U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Federal Highway 

Administration 

June 16, 2022

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

In Reply Refer To: 

HSST-1/WZ-436A 

Kevin Harrison 

Eastern Metal of Elmira, Inc. 

1430 Sullivan Street 

Elmira NY 14901 

USA 

Dear Mr. Harrison: 

We received your correspondence of March 22, 2021 requesting issuance of a reimbursement 

eligibility letter under the Federal-aid highway program for the roadside safety system, device, 

design, product, or hardware (collectively “device”) described below. This letter supersedes the 

original letter WZ-436 for the Apex Recoil work zone sign stand. This FHWA letter of 

eligibility is assigned FHWA control number WZ-436A and is valid until a subsequent letter is 

issued by FHWA that expressly references this device. 

ELIGIBILITY LETTERS 

The FHWA issues Federal-aid reimbursement eligibility letters for new roadside safety devices 

that are crash tested in accordance with the industry standard of the American Association of 

State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware 

(MASH). 

FHWA, the Department of Transportation, and the United States (government) do not regulate 

roadside safety devices, crash test facilities, or the manufacturing industry. Issuance of 

eligibility letters is discretionary and provided only as a service to the states. FHWA may, at its 

discretion, decline to issue, revise, or rescind an eligibility letter. Eligibility letters are only 

issued by the FHWA headquarters Office of Safety. 

Eligibility letters are issued only as notice to the states that a device is eligible for reimbursement 

under the Federal-aid highway program. They do not establish approval or certification for any 

other purpose. Issuance of an eligibility letter is not a prerequisite or requirement for state 

transportation agencies seeking to use Federal-aid funds for roadside safety devices. State 

agencies may use a device for which an eligibility letter has not been issued and seek Federal-aid 

reimbursement. 

FEDERAL-AID REIMBURSEMENT 

The request for issuance of this letter certified the device was crash tested in accordance with the 

industry standard of AASHTO’s MASH. This eligibility letter is based on that certification and 

1 
 

 

the material offered in support of its issuance. The device described below is eligible for 

reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program. 

Name of system: Apex Recoil 

Type of system: Work Zone Sign Stand 

Test Level: Test Level 3 

Testing conducted by: Calspan Corporation 

Date of request: March 22, 2021 

Information about the device, including material such as the eligibility request, crash test reports, 

drawings, or images are included in one or more attachment(s) to this letter. 

Eligibility letter WZ-436A is inapplicable to devices, optional equipment, alternate materials, or 

other features that were not crash tested in accordance with AASHTO’s MASH. 

This letter is issued only for the subject device as crash tested under AASHTO’s MASH. Later 

modification(s) of the device are not eligible for Federal-aid reimbursement under this letter. 

Notice of later modification(s) should be given to transportation agencies, facility owners, and 

operators (collectively “agencies”). 

Agencies should be provided appropriate information about the device’s design, installation, 

maintenance, materials, and mechanical properties. 

Issuance of this letter is discretionary, and it may be revised or rescinded at FHWA’s discretion. 

This letter is not a determination of compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control 

Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) or ownership of any intellectual property rights. 

This eligibility letter is not a determination by the government that a crash involving the subject 

device will result in any particular outcome. It is limited to only the device’s eligibility for 

Federal-aid reimbursement. 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 

Issuance of this eligibility letter does not convey property rights of any sort nor any exclusive 

privilege. This letter is not authorization or consent by the government for the use, manufacture, 

or sale of any patented or proprietary system, device, design, product, or hardware for which the 

requester is not the patent owner. Eligibility letters are not an expression of any view, position, 

or determination by the government as to the validity, scope, or ownership of any intellectual 

property rights to a specific device. These letters do not grant, impute, suggest, or otherwise 

establish any ownership, distribution, or licensing rights to the requester. The government 

expresses no opinion about the intellectual property rights relating to any device for which this or 

any other eligibility letter is issued. 

2 
 

PUBLIC DISCLOSURE 

To prevent any misunderstanding, and as discussed above, this eligibility letter is assigned 

FHWA control number WZ-436A. It should only be reproduced in full with its attachment(s). 

This letter and the material offered by the requester supporting its issuance is public information. 

All eligibility letters and supporting material are subject to public disclosure under the Freedom 

of Information Act (FOIA). Eligibility letters are available to the public at 

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/countermeasures/reduce_crash_severity/. 

If you have any questions please contact Aimee Zhang at Aimee.Zhang@dot.gov. 

Sincerely, 

Michael S. Griffith 

Director, Office of Safety Technologies 

Office of Safety 

Enclosures 

3 
Page 1 of 5 

March 22, 2021 I 

Kevin Harrison 

Eastern Metal of Elmira, Inc. 

