1200 New Jersey Ave., SE

 Washington, D.C. 20590

1 

In Reply Refer To: 

HSST-1/WZ-448 

Kevin Harrison 

Eastern Metal of Elmira, Inc. 

1430 Sullivan Street 

Elmira NY 14901 

USA

Dear Mr. Harrison: 

We received your correspondence of April 2, 2021 requesting issuance of a reimbursement 

eligibility letter under the Federal-aid highway program for the roadside safety system, device, 

design, product, or hardware (collectively “device”) described below. This letter is assigned 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) control number WZ-448. 

ELIGIBILITY LETTERS

The FHWA issues Federal-aid reimbursement eligibility letters for new roadside safety devices

that are crash tested in accordance with the industry standard of the American Association of 

State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware 

(MASH). 

FHWA, the Department of Transportation, and the United States (government) do not regulate 

roadside safety devices, crash test facilities, or the manufacturing industry. Issuance of 

eligibility letters is discretionary and provided only as a service to the states. FHWA may, at its 

discretion, decline to issue, revise, or rescind an eligibility letter. Eligibility letters are only 

issued by the FHWA headquarters Office of Safety. 

Eligibility letters are issued only as notice to the states that a device is eligible for reimbursement 

under the Federal-aid highway program. They do not establish approval or certification for any 

other purpose. Issuance of an eligibility letter is not a prerequisite or requirement for state 

transportation agencies seeking to use Federal-aid funds for roadside safety devices. State 

agencies may use a device for which an eligibility letter has not been issued and seek Federal-aid 

reimbursement. 

FEDERAL-AID REIMBURSEMENT

The request for issuance of this letter certified the device was crash tested in accordance with the 

industry standard of AASHTO’s MASH. This eligibility letter is based on that certification and 

the material offered in support of its issuance. The device described below is eligible for 

reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program. 

November 3, 2022
2 

Name of system: Apex Tripod

Type of system: Work Zone 

Test Level: Test Level 3 

Testing conducted by: Calspan Corporation 

Date of request: April 2, 2021

Information about the device, including material such as the eligibility request, crash test reports, 

drawings, or images are included in one or more attachment(s) to this letter. 

Eligibility letter WZ-448 is inapplicable to devices, optional equipment, alternate materials, or 

other features that were not crash tested in accordance with AASHTO’s MASH. 

This letter is issued only for the subject device as crash tested under AASHTO’s MASH. Later 

modification(s) of the device are not eligible for Federal-aid reimbursement under this letter. 

Notice of later modification(s) should be given to transportation agencies, facility owners, and 

operators (collectively “agencies”). 

Agencies should be provided appropriate information about the device’s design, installation, 

maintenance, materials, and mechanical properties. 

 

Issuance of this letter is discretionary, and it may be revised or rescinded at FHWA’s discretion. 

This letter is not a determination of compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control 

Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) or ownership of any intellectual property rights. 

This eligibility letter is not a determination by the government that a crash involving the subject 

device will result in any particular outcome. It is limited to only the device’s eligibility for 

Federal-aid reimbursement. 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 

Issuance of this eligibility letter does not convey property rights of any sort nor any exclusive 

privilege. This letter is not authorization or consent by the government for the use, manufacture, 

or sale of any patented or proprietary system, device, design, product, or hardware for which the 

requester is not the patent owner. Eligibility letters are not an expression of any view, position, 

or determination by the government as to the validity, scope, or ownership of any intellectual 

property rights to a specific device. These letters do not grant, impute, suggest, or otherwise 

establish any ownership, distribution, or licensing rights to the requester. The government 

expresses no opinion about the intellectual property rights relating to any device for which this or 

any other eligibility letter is issued. 

PUBLIC DISCLOSURE

To prevent any misunderstanding, and as discussed above, this eligibility letter is assigned 

FHWA control number WZ-448. It should only be reproduced in full with its attachment(s). 

This letter and the material offered by the requester supporting its issuance is public information. 

All eligibility letters and supporting material are subject to public disclosure under the Freedom 
3 

of Information Act (FOIA). Eligibility letters are available to the public at 

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/roadway_dept/countermeasures/reduce_crash_severity/.

If you have any questions please contact Aimee Zhang at Aimee.Zhang@dot.gov. 

Sincerely,

Louisa M. Ward

Acting Director, Office of Safety 

Technologies 

Office of Safety

Enclosures 
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 1 of 5 

Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility 

of Highway Safety Hardware 

Submitter

Date of Request: April 02, 2021 New Resubmission 

Name: Kevin Harrison 

Company: Eastern Metal of Elmira, Inc. 

