December 7, 2020 

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

In Reply Refer To: 

HSST-1/B-351 

Shawn Yu, Standards Engineer 

Colorado Department of Transportation 

2829 W. Howard Place, Room 309p 

Denver, CO 80204 

Dear Mr. Yu: 

This letter is in response to your October 12, 2020 request for the Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA) 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 B-351 and is valid until a subsequent letter is issued by FHWA 

that expressly references this device. 

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: 

• Colorado Type 10 Bridge Rail 

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 FHWA, 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 crashworthiness 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, FHWA 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: Colorado Type 10 Bridge Rail 

Type of system: Longitudinal Barrier 

Test Level: TL4 

Testing conducted by: Texas A&M Transportation Institute 

Date of request: October 12, 2020 

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 crashworthiness of the system. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 

Standard Provisions 

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

control number B-351 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 FHWA to use, 

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

• This FHWA 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 FHWA eligibility letter determination is made based solely 

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

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

information related to crash testing. 

Sincerely, 

Michael S. Griffith 

Director, Office of Safety Technologies 

Office of Safety 

Enclosures 
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 1 of 4 

Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility 

of Highway Safety Hardware 

Submitter 

Date of Request: October 12, 2020 New Resubmission 

Name: Roger Bligh 

Company: Texas A&M Transporatation Institute 

Address: 1254 Avenue A, Bldg 7091, Bryan, Texas 77807 

Country: U.S.A. 

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 L 

System Type Submission Type Device Name / Variant Testing Criterion Test 

Level 

'B':Rigid/Semi-Rigid Barriers PhysicalCrashTesting 

Engineering Analysis 

Colorado Type 10 Bridge 

Rail 

AASHTO MASH TL4 

! - ! - !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

evel ! - ! - ! 

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: Shawn Yu,StandardsEngineer Same asSubmitter 

Company Name: Colorado Department of Transportation Same asSubmitter 

Address: 2829 W. Howard Pl.,Room 309p, Denver, CO 80204 Same asSubmitter 

Country: U.S.A. Same asSubmitter 

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

Eligibility Process for Safety Hardware Devices' document. 

TexasA&MTransportation Institute (TTI)wascontracted byColorado Department of Transportation to perform 

full-scale crash testing of the Colorado Type 10 Bridge Rail. There are no shared financial interests in the 

ColoradoType10BridgeRail byTTI,or betweenColorado Department of Transportation andTTI,other than 

costsinvolved in theactual crash testsand reportsfor thissubmission toFHWA. 

609761-01-3.4.5 
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 2 of 4 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

New Hardware or 

Significant Modification 

Modification to 

Existing Hardware 

The Type 10 Bridge Rail installation consists of two tubular steel rails attached to steel posts mounted on a 

concrete parapet.Theconcrete parapet is18incheswideat the bottom, tapering up on the trafficside to a top 

width of 163⁄4inches. In the tested configurations,a3-inch thick lift of asphalt covered the bottom 3 inchesof 

the concrete parapet, which extends 10 inchesabove grade. W6x20 steel postsare mounted on top of the 

concrete parapet at a10ft spacing. TwoHSS6×6×1⁄4steel railsareattached to the postsat heights of 25inches 

and 40 inchesabove the roadsurface.Therailsarespliced using 51⁄4-inchsquare,5/16-inch thick, 36-inch long 

fabricatedsteel tubular sectionswith a6 inch distance between theadjacent railsections. 

CRASH TESTING 

Bysignature below, theEngineeraffiliated with the testing laboratory,agreesin support of thissubmission that 

all of the critical and relevant crash tests for this device listed above were conducted to meet the MASHtest 

criteria. The Engineer has determined that no other crash testsare necessary to determine the device meets 

theMASHcriteria. 

Engineer Name: RogerBligh 

Engineer Signature: Digitally signed by Roger Bligh 

Date: 2020.10.09 13:43:03 -05'00' 

Address: 

Country: 

1254AvenueA,Bldg 7091,Bryan,Texas77807 

U.S.A. 

