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                Safety Eligibility Letter WZ-312
  
  **Hardware Type:**
            Work Zone Devices
                          **Code:**
            WZ-312
                          **Date:**
            03/02/2012
                          **Testing Criteria:**
            NCHRP 350
                          **Manufacturer:**
            POCO
                          **Device Description:**
            Lightweight Rigid Signs on sign stands
                          **View PDF:**
            wz312.pdf (435.29 KB)
    
    Safety Eligibility Letter WZ - 312
            
            	
          	DOT logo
            	U.S. Department of Transportation**Federal Highway Administration
                400 Seventh St., S.W.Washington, D.C.  20590**
                
          	
			 
			**Download Version**PDF [436 KB]
                
        	March 2, 2012
          In Reply Refer To: **HSST/WZ-312**
            Jeff Anderson
              POCO Incorporated
              42000 Van Born Road
            Canton, Michigan   48188
            Dear Jeff Anderson:
          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:
                POCO  Sign Stands for 4x5 ft and 4x4 ft signs with lightweight  rigid substratesType of system:
                "H-Footprint"  portable sign standsTest Level:
                NCHRP Report 350 Test Level 3Testing conducted by:
                N/ADate of request:
                February 4, 2011Date initially acknowledged:
                 February 9, 2011Based on a  review of the analysis submitted by the manufacturer certifying the device  described herein meets the crashworthiness 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.
            **Decision:**
              The following devices are eligible, with details provided below:
            POCO Sign Stands for rectangular 4x5 ft and diamond 4x4 ft signs with lightweight rigid substrates.******Description**
              POCO 4x5 and 4x4  sign stands were crash tested under NCHRP Report 350 and covered in our letters  WZ-208 dated May 25, 2005, and WZ-222 dated February 10, 2006, respectively. In  those tests the stands, fabricated primarily from Cold Rolled Steel square tube  and angle elements, carried signs of 5/8-inch MDO plywood. The results ranged  from 2 1⁄2 inches of windshield deformation, to no contact with the windshield at  all.
            You requested the  substitution of lightweight rigid substrates in lieu of the plywood on your  company’s stands, including aluminum laminates and corrugated plastic.  We concur that the behavior of the stands  that used 5/8" thick MDO for the full-scale crash testing would perform better  by decreasing the weight in the top portion of the assembly.  Substituting a lighter weight, rigid  substrate, in combination with additional cross-bracing on the lower portion of  the stand assembly to help compensate for the reduction in overall rigidity by  switching away from the plywood, would perform as well as, or better than, the  5/8" MDO.  Omitting the warning light  from the corner of the sign is also acceptable in the interest of reducing the  weight of the upper portion of the assembly
            **Requirements**
              Roadside safety devices should meet the guidelines  contained in the NCHRP Report 350 or the American Association of State Highway  and Transportation Officials' Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH).  The FHWA Memorandum “Identifying Acceptable  Highway Safety Features” of July 25, 1997 provides further guidance on crash  testing requirements of longitudinal barriers.
            **Findings**
              As the substitution of lightweight rigid substrates for  the as-tested 5/8-inch MDX plywood can be expected to improve the performance  of the POCO signs system  described in this letter, they are considered eligible for reimbursement on Federal-aid  highway projects. The stands should be installed under the range of conditions  tested, when such use is acceptable to a highway agency.
            Please note the following standard provisions that apply to FHWA  eligibility letters:
            This finding of eligibility 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 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 this  letter.
              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 review, and that it  will meet the crashworthiness requirements of the FHWA and the NCHRP Report  350.
              To prevent misunderstanding by others, this  letter of eligibility is designated as number WZ-312 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 finding of eligibility 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.
            POCO sign stands are patented products and considered  proprietary.  If proprietary systems are  specified by a highway agency for use on 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.
Sincerely yours,

            Michael S. Griffith
            	Director, Office of Safety Technologies
                Office of Safety
          	Enclosures U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

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WASHINGTON, DC 20590

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