August 15, 2022

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

In Reply Refer To: 

HSST-1/WZ-444 

Greg Spear 

The Cortina Companies, Cortina Safety Products 

10706 West Grand Ave, 

Franklin Park, IL 60131 

United States of America 

Dear Mr. Spear: 

We received your correspondence of September 15, 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-444. 

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. 

1 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name of system: Cortina QuadraFlex VI Springless Portable Sign Stand with 48” X 48” 

Roll-Up Sign 

Type of system: Work Zone 

Test Level: Test Level 3 

Testing conducted by: Applus IDIADA KARCO Engineering, LLC 

Date of request: September 15, 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-444 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-444. 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. 

2 
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 
 Version 10.0 (05/16)

Page 1 of 4

Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility

of Highway Safety Hardware

Submitter

 Date of Request: September 15, 2021 New Resubmission

Name: Greg Spear

Company: The Cortina Companies, Cortina Safety Products

Address: 10706 West Grand Ave. Franklin Park, IL 60131

Country: United States of America

 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 Testing

Engineering Analysis

Cortina QuadraFlex VI 

Springless Portable Sign 

Stand with 48" x 48" RollUp 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: Greg Spear Same as Submitter

Company Name: The Cortina Companies, Cortina Safety Products Same as Submitter

Address: 10706 West Grand Ave. Franklin Park, IL 60131 Same as Submitter

Country: United States of America 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.

The Cortina Companies, Cortina Safety Products is the manufacturer and marketer of device. 

Applus IDIADA KARCO Engineering, LLC (IDIADA KARCO) is an independent research and testing laboratory 

having no affiliation with any other entity. IDIADA KARCO is actively Involved In data acquisition and 

compliance/certification testing for a variety of government agencies and equipment manufacturers. The 

principals and staff of IDIADA KARCO have no past or present financial, contractual or organizational interest in 

any company or entity directly or indirectly related to the products that KARCO tests. If any financial interest 

should arise, other than receiving fees for testing, reporting, etc., with respect to any project, the company will 

provide, In writing, a full and immediate disclosure to the FHWA. 
 

 Version 10.0 (05/16)

Page 2 of 4

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

New Hardware or Modification to 

Significant Modification Existing Hardware

Product Description of QuadraFlex VI Springless Portable Sign Stand with 48" x 48" Roll-Up Sign 

(Reference Drawing 07-819-1 Springless, C-Stand Assembly, Standard Roll-Up Sign) 

The QuadraFlex VI Springless Portable Sign Stand is a work-zone traffic control device used to display traffic 

control signs. 

Further Description: 

The Cortina Companies Quadraflex VI Springless Portable Sign Stand with 48” x 48” Roll-Up Sign is a work-zone 

traffic control device. For this test, a 48” x 48” roll-up sign was installed on the sign stand. The as-tested device 

consisted a base assembly, screw lock sign holder, and 48” x 48” roll-up sign. The assembled device had a total 

mass of 21 lbs (9.5 kg). The overall height of the stand is 6.9 ft. (2.1 m). The sign stand was tested with four (4) 

30 lbs (13.6 kg) sandbags. 

The base assembly is made up of the C-Center weldment, four (4) telescoping legs, and subassembly clamp 

with screw lock sign holder. The C-Center weldment consists of a mast constructed of 1.25” x 1.25” x 0.108” 

steel tube and two (2) V-brackets constructed of 0.172” thick steel plates. The telescoping legs are attached to 

the C-Center weldment through the v-brackets and consist of two (2) parts: an inner leg constructed of 1.0” x 

1.0” x 0.106” steel tube and an outer leg constructed of 1.26” x 1.26” x 0.106” steel tube. The subassembly was 

constructed mainly of 1.0” x 1.0” x 0.065” steel tube and was inserted into the top of the C-Center Weldment. 

The Quadraflex VI Springless Portable Sign Stand was tested with a 48” x 48” roll-up sign for this test. The rollup sign is made up of the flexible substrate sign mounted to two (2) fiberglass crossbrace ribs measuring 1.25 

in. wide by 65.0 in. long each. The sign’s vertical rib is inserted into the subassembly clamp and clamped with 

the screw lock sign holder. 

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: Noah Partida

Engineer Signature: Noah Partida 

Address: 9270 Holly Road, Adelanto, CA 92301 Same as Submitter

Country: United States of America Same as Submitter

 A brief description of each crash test and its result:

Required Test 

Number

Narrative 

Description

Evaluation 

Results

3-70 (1100C)

Designed to evaluate the ability of a small 

vehicle to activate any breakaway, fracture, 

or yielding mechanism. Is considered 

optional for work-zone traffic control 

devices weighing less than 220 lbs (100 kg). 

The as-tested device weighed 21 lbs (9.5 kg)

and therefore Test 70 was not performed.

