November 30, 2004

 Mr. Felipe Almanza 

TrafFix Devices Incorporated 

220 Calle Pinteresco 

San Clemente, California 92672 

Dear Mr. Almanza: 

In your October 12 letter to Mr. Richard Powers of my staff, you requested formal acceptance 

of a temporary water-filled barrier, called the TrafFix Water Wall, as a National Cooperative 

Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 temporary traffic barrier at test level 1 

(TL-1). To support this request, you also sent a copy of KARCO Engineering’s September 16 

test report No. TR-P24135-01-NC and digitized video showing the tests that were conducted. 

The TrafFix Water Wall consists of a freestanding series of units made from medium-density 

polyethylene. Each unit is 71-inches long by 18-inches wide and 32-inches tall with a wall 

thickness of 1⁄4 inch. Empty weight is approximately 77 pounds and the units weigh 

approximately 1100 pounds when filled with water. They are pinned together with a 1.25-inch 

diameter steel rod inserted through lugs formed into the ends of each segment. These details 

are shown in Enclosure 1. 

You conducted two tests on the Water Wall, the NCHRP Report 350 tests 1-11 and 2-10. The 

first test consisted of a pickup truck impacting near the midpoint of a 124-foot long installation 

(21 units) at 25 degrees and a speed of 31.9 mph (TL-1 impact speed). The test installation 

was not anchored at either end and the reported barrier deflection was 15.5 feet. The truck 

reached a maximum roll angle of 28.8 degrees and come to rest with the front wheel on top of 

the barrier. In the second test, the small car impacted near the midpoint of a 154-foot long 

installation (26 units) at 20 degrees and a speed of 44.3 mph (TL-2 impact speed). Deflection 

was reported to be almost 6 feet and the vehicle again came to rest with the front wheel on the 

impact side resting on top of the barrier. As with all unanchored barrier installations, impacts 

nearer either end would have resulted in greater deflections. Impacts very near the ends would 

not have contained or redirected the vehicles. Since there is currently no crashworthy terminal 

for the Water Wall, its ends should be flared away from approaching traffic or adequately 

shielded. In both tests, all occupant risk values were well within Report 350 preferred ranges. 

Test summary sheets are shown in Enclosure 2. 

400 Seventh St., S.W. 

Washington, D.C. 20590

In Reply Refer To: HSA-10/B-130 
2

Based on the reported crash performance of the TrafFix Water Wall with the pickup truck, it 

may be considered an NCHRP Report 350 TL-1 temporary traffic barrier (even though it has 

been shown to meet evaluation criteria for the small car at the TL-2 impact speed) and used at 

appropriate low-speed locations on the National Highway System (NHS) when selected by the 

contracting authority. 

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

• Our acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the TrafFix Water 

Wall and does not address its structural features, nor conformity with the Manual on 

Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

• Any changes to the tested design that may adversely influence its crashworthiness 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, it reserves the right to 

modify or revoke its acceptance.

• You will be expected to supply potential users with sufficient information on design and 

installation requirements to ensure optimal performance.

• You will be expected to certify to users that the hardware furnished has essentially the 

same chemistry, mechanical properties, and geometry as the design that was crash tested. 

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

B-130 shall not be reproduced except in full. This letter, and the test documentation upon 

which this letter is based, is public information. All such letters and documentation may 

be reviewed at our office upon request. 

• The TrafFix Water Wall is assumed to be a proprietary product. The use of proprietary 

hardware in a work zone on Federal-aid projects is generally of a temporary nature. 

These features are usually selected by the contractor for use as needed and removed upon 

completion of the project. Under such conditions they can be presumed to meet 

requirement (a) given below for the use of proprietary products on Federal-aid projects. 

On the other hand, if proprietary devices are specified by a highway agency for use on 

Federal-aid 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 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, 

 

 (original signed by John R. Baxter) 

John R. Baxter, P.E. 

