1200 New Jersey Ave., SE

Washington , D.C. 20590 

September 6, 2018 In Reply Refer To: 

HSST-1/WZ-359 

Mr. Charles Mettler 

Plastic Safety Systems, Inc. 

2444 Baldwin Road 

Cleveland, Ohio 44104 

Dear Mr. Mettler: 

This letter is in response to your June 26, 2018 request for the Federal Highway Administration 

(FHW A) to review a roadside safety device, hardware, or system for eligibility for 

reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program. This FHWA letter of eligibility is 

assigned FHWA control number WZ-359 and is valid until a subsequent letter is issued by 

FHW A that expressly references this device. I 

Decision 

The following device is eligible within the length-of-need, with details provided in the form 

which is attached as an integral part of this letter: 

. • SafetyRail 

Scope of this Letter 

To be found eligible for Federal-aid funding, new roadside safety devices should meet the crash 

test and evaluation criteria contained in the American Association of State Highway and 

Transportation Officials'(AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). 

However, the FHW A, the Department of Transportation, and the United States Government do 

not regulate the manufacture of roadside safety devices. Eligibility for reimbursement under the 

Federal-aid highway program does not establish approval, certification or endorsement of the 

device for any particular purpose or use. 

This letter is not a determination by the FHWA, the Department of Transportation, or the United 

States Government that a vehicle crash involving the device will result in any particular 

outcome, nor is it a guarantee of the in-service performance of this device. Proper 

manufacturing, installation, and maintenance are required in order for this device to function as 

tested. 

This finding of eligibility is limited to the crash worthiness of the system and does not cover other 

structural features, nor conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. 
2 

Eligibility for Reimbursement 

Based solely on a review of crash test results and certifications submitted by the manufacturer, 

and the crash test laboratory, FHW A agrees that the device described herein meets the crash test 

and evaluation criteria of the AASHTO's MASH. Therefore, the device is eligible for 

reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program if installed under the range of tested 

conditions. 

• Name of system: Safety Rail 

Type of system: Channelizer 

Test Level: MASH Test Level 3 (TL3) 

Testing conducted by: Texas A&M Transportation Institute 

Date ofrequest: June 26, 2018 

Date initially acknowledged: June 29, 2018 

FHWA concurs with the recommendation of the accredited crash testing laboratory on the 

attached form. 

Full Description of the Eligible Device 

The device and supporting documentation, including reports of the crash tests or other testing 

done, videos of any crash testing, and/or drawings of the device, are described in the attached 

form. 

Notice 

This eligibility letter is issued for the subject device as tested. Modifications made to the device 

are not covered by this letter. Any modifications to this device should be submitted to the user 

(i.e., state DOT) as per their requirements. 

You are expected to supply potential users with sufficient information on design, installation and 

maintenance 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 test 

and evaluation criteria of AASHTO's MASH. 

Issuance of this letter does not convey property rights of any sort or any exclusive privilege. This 

letter is based on the premise that information and reports submitted by you are accurate and 

correct. We reserve the right to modify or revoke this letter if: (1) there are any inaccuracies in 

the information submitted in support of your request for this letter, (2) the qualification testing 

was flawed, (3) in-service performance or other information reveals safety problems, ( 4) the 

system is significantly different from the version that was crash tested, or (5) any other 

information indicates that the letter was issued in error or otherwise does not reflect full and 

complete information about the crash worthiness of the system. 
3 

Standard Provisions 

• To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of eligibility designated as FHW A 

control number WZ-359 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 upon request. 

• This letter shall not be construed as authorization or consent by the FHW A to use, 

manufacture, or sell any patented system for which the applicant is not the patent holder. 

• This FHW A eligibility letter is not an expression of any Agency view, position, or 

determination of validity, scope, or ownership of any intellectual property rights to a 

specific device or design. Further, this letter does not impute any distribution or licensing 

rights to the requester. This FHW A eligibility letter determination is made based solely 

on the crash-testing information submitted by the requester. The FHW A reserves the 

right to review and revoke an earlier eligibility determination after receipt of subsequent 

information related to crash testing. 

