1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590

October 29, 2009 

In Reply Refer To: HSSD/LS-69 

Mr. Greg Mercier 

Director of Design Engineering 

Hapco 

26252 Hillman Highway 

Abingdon, VA 24210 

Dear Mr. Mercier, 

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

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

 Name of device: Hapco decorative pole B15366 (casting 79419) 

 Type of device: Luminaire Support 

 Test Level: Test Level 3 (TL-3) 

 Testing conducted by: Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) 

 Date of request: September 16, 2009 

 Date of follow-up: October 21, 2009 

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

National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 “Recommended 

Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features.” 

Requirements

Roadside safety devices should meet the guidelines contained in the NCHRP Report 350, 

"Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features". 

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

1997, provides further guidance on crash testing requirements of luminaire supports. 

Description 

The Hapco decorative pole B15366 (casting 79419) luminaire support was tested at the TTI 

outdoor pendulum testing facility. The base of the lighting pole was cast aluminum (alloy 356-

T6) with a round base tapered to a height of 29 1⁄4 inches. A 6-inch outside diameter tapering to a 

3-inch outside diameter aluminum tube (alloy 6063-T6) with 1⁄4 inch wall thickness and 17 foot 7 

inch long was screwed and welded to the tapered shape, giving a total height of 20 feet. A cast 

aluminum adapter ring was placed on top of the pole to accommodate the round light. The 

weight of the pole with base was 173 pounds and the round light was 17 pounds, totaling a 
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weight of 190 pounds. The base was welded to a 10-inch diameter and 6-foot long aluminum 

tube with wall thickness of 0.156 inches. Drawings of the Hapco decorative pole B15366 

(casting 79419) luminaire support are enclosed. 

Crash Testing

Your company’s decorative lighting pole was tested at TTI’s outdoor pendulum testing facility, 

as a surrogate for full-scale crash testing. The pendulum bogie was built according to the 

specifications of the Federal Outdoor Impact Laboratory's (FOIL) pendulum, and the frontal 

crush of the aluminum honeycomb nose of the bogie simulated the crush of an actual vehicle. 

Tests with pendulums are acceptable for most breakaway supports, exceptions being base 

bending or yielding supports. 

A low speed pendulum test was conducted on your company’s decorative lighting supports. A 

summary of the test results are enclosed. The decorative lighting pole met the NCHRP Report 

350 occupant risk criteria. In addition, TTI extrapolated the high-speed performance of the 

lighting pole installation from the low speed pendulum test. I agree that the test article appears 

to perform appropriately to make such high-speed extrapolations. All high speed extrapolations 

yield lower change in velocity values than the paired low speed pendulum test. 

In the test with the Hapco decorative pole B15366 (casting 79419), the base fractured at ground 

level and at the connection to the tapered aluminum pole. The base fracturing at ground level 

satisfies the FHWA limit of maximum 3.9-inch stub height remaining after a support breaks 

away. 

Findings

In summary, the Hapco decorative pole B15366 (casting 79419) 20 foot decorative lighting pole 

as described above, meets the appropriate evaluation criteria for a NCHRP 350 TL-3 device and 

may be used at all appropriate locations on the NHS when selected by the contracting authority. 

The Hapco decorative pole B15366 (casting 79419) is accepted with luminaire heights up to 20 

feet, shafts up to 1⁄4 inch wall thickness with diameters up to 6 inches, and embedment lengths 

not less than 6 feet. 

Standard provisions 

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

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

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

modify or revoke our acceptance. 

 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 
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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 

LS-69 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 HAPCO decorative luminaire supports are patented products and considered 

proprietary. If proprietary devices are specified by a highway agency for use on Federalaid projects, except exempt, non-NHS projects, they: (a) 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 device for which the applicant is not the patent 

holder. The acceptance letter is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the 

candidate device, 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:M Lupes:mb:x61795:10/27/09 

File: s://directoryfolder/MLupes/ LS69-Hapco.doc 

Cc: HSSD (Reader, HSA, Chron File, HSSD; M.Lupes, HSSD; D.Nicol)