1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE. 

Washington, DC 20590 March 31, 2009 

In Reply Refer To: HSSD/B-190 

Mr. Jorge D. Hinojosa, P.E. 

Bexar Concrete Works I, Ltd. 

P.O. Box 700250 

San Antonio, TX 78270 

Dear Mr. Hinojosa: 

This letter is in response to your request for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

acceptance of a roadside safety system for use on the National Highway System (NHS). 

 Name of system: F-Shape Concrete Traffic Barrier with Quick-Bolt Connection 

 Type of system: Portable concrete barrier system 

 Test Level: MASH-08 Test Level 3 

 Testing conducted by: Texas Transportation Institute 

 Date of request: November 19, 2008 

 

You requested that we find this system acceptable for use on the NHS under the provisions of the 

proposed American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Manual for 

Assessing Safety Hardware 2008 (MASH-08). 

Requirements 

Roadside safety systems should meet the guidelines contained in the NCHRP Report 350. The 

FHWA Memorandum “Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features” of July 25, 1997, 

provides further guidance on crash testing requirements of longitudinal barriers. You have 

chosen to anticipate the adoption of the MASH-08, an option that FHWA has offered with the 

understanding that additional testing may need to be done if changes to the test criteria are made 

before MASH-08 is formally adopted. 

Description 

The precast segments used in the construction of the test installation were 30 feet in length and 

had a standard F-shape profile. The barrier segments were 32 inches in height, 24 inches wide at 

the base, and 9-1/2 inches wide at the top. Horizontal reinforcement consists of eight #5 bars 

placed symmetrically about the vertical centerline of the barrier. Vertical reinforcement consists 

of #4 bars spaced 12 inches on center. Spacing of the vertical bars is reduced to provide 

additional strength within 5 feet of the barrier ends. 
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Ten inch long sections of 1 1/2-inch diameter PVC pipe are horizontally cast into the end of each 

segment that provide access for feeding the threaded rod from one barrier into another and for 

securing the nuts and washers once the rod is in place. A 3-inch diameter, 12-inch long bolt 

retraction cavity extends from the hand hole further into the barrier. Two #5 “hairpin” shaped 

bars extend horizontally along the top and bottom of the PVC sleeve, hand hole, and bolt 

retraction cavity. Three #5 stirrups enclosed these hairpins bars to provide further strength to the 

connection. The barrier connection is made with two 7/8-inch diameter, 2 ft 1-inch long steel 

rods. A 3-inch square x 3/8-inch thick plate washer and nut are used on each end of the threaded 

rod. 

The completed test installation consisted of eight barrier segments connected together for a total 

length of approximately 240 ft. The concrete was specified to be 3600 psi and reinforcing steel 

was grade 60. The threaded rods were fabricated from SAE Grade 5 or equivalent steel, and the 

plate washers were A-36 steel. Details of the barrier segment are shown in the enclosure for 

reference. 

Crash Testing 

Two full-scale crash tests are required under the proposed Manual for Assessing Safety 

Hardware. Test 3-10 using a 2420-pound passenger car has already been conducted on the New 

Jersey safety shape concrete barrier under NCHRP Project 22-14(2) at the Midwest Roadside 

Safety Facility. As the Jersey shape is known to be a “worst case scenario” among rigid barriers, 

Test 3-10 will be waived for the Bexar concrete traffic barrier. Test 3-11 using a 5000-pound 

quad-cab pickup was conducted to evaluate the strength of the barrier connection and for 

determining the maximum barrier deflection or working width. 

The Test Data Summary Sheet for test 4000001-BCW1 is enclosed for reference and shows the 

maximum occupant impact velocity was 22.3 feet per second (40 fps is allowed) and the 

maximum ridedown acceleration was 13.1 G’s (20 G’s is allowed.) Both of these maximum 

values were the lateral components. The maximum dynamic deflection was 31.0 inches. The 

maximum roll angle was 17 degrees and the vehicle exited the barrier within the “exit box” 

limits. 

Findings 

The MASH-08 Test 4000001-BCW1 met the appropriate evaluation criteria, therefore, the Bexar 

Concrete Traffic Barrier described above and detailed in the enclosed drawings is acceptable for 

use on the NHS under the range of conditions tested, when such use is acceptable to a highway 

agency. 

Please note the following standard provisions that apply to the FHWA letters of acceptance: 

 This acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the systems 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 system 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 system being marketed is 

significantly different from the version that was crash tested, we reserve the right to modify 

or revoke our acceptance. 
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 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 it will meet the crashworthiness requirements of the FHWA and the NCHRP 

Report 350. 

 To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of acceptance is designated as number 

B-190 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. 

 The Bexar Concrete Quick Bolt Connection is a patent-pending product and considered 

proprietary”. If proprietary systems are specified by a highway agency for permanent use in 

Federal-aid projects, except exempt, non-NHS 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. 

 This acceptance 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 acceptance letter is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the candidate 

system, and the FHWA is neither prepared nor required to become involved in issues 

concerning patent law. Patent issues, if any, are to be resolved by the applicant. 

Sincerely yours, 

David A. Nicol, P.E. 

Director, Office of Safety Design 

Office of Safety 

Enclosures 

FHWA:HSSD:NArtimovich:tb:x61331:3/9/09 

File: s://directory folder/nartimovich/B190_Bexar.doc 

cc: HSSD (Reader, HSA; Chron File, HSSD; N.Artimovich, HSSD; 

 WLongstreet, HSSD; M.McDonough, HSSD)