SameasSubmitter 

SameasSubmitter 

Roger Bligh 

Help 

Help 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A brief description of each crash test and its result: 

Required Test 

Number 

Narrative 

Description 

Evaluation 

Results 

4-10 (1100C) 

The results of test 609761-01-5 conducted 

on May15,2020arefound inTTIReport No. 

609761-01-3-5. The Type 10 bridge rail 

successfully contained and redirected the 

1100C vehicle. The vehicle did not 

penetrate, underride, or override the 

installation. No detached elements, 

fragments, or other debris were present to 

penetrateor showpotential for penetrating 

the occupant compartment, or to present 

undue hazard to othersin thearea. 

Maximum dynamiclateral deflection of the 

rail during the test was 2.2 inches. The 

vehicle remained upright during and after 

the collision event. Maximum roll and pitch 

angleswere7°and 4°,respectively. 

Occupant risk indices (occupant impact 

velocity and ridedown accelerations) were 

below the preferred values of MASH. 

Maximum occupant compartment 

deformation was4.0inchesin thekickpanel 

area. The test satisfied all relevant MASH 

criteria. 

PASS 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 3 of 4 

Required Test 

Number 

Narrative 

Description 

Evaluation 

Results 

4-11 (2270P) 

The results of test 609761-01-4 conducted 

on May13,2020arefound inTTIReport No. 

609761-01-3-5. The Type 10 bridge rail 

successfully contained and redirected the 

2270P vehicle. The vehicle did not 

penetrate, underride, or override the 

installation. No detached elements, 

fragments, or other debris were present to 

penetrateor showpotential for penetrating 

the occupant compartment, or to present 

undue hazard to othersin thearea. 

Maximum dynamic lateral deflection of the 

rail during the test was 6.0 inches. The 

vehicle remained upright during and after 

the collision event. Maximum roll and pitch 

angles were 50° and 15°, respectively. 

Occupant risk indices (occupant impact 

velocity and ridedown accelerations) were 

below the preferred values of MASH. 

Maximum occupant compartment 

deformation was 3.0 inches in the firewall 

area. The test satisfied all relevant MASH 

criteria. 

PASS 

4-12 (10000S) 

The results of test 609761-01-3 conducted 

on May11,2020arefound inTTIReport No. 

609761-01-3-5. The Type 10 bridge rail 

successfully contained and redirected the 

10000S vehicle. The vehicle did not 

penetrate, underride, or override the 

installation. No detached elements, 

fragments, or other debris were present to 

penetrateor showpotential for penetrating 

the occupant compartment, or to present 

undue hazard to othersin thearea. 

Maximum dynamiclateral deflection of the 

rail during the test was 2.9 inches. The 

vehicle remained upright during and after 

the collision event. Maximum occupant 

compartment deformation was5.75inches 

in the floor pan. The test satisfied all 

relevant MASHcriteria. 

PASS 

4-20 (1100C) 

MASH2016Test Designation 4-20evaluates 

transitions. The Colorado DOTType 10 

bridge rail isnot a transition; therefore, this 

test isnot relevant. 

Non-Relevant Test, not conducted 

4-21 (2270P) 

MASH2016Test Designation 4-21evaluates 

transitions. The Colorado DOTType 10 

bridge rail isnot a transition; therefore, this 

test isnot relevant. 

Non-Relevant Test, not conducted 

4-22 (10000S) 

MASH2016Test Designation 4-22evaluates 

transitions. The Colorado DOTType 10 

bridge rail isnot a transition; therefore, this 

test isnot relevant. 

Non-Relevant Test, not conducted 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 4 of 4 

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 Insitute 

LaboratorySignature: Digitally signed by Darrell L. Kuhn 

'Date: 2020.10.09 17:33:30-05'00 

Address: 1254 Avenue A, Bldg 7091, Bryan, Texas 77807 Same asSubmitter 

Country: U.S.A. Same asSubmitter 

Accreditation Certificate 

Number and Dates of current 

Accreditation period : 

ISO17025-2017 Laboratory 

A2LACertificateNumber: 2821.01 

ValidTo:April 30,2021 

-05'00' 

Digitally signed by Roger Bligh 

SubmitterSignature*:Roger Bligh Date:2020.10.0913:43:28 

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