1430 Sullivan Street Elmira, NY 14901 

USA 

Device & Testing Criterion - Enter from right to left starting with Test Level I ' - ' - ' I 

System Type Submission Type Device Name/ Variant Testing Criterion Test 

Level 

'WZ': Crash Worthy Work  Physical Crash Testing AASHTO MASH TL3

Zone Traffic Control Devices  Engineering Analysis Apex Recoil

Contact Name: Kevin Harrison Same as Submitter 

Company Name: Eastern Metal of Elmira, Inc. Same as Submitter 

Address: 1430 Sullivan Street Elmira, NY 14901 Same as Submitter 

Country: USA Same as Submitter 

Eastern Metal of Elmira, Inc. and Calspan Corporation share no financial interests between the two organizations. 

This includes no shared financial interest but not limited to: 

i. Compensation including wages, salaries, commissions, professional fees, or fees for business referrals 

iii. Research funding or other forms of research support; 

iv. Patents, copyrights, licenses, and other intellectual property interests; 

vi. Business ownership and investment interests; 

 Version 10.0 (05/16)

S

u

b

mitter

Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility

of Highway Safety Hardware

 Date of Request: New Resubmission

Name:

Company:

Address:

Country:

Michael S. Griffith, Director To: FHWA, Office of Safety Technologies 

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

highway program.

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:

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

Eligibility Process for Safety Hardware Devices' document.
Page 2 of 5 

 New Hardware or  Modification t

• Significant Modification Existing Hardware 

The Eastern Metal of Elmira, Inc. Apex Recoil is a 48" collapsible rollup sign attached to a collapsible sign stand 

and the two members can be disassembled and folded-up into a compact package for storage and transport. 

The collapsible rollup sign attaches to the sign stand by its spin handle on to the sign's vertical cross-brace. 

Another attachment includes the X-connect latch which attaches by sliding the rollup's vertical sign pocket 

into the sign stand. Both attachments yield a minimum bottom height of 12" from the ground to be fully 

displayed for viewing by passing motorists and pedestrians. A foldable flag mechanism is used to display a set 

of warning flags. The flag mechanism is pivotally attached to the vertical cross-brace member. The 

combination sign and sign stand assembly can be quickly and readily assembled to its display condition and, 

correspondingly, disassembled and folded-up to its storage and transport condition. 

The leg release system on the sign stands are readily adjustable for varying sign heights and/or uneven terrain, 

held in place on the ground using sandbags. The telescoping legs are made of aluminum and assembled to 

the steel sign stand base via standard nuts and bolts. The legs have either pull-pins or kick lever releases for 

quick and efficient releasing from the foldup position. The folded dimensions are 9" x 8" x 30" and weighs 

24.25 lbs. without the rollup sign attached. Open dimensions are 48" x 96" x 32". Legs in fully extended 

position. 

By signature below, the Engineer affiliated with the testing laboratory, agrees in support of this submission 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 tests are necessary to determine the device meets 

the MASH criteria. 

Mark Parisi 

Engineer Signature: 

4455 Genesee Street, Cheektowaga, NY 14225 Same as Submitter 

USA Same as Submitter 

Required Test Narrative Evaluation 

Number Description Results 

Designated to evaluate the ability of a small 

vehicle to activate any breakaway, fracture, 

or yielding mechanism. Is considered 

3-70 (11 DOC) optional for work zone traffic control Non-Relevant Test, not conducted 

weighting less than 220 lb. (100 kg) 

 Version 10.0 (05/16)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

CRASH TESTING

Engineer Name:

Address:

Country:

 A brief description of each crash test and its result:
Page 3 of 5 

Required Test Narrative Evaluation 

Number Description Results 

For this test, two Apex Recoil work zone 

signs were impacted. The first test article 

was aligned at 0° and the second test article 

was aligned at 90° to the impacting 

vehicle's direction of travel. This test is 

intended to evaluate the sign stand's 

behavior when impacted. The primary 

evaluation is based on intrusion into the 

occupant compartment, windshield 

damage, and vehicle stability. Lightweight 

devices such as the Apex sign cannot cause 

sufficient velocity change that would result 

in exceeding occupant risk criteria limits. 

Therefore Test 71 was conducted without 

instrumentation for evaluating occupant 

risk values OIV and RA per MASH test 

description. 

The test was conducted using a 

commercially available 2014 Kia Rio 4 door 

sedan with a test inertia mass of 2445 lbs ... 

(1109 kg). 

The test vehicle impacted the first sign 

stand (orientated at 0°) at a velocity of 63.1 

3-71 (11 OOC) mph (101.5 km/hr). Upon impact the roll up 

sign released from the sign support and 

folded over the front end of the vehicle. 