 Director, Office of Safety Design 

 Office of Safety 

2 Enclosures 
10°

3 1/4" TYP

1"

12

(9.43)

22 1/2" 26

4"

11 R 1/2

TYP

4

R2 1/2"

9 1/4"

, 8 PLCS

(4 OPPOSITE END) R10"

1 1/2"

R 6, 8 PLCS

(4 OPPOSITE END)

Felipe Almanza

D

C

B

A A

B

C

D

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

APPROVED BY:

TITLE:

SIZE

B

DWG. NO. REV

-

DATE:

WATER WALL

TRAFFIX

DATE:

DATE:

2

CHECKED BY: 45032 DRAWN BY:

SHEET 1 OF 

4-29-04

18"

2

1/2"

1 1/2"

18"

4"

71"

8 PLCS 5

 DRAIN

 DRAFT ANGLE TYP

8

7"

2 1/2"

 PLUG

3 1/2"

2 3/4"

, 8 PLCS

, 6 PLCS

5 1/2"

32" 4

R 2 1/2

2"

R 1

TYP
12 

DATA SHEET NO. 5 

SUMMARY OF RESULTS FOR TEST NO. 1-11

GENERAL INFORMATION OCCUPANT RISK VALUES 

TEST AGENCY KARCO ENGINEERING IMPACT VELOCITY (m/sec) 

TEST NO. 1-11 X-DIRECTION 

DATE 02/06/04 Y-DIRECTION 

TEST ARTICLE THIV (optional) 

TYPE LONGITUDINAL WATER BARRIER UNIT RIDEDOWN ACCELERATION (g’s) 

Installation LENGTH (m) N/A X-DIRECTION 

SIZE AND/OR DIMENSION OF KEY ELEMENTS LESS THAN 45 Kg Y-DIRECTION 

SOIL TYPE AND CONDITION CONCRETE PHD (optional) 

TEST VEHICLE 2000P ASI (optional) 

TYPE PRODUCTION TEST ARTICLE DEFLECTIONS (m) 

DESIGNATION 1-11 DYNAMIC 

MODEL CHEVY SILVERADO PICKUP PERMANENT 

MASS (CURB) 2096 Kg (4620 Ibs) VEHICLE DAMAGE 

MASS (TEST INERTIAL) 1964 Kg (4330 Ibs) EXTERIOR 

DUMMY(s) MASS N/A VDS 

GROSS STATIC WEIGHT 1964 Kg (4330 Ibs) CDC 

IMPACT CONDITIONS INTERIOR 

SPEED (km/h) 51.4 (31.9 mph) OCDI 

ANGLE (Deg.) 25 

IMPACT SEVERITY (kJ) 33.03 POST IMPACT VEHICULAR BEHAVIOR 

EXIT CONDITIONS MAXIMUM ROLL ANGLE (Deg.) 

SPEED (km/h) 0 MAXIMUM PITCH ANGLE (Deg.) 

ANGLE (Deg.) 0 MAXIMUM YAW ANGLE (Deg.) 
14 

DATA SHEET NO. 6 

SUMMARY OF RESULTS FOR TEST NO. 2-10

GENERAL INFORMATION OCCUPANT RISK VALUES 

TEST AGENCY KARCO ENGINEERING IMPACT VELOCITY (m/sec) 

TEST NO. 2-10 X-DIRECTION 

DATE 08/06/04 Y-DIRECTION 

TEST ARTICLE THIV (optional) 

TYPE LONGITUDINAL WATER BARRIER UNIT RIDEDOWN ACCELERATION (g’s) 

Installation LENGTH (m) N/A X-DIRECTION 

SIZE AND/OR DIMENSION OF KEY ELEMENTS LESS THAN 45 Kg Y-DIRECTION 

SOIL TYPE AND CONDITION CONCRETE PHD (optional) 

TEST VEHICLE 820C ASI (optional) 

TYPE PRODUCTION TEST ARTICLE DEFLECTIONS (m) 

DESIGNATION 2-10 DYNAMIC 

MODEL GEO METRO 2-DOOR PERMANENT 

MASS (CURB) 842 Kg (1872 Ibs) VEHICLE DAMAGE 

MASS (TEST INERTIAL) 894 Kg (1988 Ibs) EXTERIOR 

DUMMY(s) MASS 75 kg VDS 

GROSS STATIC WEIGHT 894 Kg (1988 Ibs) CDC 

IMPACT CONDITIONS INTERIOR 

SPEED (km/h) 71.4 (44.3 mph) OCDI 

ANGLE (Deg.) 20 

IMPACT SEVERITY (kJ) 18.88 POST IMPACT VEHICULAR BEHAVIOR 

EXIT CONDITIONS MAXIMUM ROLL ANGLE (Deg.) 

SPEED (km/h) 0 MAXIMUM PITCH ANGLE (Deg.) 

ANGLE (Deg.) 0 MAXIMUM YAW ANGLE (Deg.) 

* Data channel failed.