length-of-need, with details provided in the form 

which is attached as an integral part of this letter: 

• MDI Worldwide 50SM-2S Sign Stand TL-3 

Scope of this Letter 

To be found eligible for Federal-aid funding, new roadside safety devices should meet the crash 

test and evaluation criteria contained in the American Association of State Highway and 

Transportation Officials’(AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). 

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. 
2 

Eligibility for Reimbursement 

Based solely on a review of crash test results and certifications submitted by the manufacturer, 

and the crash test laboratory, FHWA agrees that the device described herein meets the crash test 

and evaluation criteria of the AASHTO’s MASH. Therefore, the device is eligible for 

reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program if installed under the range of tested 

conditions. 

Name of system: MDI Worldwide 50SM-2S Sign Stand 

Type of system: Work Zone 

Test Level: MASH Test Level 3 (TL3) 

Testing conducted by: Applus IDIADA KARCO Engineering, LLC. 

Date of request: December 2, 2019 

FHWA concurs with the recommendation of the accredited crash testing laboratory on the 

attached form. 

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 

This eligibility letter is issued for the subject device as tested. Modifications made to the device 

are not covered by this letter. Any modifications to this device should be submitted to the user 

(i.e., state DOT) as per their requirements. 

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 AASHTO’s MASH.

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. 
3 

Standard Provisions 

• To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter ofeligibility designated as FHW A 

control number WZ-399 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. 

• This FHWA eligibility letter is not an expression of any Agency view, position, or 

determination of validity, scope, or ownership of any intellectual property rights to a 

specific device or design. Further, this letter does not impute any distribution or licensing 

rights to the requester. This FHWA eligibility letter determination is made based solely 

on the crash-testing information submitted by the requester. The FHWA reserves the 

right to review and revoke an earlier eligibility determination after receipt of subsequent 

information related to crash testing. 

Sincerely, 

Michael S. Griffith 

Director, Office of Safety Technologies 

Office of Safety 

Enclosures 
 

SystemType SubmissionType DeviceName / Variant TestingCriterion Test 

Level 

'WZ':CrashWorthyWorkZon 

PhysicalCrashTesting 

Engineering Analysis 50SM-2S 

AASHTOMASH TL3 

I   Resubmissio

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Page 1 of 4 

Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility 

of Highway Safety Hardware 

tter mibuS

Date of Request: December2,2019 New 

Name: EricWilletts 

Company: MDIWorldwide 

Address: 38271W.TwelveMileRoad,FarmingtonHills,MI 48331 

Country: UnitedStates 

To: Michael S. Griffith, Director 

FHWA, Office of Safety Technologies 

I request the following devices be considered eligible for reimbursement under the Federal-aid 

highway program. 

Device&TestingCriterion-Enter from right to left starting with TestLevel ! -! -! ! -! -! 

By submitting this request for review and evaluation by the Federal Highway Administration, I certify 

that the product(s) was (were) tested in conformity with the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety 

Hardware and that the evaluation results meet the appropriate evaluation criteria in the MASH. 

Individual or Organization responsible for the product: 

Contact Name: EricWilletts SameasSubmitter 

CompanyName: MDIWorldwide SameasSubmitter 

Address: 38271W.TwelveMileRoad,FarmingtonHills,MI 48331 SameasSubmitter 

Country: UnitedStates SameasSubmitter 

Enter below all disclosures of financial interests as required by the FHWA `Federal-Aid Reimbursement 

Eligibility Process for Safety Hardware Devices' document. 

MarketingDisplays, Inc.,doing businessasMDIWorldwide(“MDI”),whoseprincipal placeof businessis38271 

WestTwelve MileRoad,FarmingtonHills,Michigan 48331-3041,and ApplusIDIADAKARCOEngineering,LLC., 

whoseprincipal placeof businessis9270HollyRoad,Adelanto,CA92301shareno ($0.00) financial interests 

between the two organizations. Thisincludes no ($0.00)financial interest but not limited to: 

i.Compensation,including wages,salaries,commissions,professional fees,or feesfor businessreferrals(dollar 

valuesare notneeded); 

ii. Consulting relationships; 

iii. Researchfunding or other formsof researchsupport; 

iv. Patents,copyrights, and other intellectual propertyinterests; 

v. Licensesor contractual relationships;or 

vi. Businessownership and investment interest. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

New Hardware or Modification to 

Significant Modification ExistingHardware 

Product Description of 50SM-2S 

(ReferenceDrawing ZA-07914) 

The50SM-2Stemporarysignstand isa work-zone trafficcontrol device used to display trafficcontrolsigns. 