The top of the soft vertical cross frame 

impacted the top of the windshield. The test 

vehicle continued along its path and 

impacted the second sign stand (oriented at 

90°) at a velocity of 61.9 mph (99.6 km/ hr). 

Upon impact the roll up sign released from 

the sign support and folded over the front 

end of the vehicle. The top of the vertical 

soft cross frame impacted the windshield/A 

Pillar of the vehicle. The test vehicle's 

occupant compartment was not penetrated 

by the test articles and there was NO cab/ 

passenger compartment deformation. 

Debris from the test articles did not block 

the driver's vision. The vehicle remained 

upright and did not exceed 75°roll and pitch 

throughout the test. The vehicle did not 

leave its lane and its trajectory was stable 

after both sign stands were impacted. 

TEST RESULT= PASS 

 Version 10.0 (05/16)
Page 4 of 5 

For this test, two Apex work zone Signs 

Stands were impacted . The first test article 

was aligned at 0° and the second test article 

was aligned at 90° to the test vehicle's 

direction of travel. This test is intended to 

evaluate the sign stand's behavior when 

impacted . The primary evaluation is based 

on intrusion into the occupant 

compartment, windshield damage, and 

vehicle stability. Lightweight devices such 

as the Apex Sign Stand cannot cause 

sufficient velocity change that would result 

in exceeding occupant risk criteria limits. 

Therefore Test 72 was conducted without 

instrumentation for evaluating occupant 

risk values OIV and RA per MASH test 

description . 

The test was conducted using a 

commercially available 2009 Ram 1500 

Pickup Truck with a test inertia mass of 

5022. 1 lbs (2,278 kg). 

The test vehicle impacted the first sign 

stand (oriented at 0°) at a velocity of 61.3 

mph (98.6 km/ hr). Upon impact the roll up 

3-72 (2270P) sign released from the sign stand and 

folded over the front end of the vehicle. 

The top of the vertical cross frame impacted 

the hood of the vehicle, and then went over 

the top of the roof. The test vehicle 

continued along it path and impacted the 

second sign stand (oriented at 90°) at a 

velocity of 60.4 mph (97.2 km/hr). Upon 

impact the roll up sign released from the 

sign stand and folded over the front end/ 

right quarter panel of the vehicle. The top of 

the vertical soft cross frame impacted the 

hood of vehicle, before being sent to the 

right side. The test vehicle's occupant 

compartment was not penetrated by the 

test articles and there was no measurable 

cab/passenger compartment deformation. 

Debris from the test article did not cause a 

hazard to the driver's vision. The vehicle 

remained upright and did not exceed 75° 

roll and pitch through out the test. The 

vehicle did not leave its lane and its 

trajectory was stable after both sign stands 

were impacted . 

TEST RESULT= PASS 

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Page 5 of 5 

Calspan Corporation 

Laboratory Signature: 

 

4455 Genesee Street Cheektowaga, NY 14225 Same as Submitter 

USA Same as Submitter 

L20-602 

December 31, 2022 

 Version 10.0 (05/16)

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:

Address:

Country:

Accreditation Certificate

Number and Dates of current

Accreditation period :

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
 

 

SECTION 4 

MASH TEST 3-71 SUMMARY 

Eastern Metal Apex Recoil Test Article: Project No. BR0043 

Test Program MASH 3-71 : Test Date: 02/12/2021 

PLAN VIEW 

 

SEQUENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHS 

0° Orientation 90° Orientation (& camera on other side) 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SECTION 4... (CONTINUED) 

MASHTEST 3-71SUMMARY 

Test Article: 

Test Program: 

Eastern Metal Apex Recoil 

MASH 3-71 

SUMMARY TABLE 

Project No. 

Test Date: 

BR0043 

02/12/2021 

GENERAL INFORMATION IMPACT CONDITIONS 

TEST AGENCY Calspan Corporation IMPACT VELOCITY(0°) 63.1 mph (101.54 km/h) 

TEST NUMBER Cal BR0043 IMPACT VELOCITY (90°) 61.9 mph (99.6 km/h) 

TEST DESIGNATION 3-71 IMPACT SEVERITY (0°) 441.1 kJ 

TEST DATE 2/12/2021 IMPACT SEVERITY (90°) 424.4 kJ 

IMPACT LOCATION (0 DEG) 452 mm from Centerline to Psgr 

IMPACT LOCATION (90 DEG) 533 mm from Centerline to Drvr 

TEST ARTICLE EXIT CONDITIONS 

NAME / MODEL Apex Recoil EXIT VELOCITY (0°) 63.1 mph (101.54 km/h)

TYPE Work-Zone Traffic Control Device EXIT VELOCITY (90°) 61.9 mph (99.6 km/h) 

