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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-123
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-123
                          **Date:**
            12/20/2002
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            United Rentals
                          **Device Description:**
            Portable Sign Stand mod for Larger Sign.
                          **View PDF:**
            wz123.pdf (2 MB)
    
    
December 20, 2002
Refer to: HSA-10/WZ-123
Mr. Henry Ross
United Rentals Highway
Technologies
880 North Addison Road
P.O. Box 7050
Villa Park, Illinois  60181-7050
Dear Mr. Ross:
This is in response to
your letter requesting Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of a
modification to your company's High Level SafetyCor portable sign stand with
96" x 48" signs as a crashworthy traffic control device for use in
work zones on the National Highway System (NHS).  This stand was originally accepted under FHWA Acceptance
Letters WZ-94 of September 27, 2001, and WZ-95 of October 1, 2001.  The modification consists of using a 2438 mm
x 1219 mm (96 inch x 48 inch) sign.  You
requested that we find these stands acceptable for use on the NHS 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 were those lightweight devices which could be
self-certified by the vendor, Category II devices were other lightweight
devices which needed individual crash testing, Category III devices were
barriers and other fixed or massive devices also needing crash testing, and
Category IV devices were trailer mounted lighted signs, arrow panels, etc.  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 High Level Safety
or portable sign stand is a lightweight sign support made up of 44.5 mm
(1.75 inch) square “X-Tube” PVC extrusions. The X-Tube uprights slip into 57.2
mm (2.25 inch) perforated tube steel sockets welded to a support base. The
support base is made up of 50.8 mm x 50.8 mm x 4.8 mm (2 inch x 2 inch x 0.19
inch) thick steel angle iron.  The
tested sign stand system featured a two-high arrangement of 914 mm wide rectangular signs made of 10.2 mm (0.40 inch)
thick “SafetyCor”, an unfilled polypropylene copolymer corrugated plastic
sheeting material.  Each sign is bolted
to the uprights with four 7.9 mm (0.31 inch) diameter ASTM A307 hex fasteners
and special 38.1 mm (1.5 inch) outside diameter rubber encased flat washers
that increase the bearing area and help to prevent sign damage when the stands
are stacked.  When deployed the bottom
of the lowest sign is nominally 1516 mm (60 inches) above the ground, and the
overall height is 3662 mm (144 inches) to the top of the highest sign.  As tested, the stands weighed 36.1 kg (80
pounds), and had four 18 kg (40 pound) sand bags as ballast.  The four bags were placed at the ends of the
supports.
Your present request is to mount a 2438 mm x 1219 mm (96
inch x 48 inch) sign of the same material to this stand at a height of 2215 mm
(87 in) to the bottom.  The top of this
sign will be the same as the top height of the tested sign.
Findings
Because the overall height of the subject sign and stand is
the same as the system successfully crash tested, and the overall mass is the
same or less, we concur that the modifications detailed above are not likely to
adversely affect the crashworthy performance of the system, and therefore it
will be acceptable for use on the NHS under the range of conditions that the
original article was tested, when proposed by a State.
Please note the following standard provisions that apply to
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 FHWA
and NCHRP Report 350.
To prevent
misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance, designated as number
WZ-123 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.Sincerely yours,
Harry W.
Taylor
Acting
Director, Office of Safety Design U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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