FurtherDescription: 

The 50SM-2S temporary sign support isa portable/fold-up sign stand manufactured with two vertically 

mounted wind deflecting steel coil springs.Thesignstand consistsof asteel baseassembly,foursteel legsand 

asteel telescoping upright. The leg is constructed of 1” SQ tube. The two piece telescoping uprights are 

constructed of 1”SQtubeand 0.75”SQtube.Analuminumsign isattached to the telescoping mast with the 

useofadjustable rigidsign brackets.Thesign can beraisedand lowered to thedesiredheight. 

Theoverall height of thestand is104”.The test wasconducted with thesign mountedat 12”abovegrade to 

thebottom of thesign.Thetotal weight of thestand isapproximately 36 lbs(nosign). 

CRASH TESTING 

Bysignaturebelow, theEngineeraffiliated with the testing laboratory, agreesin support of thissubmission that 

all of the critical and relevant crash tests for this device listed above were conducted to meet the MASH test 

criteria. The Engineer has determined that no other crash testsare necessary to determine the device meets 

theMASH criteria. 

Engineer Name: NickV.Injev 

EngineerSignature: 

Address: 9270HollyRoad,Adelanto,CA92301 SameasSubmitter

Country: USA SameasSubmitter  A brief description of each crash test and its result: Help

NickInjev DigitallysignedbyNick Injev 

DN:cn=Nick Injev,o=ApplusIDIADAKARCO,ou, 

email=nick.injev@idiada.com,c=US 

Date:2019.12.3114:24:07-08'00' 

RequiredTest 

Number 

Narrative 

Description 

Evaluation 

Results 

3-70(1100C) 

Designed to evaluate theability of asmall 

vehicle to activateany breakaway, fracture, 

or yielding mechanism. Is considered 

optional for work-zone traffic control 

devicesweighing lessthan220 lbs(100kg). 

Theas-testeddevice weighed 30.5lbs(13.8 

kg) and therefore Test 70 was not 

performed. 

Non-RelevantTest,not conducted 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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RequiredTest 

Number 

Narrative 

Description 

Evaluation 

Results 

3-71(1100C) 

An 1100Ctest vehicleapproached the test 

articleat a nominalspeedof 62 mph.The 

first 50SM-2Ssign stand impacted was 

orientedat 0°and thesecond testarticleat 

90°. The vertical upright of both devices 

shearedat the breakawayupon impact. 

Both aluminum signs made contact with 

the windshield but did not tear the plastic 

liner orcauseexcessivedeformation.There 

was no penetration into the test vehicles 

occupant compartment nor were the 

deformation limits exceeded. The devices 

did not induce any vehicle instability. The 

50SM-2Smetall the requirements for MASH 

Test3-71. 

PASS 

3-72(2270P) 

A2270Ptest vehicleapproached the test 

article at a nominal speed of 62 mph. The 

first 50SM-2Ssign stand impacted was 

orientedat 0°and thesecondat 90°.Upon 

impact the0°vertical uprightshearedat the 

breakaway causing the aluminum sign to 

make contact with the hood of the vehicle. 

The aluminum sign of the 90° stand 

released from the rigid brackets upon 

impact going over the occupant 

compartment. There was no penetration 

into the test vehicles occupant 

compartment nor were the deformation 

limitsexceeded.Thedevicesdid not induce 

any vehicle instability.The50SM-2Smetall 

the requirementsfor MASHTest3-72. 

PASS 

Full Scale Crash Testing was done in compliance with MASH by the following accredited crash test 

laboratory (cite the laboratory’s accreditation status as noted in the crash test reports.): 

Laboratory Name: ApplusIDIADAKARCOEngineering,LLC. NickInjev email=nick.injev@idiada.com,c=US Digitallysignedby NickInjev 

DN:cn=NickInjev,o=ApplusIDIADAKARCO,ou, LaboratorySignature: Date:2019.12.3114:24:26-08'00' 

Address: 9270HollyRoad,Adelanto,CA92301 SameasSubmitter 

Country: USA SameasSubmitter 

Accreditation Certificate 

Number and Dates of current 

Accreditation period : 

TL-371:July1,2019 -July 1,2022 

DigitallysignedbyEricWilletts 

Date:2019.07.1611:43:42 

-04'00' 

SubmitterSignature*: EricWilletts 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ATTACHMENTS 

Attach to this form: 

1) Additional disclosures of related financial interest as indicated above. 

2) A copy of the full test report, video, and a Test Data Summary Sheet for each test conducted in 

support of this request. 

3) A drawing or drawings of the device(s) that conform to the Task Force-13 Drawing Specifications 

[Hardware Guide Drawing Standards]. For proprietary products, a single isometric line drawing is 

usually acceptable to illustrate the product, with detailed specifications, intended use, and contact 

information provided on the reverse. Additional drawings (not in TF-13 format) showing details that 

are relevant to understanding the dimensions and performance of the device should also be submitted 

to facilitate our review. 

FHWA Official Business Only: 

Eligibility Letter 

Number Date Key Words