• If the subject device is a patented product it may be considered to be 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, 

Michael S. Griffith 

Director, Office of Safety Technologies 

Office of Safety 

Enclosures 
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 1 o

Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility 

of Highway Safety Hardware 

f 5 

... 

-~ 

Cll 

E 

.c 

:I 

VI 

Date of Request: June 27, 2018 Ci New (" Resubmission I 

Name: Chuck Mettler 

Company: PSS (Plastic Safety Systems} Inc. 

Address: 2444 Baldwin Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44104 

Country: USA 

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 i T~sting Crlietl!;m- Enter frQm right to left starting with T~st L~Ym Fl 

System Type Submission Type Device Name/ Variant Testing Criterion Test 

Level 

'WZ': Crash Worthy Work 

Zone Traffic Control Devices 

(i Physical Crash Testing 

(" Engineering Analysis SafetyRail 

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. 

lndlvidua_Lo_r: Organization responsible for the product: 

Contact Name: Chuck Mettler Same as Submitter [8J 

Company Name: PSS (Plastic Safety Systems) Inc. Same as Submitter [8J 

Address: 2444 Baldwin Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44104 Same as Submitter 18'.) 

Country: USA Same as Submitter [8J 

Enter below all disclosures of financial interests as required by the FHWA 'Federal-Aid Reimbursement 

Eligibility Process for Safety Hardware Devices' document. 

None 
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 2 of s 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

C- New Hardware or 

• Significant Modification

l Modification to 

Existing Hardware 

The SafetyRail channelizer was comprised of upper and lower notched wave boards, each measuring 48 inches 

long x 81/, Inches wide x 13/16 inches thick, supported by right-triangle shaped, hollow up-rights, each 38 

inches tall x 24 inches wide at the base x 31⁄4 inches thick. Each up-right was weighted to the apron with one 

45-to-S0 lb sandbag. There were no bolts, pins, or adhesives that secured the up-rights to the concrete apron. 

The notched wave boards were attached to the up-rights with proprietary break-away bushings. The up-rights 

and wave boards were constructed of high density polyethylene (HOPE) material. 

Up-rights No. 6 through 25 (see attached report) were fitted with Type A-C beacon lights (Dicke Safety 

Products TrafiLITE, with batteries). The upper wave boards between up-rights No. 10 and 11, and 11 and 12 

(see attached report) were fitted with aluminum -sIDEWALK CLOSED" sfgns that measured 24 inches long x 18 

inches tall x 0.100 inch thick. 

CRASH TESTrNG 

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: D. Lance Bullard, Jr. 

D. Lance Bullard, Jr. Digitally signed by D, Lance Bullard, Jr. 

Date: 2018.06.04 08:20:48 -05'00' Engineer Signature: 

Address: TTI, TAMU 3135, College Station, TX 77843-3135 Same as Submitter D 

USA Same as Submitter D 

A Eirief descn p tion ot each crash test and its result: 

Country: 
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 3 of 5 

Required Test 

Number 

Narrative 

Description 

Evaluation 

Results 

3-90( 1100() 

Test 3·90 involves an 11 00C vehicle 

impacting the test article at a target speed 

of 62 mph and at a target angle of 0-to-25 

degrees. The results of the test conducted 

on October 16, 2017 are found in TTI Test 

Report number690900-PSS9&10. The test 

vehicle contacted the channelizer at a 

barricade support at the joint between 

barricade 9 and 1 oat an impact angle of 

9.7° while traveling at an impact speed of 

61.7 ml/h. The vehicle penetrated through 

the channelizer and the brakes on the 

vehicle were applied 1.7 s after impact. The 

vehicle subsequently came to rest 223 ft 

downstream of impact and 16 ft behind the 

installation. The wave boards and sand/ 

sand bags were strewn over an area 250 ft PASS long, 53 ft behind the field side, and 35 ft 

forward of the traffic side. The channelizer 

opening created from the impact extended 

from supports 10 through 21. One of the 

wave boards lodged under the vehicle, but 

did not penetrate or show potential to 

penetrate the occupant compartment. The 

front bumper, hood, right front fender, and 

front part of the roof received slight denting 

and scuffing, and the headlight was 

dislodged. There was slight denting, but no 

measurable deformation of the exterior of 

the vehicle. No occupant compartment 

deformation or intrusion occurred. 

Occupant risk factors were all within the 

preferred MASH limits. The device 

performed acceptably for MASH test 3-90. 
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 4 of 5 

Required Test 

Number 

Narrative 

Description 

Evaluation 

Results 

3-91 (22 70P) 

Test 3-91 Involves a 2270P vehicle 

impacting the test article at a target speed 

of 62 mph and at a target angle of 0-to-25 

degrees. The test vehicle contacted the 

channelizer at barricade support 1 Oat an 

impact angle of 9.9° while traveling at an 

impact speed of 64.0 mi/h. The vehicle 

penetrated the channelizer and the brakes 

on the vehicle were applied at 1 .7 s. The 

vehicle subsequently came to rest 307 ft 

downstream of the impact and 15 ft toward 

the field side. The wave boards and sand/ 

sand bags were strewn over an area 327 ft 

long, 45 ft behind the field side, and 48 ft 

forward of the traffic side. The channelizer 

opening created by the impact extended 

from supports 1 0 through 22. The front 

bumper, grill, hood, and right front fender 

were slightly deformed. No occupant 

compartment deformation or intrusion 

occurred. Occupant risk factors were all 

within the preferred MASH limits. The 

device performed acceptably for MASH test 

3-91. 

PASS 

Non-Critical, not conducted 

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: Texas A&M Transportation Institute 

Laboratory Signature: Digitally signed by Darrell L. Kuhn Darrell L. Kuhn Date: 2018.06:0117:08:30 -05'00' 

Address: TTI, TAMU 3135, College Station, TX 77843·3135 Same as Submitter D 

Country: USA Same as Submitter D 

Accreditation Certificate 

Number and Dates of current 

Accreditation period : 

150 17025 Laboratory 

Certificate Number: 2821 .01 

Valid To: April 30, 2019 

Submitter Signature*: 

Submit Form 

ATTACHMENTS 
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page s of s 

Attach to this fonn: 

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 confonn to the Task Force-13 Drawing Specifications 

[Hardware Guide Dmwjng Standards]. For proprietary products, a single isometric line drawing is 

usually acceptable to illustrate the product, with detailed specifications, intended use, and contact 

infonnation provided on the reverse. Additional drawings (not in TF-13 fonnat) showing details that 

are relevant to understanding the dimensions and perfonnance of the device should also be submitted 

to facilitate our review. 

FHWA Official Business Only; 

Eligibility Letter i 

Number Date Key Words i I 

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General Information Impact Conditions Post-Impact Trajectory 

Test Agency .. . Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Speed 61 .7 mi/h Stopping Distance .... ..... 223 ft downstream 

Test Standard Test No .. MASH Test 3-90 Angle 9.7° 16 ft twd field side 

TTI Test No. 690900-PSS9 Location/Orientation .. . Support 10 Vehicle Stability 

Test Date 2017-10-16 Kinetic Energy 311 kip-ft Maximum Yaw Angle Not obtainable 

Test Article Exit Conditions Maximum Pitch Angle Not obtainable 

Type Longitudinal Channelizer Speed 55. 3 mi/h Maximum Roll Angle Not obtainable 

Name ...... .. . PSS SafetyRailTM Angle 13.8° 

Installation Length ...... . . 201 ft Occupant Risk Values Test Article Debris Field 

Material or Key Elements . 50 4-ft long proprietary, repositionable, Longitudinal OIV .. .. ...... .. .... 13.8 ft/s Longitudinal 250 ft 

high density polyethylene (HOPE) Lateral OIV .................. .... ... NA Toward Traffic Side .... . 53 ft 

pedestrian barrier segments Longitudinal Ridedown ....... 2.4 g Toward Field Side 35 ft 