Address: 1430 Sullivan Street Elmira, NY 14901 

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 & Testing Criterion - Enter from right to left starting with Test Level 

System Type Submission Type Device Name / Variant Testing Criterion Test 

Level 

'WZ': Crash Worthy Work Zon Physical Crash Testing 

Engineering Analysis 

Apex Tripod 

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. 

Individual or Organization responsible for the product: 

Contact Name: Kevin Harrison Same asSubmitter 

Company Name: Eastern Metal of Elmira, Inc. Same asSubmitter 

Address: 1430 Sullivan Street Elmira, NY 14901 Same asSubmitter 

Country: USA Same asSubmitter 

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

Eligibility Process for Safety Hardware Devices' document. 

Eastern Metal of Elmira, Inc. and Calspan Corporation share no financial interests between the two organizations. 

This includes no shared financial interest but not limited to:

i.Compensation including wages, salaries , commissions, professional fees, or fees for business referrals 

iii.Research funding or other forms of research support; 

iv. Patents, copyrights, licenses, and other intellectual property interests; 

vi. Business ownership and investment interest s;

!-!-! !-!-!
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 2 of 5 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

New Hardware or 

Significant Modification 

Modification to 

Existing Hardware 

The Eastern Metal Apex Tripod is a work zone sign stand attached to a 48” plywood sign substrate. It consists 

of a three-legged galvanized steel frame with components to hold signs. The frame and sign components yield 

a minimum bottom height of 15” from the ground. A foldable flag mechanism isused to display a set of 

warning flags. The flag mechanism ispivotally attached to the vertical cross-brace member. The combination 

sign and sign stand assembly can be quickly and readily assembled to its display condition and, 

correspondingly, disassembled and folded-up to its storage and transport condition. 

The folded dimensions are 9” x 4.5” x 55.5” without the sign attached. Open dimensions are 49” wide x 30”

depth x 76” height with the plywood sign attached. The tested sign stand assembly weight is38 lbs.

CRASH TESTING 

Bysignature below, the Engineer affiliated with the testing laboratory, agrees insupport 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: Mark Parisi

Engineer Signature: Digitally signed by Mark J. Parisi 

Date: 2021.04.21 13:27:01 -04'00' 

Address: 

Country: 

4455 Genesee Street, Cheektowaga, NY14225

USA 

Same asSubmitter

Same asSubmitter

A brief description of each crash test and its result: Help 

Required Test 

Number 

3-70 (1100C) 

Narrative 

Description 

Designated to evaluate the ability of a 

small vehicle to activate any breakaway, 

fracture, or yielding mechanism. Is 

considered optional for work zone traffic 

control weighting less than 220 lb (100 

kg) 

Evaluation 

Results 

Non-Relevant Test, not conducted 

Help 

Mark J. Parisi 
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 3 of 5 

Required Test 

Number 

Narrative 

Description 

Evaluation 

Results 

3-71 (1100C) 

For this test, two Apex Tripod work zone 

signs were impacted. The first test article 

was aligned at 0° and the second test article 

was aligned at 90° to the impacting 

vehicle's direction of travel. This test is

intended to evaluate the sign stand's 

behavior when impacted. The primary 

evaluation is based on intrusion into the 

occupant compartment, windshield 

damage, and vehicle stability. Lightweight 

devices such as the Apex Tripod sign 

cannot cause sufficient velocity change 

that would result in exceeding occupant 

risk criteria limits. 

Therefore Test 71 was conducted without 

instrumentation for evaluating occupant 

risk values OIV and RA per MASH test 

description. 

The test was conducted using a 

commercially available 2014 Kia Rio 4 door 

sedan with a test inertia mass of 2458 lbs 

(1115 kg). 

The test vehicle impacted the first sign 

stand (orientated at 0°) at a velocity of 

63 mph (101.4 km/hr). Upon impact the 

plywood sign folded over the front end of 

the vehicle and impacted both the roof and 

the windshield. The top of the plywood sign 

dented the roof, but did not penetrate the 

occupant compartment. The test vehicle 

continued along its path and impacted the 

second sign stand (oriented at 90°) at a 

velocity of 62 mph (99.8 km/ hr). Upon 

impact the plywood sign released from the 

sign support and impacted the hood and 

windshield of the vehicle. The plywood sign 

broke the windshield, but did not create any 

tears or deformation. The test vehicle's 

occupant compartment was not penetrated 

by the test articles, but there was an 

acceptable deformation on the roof of the 

vehicle measured to be 0.80". This is 

acceptable per the 4" requirement. 

Debris from the test articles did not block 

the driver's vision. The vehicle remained 

upright and did not exceed 75°roll and pitch 

throughout the test. The vehicle did not 

leave its lane and its trajectory was stable 

after both sign stands were impacted. 

TESTRESULT = PASS
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 4 of 5 

3-72 (2270P) 

For this test, two Apex Tripod road signs 

were impacted . The first test article was 

aligned at 0° and the second test article was 

aligned at 90° to the test vehicle's direction 

of travel. This test is intended to evaluate 

the sign stand's behavior when impacted . 

The primary evaluation is based on 

intrusion into the occupant compartment, 

windshield damage, and vehicle stability. 

Lightweight devices such as the Apex 

Tripod sign cannot cause sufficient velocity 

change that would result in exceeding 

occupant risk criteria limit s. Therefore Test 

72 was conducted without instrumentation 

for evaluating occupant risk values OIV 

and RAper MASH test description . 

The test was conducted using a 

commercially available 2010 Ram 1500 

Pickup Truck with a test inertia mass of 

5066 lbs (2298kg). 

The test vehicle impacted the first sign 

stand (oriented at 0°)at a velocity of 62 mph 

(99.8 km/ hr). Upon impact the plywood 

sign impacted and folded over the front end 

of the vehicle. The top of plywood sign 

impacted the hood and slid up and over the 

windshield. The test vehicle continued 

along it path and impacted the second sign 

stand (oriented at 90°) at a velocity of

60.9 mph (98.0km/hr). Upon impact the 

plywood sign released from the sign stand 

and impacted both the grille and hood. The 

plywood sign crushed the hood and 

removed the front grille from the vehicle. 

The test vehicle's occupant compartment 

was not penetrated by the test articles 

and there was no measurable 

deformation in the cab. 

Debris from the test article did not cause a 

hazard to the driver 's vision. The vehicle 

remained upright and did not exceed 75° 

roll and pitch throughout the test. The 

vehicle did not leave its lane and its 

trajectory was stable after both sign 

stands were impacted . 

TESTRESULT = PASS

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.):
Version 10.0 (05/16) 

Page 5 of 5 

Date: 2021.04.21 16:25:01 -04'00'

Laboratory Name: Calspan Corporation 

Laboratory Signature: Mark J. Parisi Digitally signed by Mark J. Parisi 

Date: 2021.04.21 13:29:11 -04'00' 

Address: 4455 Genesee Street Cheektowaga, NY 14225 Same asSubmitter 

Country: USA Same asSubmitter 

Accreditation Certificate 

Number and Dates of current 

Accreditation period : 

L20-602

December 31,2022

Submitter Signature*:Kevin Harrison Digitally signed by Kevin Harrison

Attach to this form: 

ATTACHMENTS 

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 

Submit Form 
SECTION 4

MASH TEST 3-71 SUMMARY

Test Article: Eastern Metal Apex Tripod

Test Program: MASH 3-71

Project No. BR0046

Test Date: 03/04/2021 

SEQUENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHS 

 0° Orientation 90° Orientation 

PLAN VIEW

 0.000s 0.030s 0.062s 0.000s 0.030s 0.060s

Vehicle is at 63 MPH when it contacts first sign 

and it is 5 feet from the point it is released from 

the Tow System (which occurs at 0 feet on 

scale)

Vehicle is Stopped at 185 feet from the point 

of initial release from the Two Systems 

(which occurs at 0 feet on scale)
Test Article: Eastern Metal Apex Tripod

Test Program:

SECTION 4... (CONTINUED) 

MASHTEST 3-71SUMMARY 

MASH 3-71

Project No. BR0046

Test Date: 03/04/2021 

SUMMARY TABLE

GENERAL INFORMATION 

TEST AGENCY Calspan Corporation 

TEST NUMBER Cal BR0046 

TEST DESIGNATION 3-71

TEST DATE 3/04/2021

TEST ARTICLE

NAME / MODEL Apex Tripod 

TYPE Work-Zone Traffic Control Device 

KEY ELEMENTS Sign Stand, Metal Tripod Base, Wood Sign 

OVERALL HEIGHT 76 in. (1930 mm)

OVERALL WIDTH 68 in. (1727 mm)

BASE WEIGHT 18 lbs. (7.71 kg) 

SIGN WEIGHT 21 lbs. (9.53 kg) 

ROAD SURFACE Asphalt 

TEST VEHICLE

TYPE / DESIGNATION 1100C 

YEAR , MAKE AND MODEL 2014 Kia Rio 

CURB MASS 2531 lbs. (1148 kg) 

TEST INERTIAL MASS 2458 lbs. (1115kg) 