KEY ELEMENTS Sign Stand, Metal Base, Roll Up Sign 

Fiberglass Support Structure 

FINAL RESTING POSITION 180 ft. downstream 

OVERALL HEIGHT 80 in. (2032mm) VEHICLE STABILITY Satisfactory 

OVERALL WIDTH 53 in. (1346mm) VEHICLE SNAGGING None 

BASE WEIGHT 22 lbs. (9.98 kg) VEHICLE POCKETING None 

SIGN WEIGHT < 5 lbs. (2.27 kg) OCCUPANT RISK VALUES 1 

ROAD SURFACE Asphalt OCCUPANT IMPACT 

VELOCITY 

Longitudinal N/A 

TEST VEHICLE Lateral N/A 

TYPE / DESIGNATION 1100C RIDEDOWN 

ACCELERATION 

Longitudinal N/A 

YEAR , MAKE AND MODEL 2014 Kia Rio Lateral N/A 

CURB MASS 2,526 lbs. (1,146 kg) 

TEST ARTICLE POST-IMPACT 

ARTICLE DAMAGE Base Deformation/Upper separation 

TEST INERTIAL MASS 2,445 lbs. (1,109 kg) 

VEHICLE DAMAGE 

VEHICLE DAMAGE SCALE FL-1 ; FR-2 

GROSS STATIC MASS 2,445 lbs. (1,109 kg) 

COLLISION DAMAGE CLASSIFICATION 12FLEN01 

12FREN01 

MAXIMUM DEFORMATION Negligible 

1

Values not calculated due to test article weight being less than 220 lbs. (100 kg) 
 

 

SECTION 4 

MASH TEST 3-72 SUMMARY 

Eastern Metal Apex Recoil Test Article: Project No. BR0055 

MASH 3-72 Test Program: Test Date: 02/19/2021 

PLAN VIEW 

 

SEQUENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHS 

0° Orientation 90° Orientation 
 

 

 

 

SECTION 4... (CONTINUED) 

MASHTEST 3-72 SUMMARY 

Test Article: 

Test Program: 

Eastern Metal Apex Recoil 

MASH 3-72 

Project No. 

Test Date: 

BR0055 

2/19/2021 

SUMMARY TABLE 

GENERAL INFORMATION IMPACT CONDITIONS 

TEST AGENCY Calspan Corporation. i IMPACT VELOCITY (0°) 61.3 mph (98.61 km/h) 

TEST NUMBER BR0055 IMPACT VELOCITY (90°) 60.4 mph (97.24 km/h) 

TEST DESIGNATION 3-72 KINETIC ENERGY (0°) 854.60 kJ 

TEST DATE 02/19/2021 KINETIC ENERGY (90°) 831.02 kJ 

IMPACT LOCATION (0 DEG) 420 mm from Centerline to Psgr 

IMPACT LOCATION (90 DEG) 503 mm from Centerline to Drvr 

TEST ARTICLE EXIT CONDITIONS 

NAME / MODEL Apex Recoil EXIT VELOCITY (0°) 61.3 mph (98.61 km/h) 

TYPE Work-Zone Traffic Control Device EXIT VELOCITY (90°) 60.4 mph (97.24 km/h) 

KEY ELEMENTS Sign Stand, Metal Base, Roll Up Sign, 

Fiberglass Support Structure FINAL RESTING POSITION 186 ft. downstream 

OVERALL HEIGHT 80 in. (2032mm) VEHICLE STABILITY Satisfactory 

OVERALL WIDTH 53 in. (1346mm) VEHICLE SNAGGING None 

BASE WEIGHT 22 lbs. (9.98 kg) VEHICLE POCKETING None 

SIGN WEIGHT < 5 lbs. (2.27 kg) OCCUPANT RISK VALUES 

ROAD SURFACE Asphalt OCCUPANT IMPACT 

VELOCITY 

Longitudinal N/A 

TEST VEHICLE Lateral N/A 

TYPE / DESIGNATION 2270P RIDEDOWN 

ACCELERATION 

Longitudinal N/A 

YEAR , MAKE AND MODEL 2009 RAM 1500 Lateral N/A 

CURB MASS 5022.1 lbs. (2278 kg) 

TEST ARTICLE POST-IMPACT 

ARTICLE DAMAGE Base Deformation/Upper separation 

TEST INERTIAL MASS 5022.1 lbs. (2278 kg) 

VEHICLE DAMAGE 

VEHICLE DAMAGE SCALE 

FL-1 ; FR-1 

GROSS STATIC MASS 5022.1 lbs. (2278 kg) 

COLLISION DAMAGE CLASSIFICATION 12FLEN01 

12FREN01 

MAXIMUM DEFORMATION Negligible 

1

Values not calculated due to test article weight being less than 220 lbs. (100 kg) 
APPENDIX C TEST ARTICLE DRAWINGS: