0 

us. Deportment 

of Transportation 

Federal Highway 

Administration 

Henry A. Ross 

Director of Government Relations 

Plasticade Products 

7700 N. Austin Avenue 

Skokie, Illinois 60077 

Dear Mr. Ross: 

This is in response to your September I, 2010, letter requesting the Federal Highway 

Administration's (FHW A) acceptance of your company's EconocadeTM Type I and Type II 

Barricades with lightweight warning lights as crashworthy traffic control devices for use in work 

zones and elsewhere on the National Highway System (NHS). Accompanying your letter was the 

FHW A Office of Safety Design form indicating successful performance when tested under the 

AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) Test 3-71 (Modified.) 

October 21, 2011 

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

In Reply Refer To: 

HSSTI WZ-305 

Econocade Type I and 

Device Fibercade Type II Type II Barricades 

Barricade 

Test# 400001-ALB3 NIA 

Height, mm (in) 1075 (42) 1016 (40) 

Height to top of light 1313 (52) 1240 (48) 

Mass (without light*) 6.9 kg (15.2 lbs.) 6.0 kg ( 13.2 lbs.) 

Mass 10.5 kg (23. I lbs.) 

Mass, plus ballast 29.7 kg (65.5 lbs.) 

Vehicle Speed, km/h 97.5, 92.7 NIA 

Velocity Change, mis 1.33, 2.06 NIA 

Windshield Damage None NIA 

You requested that we find the EconocadeTM Barricades with lightweight warning lights 

acceptable for use on the NHS under the provisions of the National Cooperative Highway 

Research Report 350 and MASH based on its equivalence to your previously crash-tested 

Plasticade TM barricade. The Plasticade was found acceptable in FHW A Acceptance Letter 

WZ-14 dated May 28, 1999. As no additional crash testing was conducted under MASH criteria, 

our acceptance will be limited to performance under NCHRP Report 350. 

The EconocadeTM Barricades described above and detailed in the ~nclosed drawing is equivalent 

to the tested barricade as it is now molded as one piece and expected to perform in the same 

manner as the tested barricade. Therefore, they are acceptable for use on the NHS under the test 

conditions noted above, when such use is acceptable to a highway agency. 
2 

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

• This acceptance is limited to the crash worthiness characteristics of the tested features and 

does not cover their structural features, such as resistance to wind loads. 

• Any design or material changes that may adversely influence the crashworthiness of the 

barricades will require a new acceptance letter. 

• Should the FHW A discover that the qualification testing was flawed, that in-service 

performance reveals unacceptable safely 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 our acceptance. 

• You will be expected to supply po ten ti al users with sufficient information on design and 

installation requirements to ensure proper performance. 

• You will be expected to certify to potential users that the h;u·dware furnished has 

essentially the same chemistry, mechanical properties, and geometry as that submitted for 

acceptance, modified as noted above, and that it will meet the crashworthiness 

requirements of the FHW A and the NCHRP Report 350. 

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

WZ-305 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 Plasticade products identified above are patented products and considered 

proprietary. If proprietary systems are specified by a highway agency for use on Federalaid 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 . 

• This acceptance 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. The acceptance letter is limjted to the crashworthiness characteristics of the 

candidate system, and the FHW A is neither prepared nor required to become involved in 

issues concerning patent law. Patent issues, if any, are to be resolved by the applicant. 

Enclosures 

Sincerely yours, 

Michael S. Griffith 

Director, Office of Safety Technologies 

Office of Safety 
September 1, 2010 

Nicholas A. Artimovich II 

Highway Engineer 

Federal Highway Administration, Office of Safety 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington District of Columbia 20590 

Dear Mr. Artimovich: 

Attached is our request for an acceptance letter under MASH/NCHRP-350 for a Category 2 Work Zone 

Traffic Control Device for our Econocade TM Type I and Type II barricade, with an attached warning light. 

This is a one-piece injection-molded unit made of high density polyethylene material. It meets all of the 

design requirements of the MUTCD. 

To support this request for acceptance. I refer to Acceptance Letter WZ-14 (attached). This letter accepts 

Plasticade's Fibercade TM and Plasticade TM Type II barricades after successful crash testing. The primary difference 

between these accepted products and the Econocade is the one-piece construction of the Econocade vs. the 

assembled component construction of the Fibercade barricade. 

To further support this request, I refer to WZ-54, a FHWA Policy Memorandum in which certain acceptable 

crash tested barricade designs are made •generic" and available for anyone to use. 

In addition to our attached request for acceptance, I have attached a literature piece for the subject device, 

as well as a drawing. I have also attached copies of both WZ-14 and WZ-54 for your reference. 

Please let me know what other information is needed in order to facilitate a review of this request. 

Sincerely, 

Henry A. Ross 

Director of Government Relations 

Plasticade Products, 

7700 N. Austin Avenue 

Skokie, IL 60077 

(800)772-0355 

(847)583-4189 Direct 

(773)294-4942 Cell 

hross@americanlouver.com 

--------··+---~----.... '. 
D 

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Si 

Device Name 

Detailed Desc. 

FEDERAL IDGHW AY ADMINISTRATION 

OFFICE OF SAFETY DESIGN 

Plasticade Products Attn. Henry A. Ross 

7700 N. Austin Avenue 

Skokie, IL 60077 

Laboratory I Engineer Name and Address 

I hereby certify that the testing that supports this Acceptance Letter was conducted in 

accordance with NCHRP Report 350 guidelines, that the device{s) tested is/are 

accurately described on this form, and that the test results indicate that the device 

meets all a licable NCHRP Re ort 350 evaluation criteria. 

I have evaluated the requested modifications to these devices previously foWld 

acceptable by the FHW A in Acceptance Letter WZ-_, and hereby certify that, in 

my opinion, the modifications do not adversely affect the crash performance of the 

devices. I also certi that these devices are accurate! described on this form. f. . : ·. . . .. . . . 

Econocade Type I and Type II Barricade 

Type of Device (See page 3) 

Type II Barricade 

Composition of Sign or Rail substrate (See Page 3) 

Waffleboard Plastic ----------·----·----------·------- Thickness of substrate inches : 

Height of sign from the ground (inches), if applicable: (See Page 3) 

ea. 

(May be attached on separate page(s) 

. 

Of Device, All plastic Type I and Type II barricade; legs and boards molded as one piece. 

Materials, sizes, Meets MUTCO requirements. Height is 42.6"; width is 24.4"; weight is 13.2 

Fasteners, · lbs. May be ballasted with sandbags, if desired. 

Substrates 

Foundation, 

Aux. Features 

Ballast, etc. 

Attachment I 

"'\ 
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION 

OFFICE OF SAFETY DESIGN 

Please select from the following Keywords for "Type of Device": 

Longitudinal Channelizing Barricade 

Curb (Curb channelizer system with or without road tubes or other channelizers) 

Drum 

H-Footpriot Sign Stand 

X-Footprint Sign Stand 

Trailer Mounted Signs (Does not include arrow boards or variable message signs or other 

Category 4 trailer mounted devices.) 

Automated Flagger Device (not trailer mounted) 

Tripod Sign Stand 

Type I Barricade 

Type II Barricade 

Type III Barricade 

Vertical Panel 

Intrusion Detector 

Ballast (Action relates to ballast on one or more devices) 

Channelizer (Individual units unlike cones, road tubes, or drums) 

Please select from the following Keywords for "Sign Substrate": 

Roll-up I Fabric (with fiberglass spreaders - aluminum or steel spreaders are not allowed.) 

Plywood 

Aluminum - Solid 

Aluminum - Laminate 

Corrugated Plastic 

Extruded Plastic 

Waffleboard Plastic 

Wood I Lumber 

Please select from the following Keywords for "Height of Sign": 

The distance to the lowest point on the sign is: 

Low 12 to 18 inches above the pavement 

Mid-A 20 to 24 inches above the pavement 

Mid-B 25 to 36 inches above the pavement 

Mid-C 37 to 59 inches above the pavement 

Tall 60 to 71 inches above the pavement 

Oversized 72 inches and taller 

Attachment 1 
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