Non-Relevant Test, not conducted
 Version 10.0 (05/16)

Page 3 of 4

Required Test 

Number

Narrative 

Description

Evaluation 

Results

3-71 (1100C)

An 1100C test vehicle approached the test 

article at a nominal speed of 62 mph. The 

first QuadraFlex VI Springless Portable Sign 

Stand with 48" x 48" Roll-Up Sign impacted 

was oriented at 90° and the second test 

article at 0°. Upon impact the sign face on 

both devices flexed over the front of the 

hood causing it to release from the base. 

The top corner of the 0° sign face made 

contact with the windshield. The impact did 

not tear the plastic liner or cause excessive 

deformation. The occupant compartment 

was not penetrated and the deformation 

limits were not exceeded. The devices did 

not induce any vehicle instability. The 

QuadraFlex VI Springless Portable Sign 

Stand with 48" x 48" Roll-Up Sign met all the

requirements for MASH Test 3-71.

PASS

3-72 (2270P)

A 2270P test vehicle approached the test 

article at a nominal speed of 62 mph. The 

first Quadraflex VI Springless Portable Sign 

Stand with 48" x 48" Roll-Up Sign impacted 

was oriented at 90° and the second at 0°. 

Upon impact the sign face on both devices 

flexed over the front of the vehicle causing 

it to release from the base. There was no 

penetration into the test vehicles occupant 

compartment and no deformation occurred 

to the test vehicle. The devices did not 

induce any vehicle instability. The 

QuadraFlex VI Springless Portable Sign 

Stand 48" x 48" Roll-Up Sign met all the 

requirements for MASH Test 3-72.

PASS

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: Applus IDIADA KARCO Engineering, LLC.

Laboratory Signature:  Noah Partida

Address: 9270 Holly Road, Adelanto, CA 92301 Same as Submitter

Country: United States of America Same as Submitter

Accreditation Certificate 

Number and Dates of current 

Accreditation period :

TL 371: July 1, 2019 - July 1, 2022
 

 

 

 

 Version 10.0 (05/16)

Page 4 of 4

Submitter Signature*:Greg Spear Digitally signed by Greg Spear 

Date: 2022.06.01 06:40:03 

-05'00'

Submit Form

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
 

 

MASH 2016 Test 3-71 Summary 

90° CIA 0° CIA 

0.000 seconds 0.100 seconds 0.200 seconds 0.600 seconds 0.700 seconds 0.800 seconds 

GENERAL INFORMATION 

Test Agency.....................Applus IDIADA KARCO Engineering 

Test Number.....................P40337-01 

Test Designation............... 3-71 

Test Date.........................4/6/21 

TEST ARTICLE 

Name / Model.....................Cortina QuadraFlex VI Springless Portable Sign Stand 

Type.................................Work-Zone Traffic Control Device 

Device Height .................. 6.9 ft. (2.1 m) 

Key Elements.....................Base assembly, Subassembly Clamp, 

48" x 48" roll-up sign 

Road Surface.....................Smooth, clean concrete 

TEST VEHICLE 

Type / Designation............ 1100C 

Year, Make, and Model.........2016 Kia Rio 

Curb Mass........................2,528.7 lbs (1,147.0 kg) 

Test Inertial Mass...............2,449.3 lbs (1,111.0 kg) 

Gross Static Mass...............2,622.4 lbs (1,189.5 kg) 

Impact Conditions 

Impact Velocity Device 1.........63.50 mph (102.19 km/h) 

Impact Velocity Device 2.........61.91 mph (99.64 km/h) 

Device 1 Location/ Orientation...............17.5 in. (444 mm) From Vehicle 

Centerline on Passenger Side 

Device 2 Location/ Orientation...............16.0 in. (407 mm) From Vehicle 

Centerline on Driver Side 

Device 1 Angle.....................90.0° 

Device 2 Angle.....................0.0° 

Device 1 Kinetic Energy.........330.1 kip-feet (446.5 Kilojoules) 

Device 2 Kinetic Energy.........313.9 kip-feet (425.5 Kilojoules) 

Minimum KE Required....... 288 kip-feet (390 Kilojoules) 

Exit Conditions 

Device 1 Exit Velocity............62.96 mph (101.3 km/h) 

Device 2 Exit Velocity............61.35 mph (98.7 km/h) 

Vehicle Resting Position.........344.9 ft. (105.1 m) Downstream 

5.2 ft. (1.6 m) Left 

Vehicle Stability .................. Satisfactory 

0° - Maximum Roll Angle.........Did Not Exceed 75° 

0° - Maximum Pitch Angle......Did Not Exceed 75° 

90° - Maximum Roll Angle......Did Not Exceed 75° 

90° - Maximum Pitch Angle......Did Not Exceed 75° 

Occupant Risk 

Longitudinal OIV.............................. Not Applicable* 

Lateral OIV.................................... Not Applicable* 

Longitudinal RA........................... Not Applicable* 

Lateral RA................................. Not Applicable* 

THIV.............................................. Not Applicable* 

PHD......................................... Not Applicable* 

ASI.............................................. Not Applicable* 

Test Article Deflections 

90° Device Debris Field (longitudinal).. 150.3 ft. (45.8 m) 

