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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-322
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-322
                          **Date:**
            04/03/2014
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            Protection Services, Inc
                          **Device Description:**
            42" Tall Traffic Cone
                          **View PDF:**
            wz322.pdf (2 MB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-322
			
			
			 
			**Download Version**PDF [2.49 KB]
			
			DOT logoU.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration**
			1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C. 20590
			April 3, 2014
			In Reply Refer To:
HSST/WZ-322
			
			Mr. Douglas Micelli
			  Protection Services Inc.
			  655 Lucknow Road
		    Harrisburg Pennsylvania 17110
Dear Mr. Micelli:
			This letter is in response to your request for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to
review a roadside safety system for eligibility for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway
program.
			Name of system:
			    42 Inch Tall ConeType of system:
			    Traffic Cone ChannelizerTest Level:
			    NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 3Component Testing by:
			    Washington Laboratories, Ltd. (WLL)Date of  request:
			    November 15, 2013Date initially acknowledged:
			    February 21, 2013Date of completed package:
			    November 19, 2013**Decision**
	    The following device is eligible, with details provided in the form which is attached as an   integral part of this letter:
	    42 Inch Tall Traffic Channelizer ConeBased on a review of crash test results for a similar product submitted by the manufacturer
	    certifying the device described herein meets the crash test and evaluation criteria of the National
	    Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350, the device is eligible for
	    reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program. Eligibility for reimbursement under the
	    Federal-aid highway program does not establish approval or endorsement by the FHWA for any
	    particular purpose or use.
	    The FHWA, the Department of Transportation, and the United States Government do not
	    endorse products or services and the issuance of a reimbursement eligibility letter is not an
	    endorsement of any product or service.
	   
	    **Requirements**

	    To be found eligible for Federal-aid funding, roadside safety devices should meet the crash test
	    and evaluation criteria contained in the NCHRP Report 350 or the American Association of State
	    Highway and Transportation Officials' Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH).
	    **Description**

	    The device and supporting documentation are described in the attached form. The cone is
	    similar to the TrafFix Devices Looper Cone which was covered in FHWA Letter WZ-189. You
	    have received written permission from TrafFix Devices Inc., to use their full scale crash tests to
	    support your certification that the Protection Services 42-inch tall cone meets the crash test
	    criteria of NCHRP Report 350.
	   The two cone designs are comparable with the exception of the warning light attachment hole.
	    The TrafFix Devices Looper Cone was crash tested and resulted in a cracked windshield when
	    the light detached and impacted the test vehicle. Washington Laboratories, Ltd., conducted
	    quasi-static pull tests to assess the strength of the warning light attachment hole for both the
	    TrafFix Devices Looper Cone and the Protection Services Traffic Cone Channelizer. The WLL
	    test report showed that the Protection Services Traffic Cone Channelizer had a greater capacity
	    to retain the warning light than the crash tested cone. Therefore windshield damage is less likely
	    when warning lights are used on the Protection Services Traffic Cone Channelizer.
	   **Summary and Standard Provisions**

	    Therefore, the system described and detailed in the attached form is eligible for reimbursement
	    and may be installed under the range of conditions tested.
	    Please note the following standard provisions that apply to FHWA eligibility letters:
        This finding of eligibility does not cover other structural features of the systems, nor
	    conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
	    Any changes that may influence system conformance with NCHRP Report 350
	    criteria will require a new reimbursement eligibility letter.
	    Should the FHWA discover that the qualification testing was flawed, that in-service
	    performance reveals safety problems, or that the system is significantly different from
	    the version that was crash tested, we reserve the right to modify or revoke this letter.
	    You are expected to supply potential users with sufficient information on design and
	    installation 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 crash test and evaluation criteria of the NCHRP Report 350.
	    To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of eligibility is designated as
	    number WZ-322 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.
	    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. The FHWA does not become involved in issues concerning patent law.
	    Patent issues, if any, are to be resolved by the applicant.
	    The Protection Services Cones are patented products and considered proprietary. If
	    proprietary systems are specified by a highway agency for use on Federal-aid
	    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.Sincerely yours,
			Signature Michael S. Griffith
			Michael S. Griffith
Director,  Office of Safety Technologies
              Office of SafetyEnclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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