July 24, 2023

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

In Reply Refer To: 

HSST-1/WZ-450 

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 is assigned 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) control number WZ-450. 

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 

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

reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program. 

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Name of system: Apex Summit w/ Aluminum Sign 

Type of system: Work Zone 

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-450 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. 

PUBLIC DISCLOSURE 

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

FHWA control number WZ-450. 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 

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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, 

Robert Ritter 

Director, Office of Safety Technologies 

Office of Safety 

Enclosures 

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Page 1 of 5

Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility 

of Highway Safety Hardware

Submitter

Date of Request: March 22, 2021 New Resubmission

Name: Kevin Harrison

Company: Eastern Metal of Elimira, Inc.

Address: 1430 Sullivan Street Elmira, NY 14901

Country: USA

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 & Testing Criterion – Enter from right to left starting with Test Level

System Type Submission Type Device Name / Variant Testing Criterion

Test 

Level

'WZ': Crash Worthy Work 

Zone Traffic Control Devices

  Physical Crash Testin

  Engineering Analysi

Apex Summit w/ 

Aluminum Sign

AASHTO MASH TL3

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: 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

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

Eligibility Process for Safety Hardware Devices' document.

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

This includes no 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 interest s;
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5

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

New Hardware or 

Significant Modification

Modification to 

Existing Hardware

The Eastern Metal of Elmira, Inc. Apex Summit sign stand was tested with a 48" x 48" aluminum sign set at the 

maximum bottom height of 84′′. The Apex Summit sign stand consists of dual fiberglass leaf-springs which can 

be disassembled and folded-up into a compact package for storage and transport. The telescoping legs are 

made of aluminum and assembled to the steel sign stand base via standard nuts and bolts. The legs have pullpins for quick and efficient releasing from the foldup position. A square tube connects the sign, via a rigid sign 

bracket, to the base. The folded dimensions are 10′′ x 11′′ x 81′′ (W x L x H) and weighs 44 lbs without the 

aluminum sign attached. Open dimensions are 48′′ x 149′′ x 150′′. 

CRASH TESTING

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.

Engineer Name: Mark Parisi

Engineer Signature: Mark J. Parisi 

Address: 4455 Genesee Street, Cheektowaga, NY 14225 Same as Submitter

Country: USA Same as Submitter

A brief description of each crash test and its result:

Required Test 

Number

Narrative 

Description

Evaluation 

Results

3-70 (1100C)

Designated to evaluate the ability of a small 

vehicle to activate any breakaway, fracture, 

or yielding mechanism. Is considered 

optional for work zone traffic control 

weighting less than 220 lb. (100 kg)

Non-Relevant Test, not conducted
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Page 3 of 5

Required Test 

Number Narrative Description Evaluation Results

3-71 (1100C)

For this test, two Eastern Metal of Elmira, 

Inc. Apex Summit sign stands with 

aluminum signs were impacted. The first 

test article was aligned at 0° and the second 

test article was aligned at 90° to the 

impacting test vehicle's direction of travel. 

OIV and RA are not factors studied since 

Test Articles are well below 220 lb per MASH 

2016.

The test was conducted using a 

commercially available 2014 Hyundai 

Accent 4 door sedan with a test inertia mass 

of 2392 lbs. (1085 kg).

The test vehicle impacted the first sign 

stand (oriented at 0°) at a velocity of 64.2 

mph (103.3 km/h). Upon impact the upper 

portion of the sign stand separated from 

the base of the stand and flipped over the 

test vehicle, impacting only the bumper and 

the front edge of the hood.

The test vehicle continued on its path and 

impacted the second sign stand (oriented at 

90°) at a velocity of 63.5 mph (102.2 km/h). 

Upon impact the upper portion of the sign 

stand separated from the base of the stand 

and flipped over the test vehicle, impacting 

and damaging the bumper and lower hood 

and headlight on the passenger side of the 

test vehicle.

Impact points for both tests were within 

the+/- 6" tolerance around the 1/4 point of 

the vehicle.

There was NO penetration relevant tear 

into the test vehicle or occupant 

compartment from either article.

Debris from the test article did not cause a 

hazard to the driver's vision. The vehicle 

remained upright and did not have any roll 

and pitch throughout the test. The vehicle 

did not leave its lane and its trajectory was 

stable after both sign stands were 

impacted. There was no damage to the 

vehicle's fuel tank or oil pan as a result of 

the crash test.

TEST RESULT= PASS
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Page 4 of 5

3-72 (2270P)

For this test, two Apex Summit sign stands 

with aluminum signs were impacted. The 

first test article was aligned at 0° and the 

second test article was aligned at 90° to the 

impacting test vehicle's direction of travel 

OIV and RA are not factors studied since 

Test Articles are well below 220 lb per MASH 

2016.

The test was conducted using a 

commercially available 2010 Dodge Ram 

1500 pickup truck with a test inertia mass of 

5066 lbs. (2298 kg).

The test vehicle impacted the first sign 

stand (oriented at 0°) at a velocity of 62.2 

mph (100.1 km/h). Upon impact with the 

bumper and hood of the test vehicle, the 

upper portion of the sign stand separated 

from the base of the stand. The sign and the 

upper portion of the stand went over the 

top of the test vehicle and the aluminum 

sign separated from the upper portion of 

the stand.

The test vehicle continued along its path 

and impacted the second sign stand at a 

velocity of 61.3 mph (98.7 km/ h). Upon 

impact the upper portion of the stand and 

the sign again separated from the base 

which was run over by the test vehicle. The 

upper part of the stand impacted the 

bumper, hood, and headlight on the 

passenger side. The upper portion of the 

stand impacted the roof of the test vehicle 

without hitting the windshield.

Impact points for both tests were within 

the+/- 6" tolerance around the 1/4 point of 

the vehicle.

There was NO penetration relevant tear 

into the test vehicle or occupant 

compartment from either article.

Debris from the test article did not cause a 

hazard to the driver's vision. The vehicle 

remained upright and did not have any roll 

and pitch throughout the test. The vehicle 

did not leave its lane and its trajectory was 

stable after both sign stands were 

impacted. There was no damage to the 

vehicle's fuel tank or oil pan as a result of 

the crash test.

TEST RESULT= PASS
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Page 5 of 5

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: Mark Parisi

Laboratory Signature: Mark J. Parisi 

Address: 4455 Genesee Street, Cheektowaga, NY 14225 Same as Submitter

Country: USA Same as Submitter

Accreditation Certificate

Number and Dates of current

Accreditation period :

L20-602 

December 31, 2022

Submitter Signature*: 

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

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