90° Device Debris Field (lateral)....... 7.1 ft. (8.9 m) 

0° Device Debris Field (longitudinal) 66.5 ft. (56.7 m) 

0° Sign Debris Field (lateral)... 7.7 ft. (2.4 m) 

Vehicle Damage 

Vehicle Damage Scale................... 12-FD-1 

CDC............................................. 12FDAW1 

0° - Maximum Deformation........................1.3 in. (33 mm) Windshield 

* Not Applicable, device weighs less than 220 lbs (100 kg) 

Figure 2 Summary of Test 3-71 

13 TR-P40337-01-E 
 

 

MASH 2016 Test 3-72 Summary 

90° CIA 0° CIA 

0.000 seconds 0.060 seconds 0.120 seconds 0.680 seconds 0.740 seconds 0.800 seconds 

GENERAL INFORMATION 

Test Agency.....................Applus IDIADA KARCO Engineering 

Test Number.....................P40338-01 

Test Designation............... 3-72 

Test Date.........................4/2/21 

TEST ARTICLE 

Name / Model.....................Cortina QuadraFlex VI Springless Portable Sign Stand 

Type.................................Work-Zone Traffic Control Device 

Device Height .................. 6.9 ft. (2.1 m) 

Key Elements.....................Base assembly, Subassembly 

Clamp, 48" x 48" roll-up sign 

Road Surface.....................Smooth, clean concrete 

TEST VEHICLE 

Type / Designation............ 2270P 

Year, Make, and Model.........2015 Ram 1500 

Curb Mass........................5,044.1 lbs (2,288.0 kg) 

Test Inertial Mass...............5,009.9 lbs (2,272.5 kg) 

Gross Static Mass...............5,009.9 lbs (2,272.5 kg) 

Impact Conditions 

Impact Velocity Device 1.........63.16 mph (101.65 km/h) 

Impact Velocity Device 2.........61.99 mph (99.76 km/h) 

Device 1 Location/ Orientation...............23.6 in. (599 mm) From Vehicle 

Centerline on Passenger Side 

Device 2 Location/ Orientation...............19.4 in. (492 mm) From Vehicle 

Centerline on Driver Side 

Device 1 Angle.....................90.0° 

Device 2 Angle.....................0.0° 

Device 1 Kinetic Energy.........668.2 kip-feet (905.9 Kilojoules) 

Device 2 Kinetic Energy.........643.5 kip-feet (872.5 Kilojoules) 

Minimum KE Required....... 594 kip-feet (806 Kilojoules) 

Exit Conditions 

Device 1 Exit Velocity............62.98 mph (101.4 km/h) 

Device 2 Exit Velocity............61.79 mph (99.4 km/h) 

Vehicle Resting Position.........335.5 ft. (102.3 m) Downstream 

5.6 ft. (1.7 m) Left 

Vehicle Stability ..................Satisfactory 

0° - Maximum Roll Angle.........Did Not Exceed 75° 

0° - Maximum Pitch Angle......Did Not Exceed 75° 

90° - Maximum Roll Angle......Did Not Exceed 75° 

90° - Maximum Pitch Angle......Did Not Exceed 75° 

Occupant Risk 

Longitudinal OIV..............................Not Applicable* 

Lateral OIV.................................... Not Applicable* 

Longitudinal RA........................... Not Applicable* 

Lateral RA................................. Not Applicable* 

THIV.............................................Not Applicable* 

PHD......................................... Not Applicable* 

ASI.............................................. Not Applicable* 

Test Article Deflections 

0° Device Debris Field (longitudinal).. 155.9 ft. (47.5 m) 

0° Device Debris Field (lateral)....... 19.4 ft. (5.9 m) 

90° Device Debris Field (longitudinal) 82.1 ft. (25.0 m) 

90° Sign Debris Field (lateral)... 17.9 ft. (5.5 m) 

Vehicle Damage 

Vehicle Damage Scale................... 12-FC-1 

CDC............................................. 12FDEN1 

Maximum Deformation..................... MASH Deformation Limits Not 

Exceeded (0.0 in.) 0 mm 

* Not Applicable, device weighs less than 220 lbs (100 kg) 

Figure 2 Summary of Test 3-72 

13 TR-P40338-01-E 
CORTINA SAFETY PRODUCTS

QUADRAFLEX VI SPRINGLESS

PORTABLE SIGN STAND

 

 

 

 

10706 West Grand Avenue ? Franklin Park, IL 60131 ? workzone@cortinaco.com

195 Edward Street ? St. Thomas, ON N5P 1Z4 ? 519-631-2900 ? workzonecanada@cortinaco.com