Soil Type and Condition Concrete Surface, Dry Lateral Ridedown .............. NA 

Test Vehicle THIV .. .. . ..... Not obtainable 

Type/Designation 1100C PHD . Not obtainable 01RFQ1 

Make and Model 2011 Kia Rio Not obtainable 01FREW1 

Curb .......... .. ..... . 2460Ib Max. 0.050-s Average Max. Exterior Deformation ........ Negligible N 

0 Test Inertial 2429Ib Longitudinal .............. . Not obtainable OCDI. ... ... FS0000000 ..... Dummy 

Gross Static 

165Ib Lateral ............ ...... ...... ... Not obtainable Max. Occupant Compartment 00 

I 2594Ib Vertical .... ......... Not obtainable Deformation ...... .. .. .... .... ... ...... None 

0 

~ 

I Figure 5.8. Summary of Results for MASH Test 3-90 on PSS Safety RailTM Channelizer. 0 
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z 

0 

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0 

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0 

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General Information 

Test Agency ...... . 

Test Standard Test No 

TTI Test No. 

Test Date 

Test Article 

Type 

Name .. .... .... . 

Installation Length .... . . 

Material or Key Elements . 

Soil Type and Condition 

Test Vehicle 

Type/Designation 

Make and Model 

Curb ........... . 

N 

0 Test Inertial 

Dummy 00 

I Gross Static 

0 

-+:-

1 

-

Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) 

MASH Test 3-91 

690900-PSS 10 

2017-10-17 

Longitudinal Channelizer 

PSS SafetyRailTM 

201 ft 

50 4-ft long proprietary, repositionable, 

high density polyethylene (HOPE) 

pedestrian barrier segments 

2270P 

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 Pickup 

5005 Ib 

5054Ib 

No dummy 

5054Ib 

Post-Impact Trajectory 

Stopping Distance ... . 

Vehicle Stability 

Maximum Yaw Angle 

Maximum Pitch Angle 

Maximum Roll Angle 

Test Article Debris Field 

Longitudinal 

Toward Traffic Side 

Toward Field Side 

Vehicle Damage 

VOS 

Max. Exterior Deformation .. .... ... 

OCDI. .... .. ... .... ... ............ .. .. ... ... 

Max. Occupant Compartment 

Deformation 

307 ft downstream 

15 ft twd field side 

30 

30 

10° 

327 ft 

48 ft 

45 ft 

01RFQ1 

01FREW1 

Negligible 

FS0000000 

None 

Impact Conditions 

Speed 

Angle 

Location/Orientation .. 

Kinetic Energy 

Exit Conditions 

Speed 

Angle 

Occupant Risk Values 

Longitudinal OIV 

Lateral OIV .. 

Longitudinal Ridedown . 

Lateral Ridedown 

THIV 

PHO 

Max. 0.050-s Average 

Longitudinal .. .... ........ ... .. -0.7 g 

Lateral. ..... ... ... ......... ... ... 0.6 g 

Vertical. .... ..... .. ............. .. 1.0 g 

64.0 mi/h 

9.9° 

Support 10 

59.4 mi/h 

11 .1 ° 

7.2 ft/s 

1.6 ft/s 

0.8 g 

0.6 g 

8.5 km/h 

0.8 g 

0.11 

0 Figure 6.8. Summary of Results for MASH Test 3-91 on PSS Safety RailTM Channelizer. 
P1N BP-04lvI-N (4') 

Retrorenective sheeting as required 

PIN SR-3 8B4 

P!NSR-B4 

Replaceable break-away bushing 

Ballast with sandbags ( 45 lbs. Max) 

Notes: Previous Acceptance WZ-278 

Tested to NCHRP-350 TL-3 

Safety Rail 

PSS xxxxx 

Sheet No. Date 

1 of4 5/30/1 7 

TR No. 690900-PSS9& l 0 37 20 18-04-10 
Type A-C lights as required 

Units connected with 4' boards Wave Boards 

Safety Rail 

PSS xxxxx 

Sheet No. Date 

2 of 4 5/30/17 

TR No. 690900-PSS9&10 36 2018-04-l 0