GROSS STATIC MASS 2458 lbs. (1115kg) 

IMPACT CONDITIONS 

IMPACT VELOCITY(0°) 63.0 MPH (101.4 km/h) 

IMPACT VELOCITY (90°) 62.0 MPH (99.8 km/h) 

IMPACT SEVERITY (0°) 442.3 kJ 

IMPACT SEVERITY (90°) 428.5 kJ 

Impact Location (0°) Vehicle centerline (0 inches) 

Impact Location (90°) Vehicle centerline (0 inches) 

EXIT CONDITIONS

EXIT VELOCITY (0°) 63.0 MPH (101.4 km/h) 

EXIT VELOCITY (90°) 62 MPH (99.8 km/h) 

 FINAL RESTING POSITION 185 ft. downstream 

VEHICLE STABILITY Satisfactory 

VEHICLE SNAGGING None

VEHICLE POCKETING None 

OCCUPANT RISK VALUES 1 

1Values not calculated due to test article weight being less than 220 lbs. (100 kg)

OCCUPANT IMPACT 

VELOCITY

Longitudinal N/A

Lateral N/A 

i RIDEDOWN 

ACCELERATION 

Longitudinal N/A 

Lateral N/A

TEST ARTICLE POST-IMPACT

ARTICLE DAMAGE Base Deformation/Upper separation

VEHICLE DAMAGE

VEHICLE DAMAGE SCALE FL-3 ; FR-4

COLLISION DAMAGE CLASSIFICATION 12FLEN01 

12FREN01 

MAXIMUM DEFORMATION Negligible
SECTION 4

MASH TEST 3-72 SUMMARY

Test Article: Eastern Metal Apex Tripod

Test Program: MASH 3-72

Project No. BR0058

Test Date: 03/16/2021

SEQUENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHS

0° Orientation 90° Orientation 

PLAN VIEW

 0.000s 0.030s 0.062s 0.000s 0.032s 0.076s 

Vehicle is at 62 MPH when it contacts first sign and it is 5 

feet from the point it is released from the Tow System 

(which occurs at 0 feet on scale) 

Vehicle is Stopped at 181 feet from the point 

of initial release from the Two Systems (which occurs at 0 

feet on scale)
Test Article: Eastern Metal Apex Tripod 

Test Program:

SECTION 4... (CONTINUED) 

MASHTEST 3-72 SUMMARY

MASH 3-72

Project No. BR0058

Test Date: 03/16/2021 

SUMMARY TABLE

GENERAL INFORMATION

TEST AGENCY Calspan Corporation. 

TEST NUMBER BR0058

TEST DESIGNATION 3-72

TEST DATE 03/16/2021

TEST ARTICLE

NAME / MODEL Apex Tripod 

TYPE Work-Zone Traffic Control Device 

KEY ELEMENTS Sign Stand, Metal Tripod Base, Wood Sign 

OVERALL HEIGHT 76 in. (1930 mm)

OVERALL WIDTH 68 in. (1727 mm)

BASE WEIGHT 18 lbs. (8.2 kg) 

SIGN WEIGHT 21 lbs. (9.53 kg) 

ROAD SURFACE Asphalt 

TEST VEHICLE

TYPE / DESIGNATION 2270P

YEAR , MAKE AND MODEL 2010 RAM 1500

CURB MASS 5105 lbs. (2316 kg) 

TEST INERTIAL MASS 5066 lbs. (2298 kg) 

GROSS STATIC MASS 5066 lbs. (2298 kg) 

IMPACT CONDITIONS

i IMPACT VELOCITY (0°) 62.0 MPH (99.8 km/h) 

IMPACT VELOCITY (90°) 60.9 MPH (98.0 km/h) 

KINETIC ENERGY (0°) 883.0 kJ 

KINETIC ENERGY (90°) 851.5 kJ 

Impact Location (0°) 387.35 mm towards driver 

Impact Location (90°) 396.87 mm towards passenger 

EXIT CONDITIONS

EXIT VELOCITY (0°) 62.0 MPH (99.8 km/h) 

EXIT VELOCITY (90°) 60.9 MPH (98 km/h) 

 FINAL RESTING POSITION 181 ft. downstream 

VEHICLE STABILITY Satisfactory

VEHICLE SNAGGING None

VEHICLE POCKETING None

OCCUPANT RISK VALUES 1

1Values not calculated due to test article weight being less than 220 lbs. (100 kg)

OCCUPANT IMPACT

VELOCITY

Longitudinal N/A

Lateral N/A 

RIDEDOWN 

ACCELERATION 

Longitudinal N/A

Lateral N/A

TEST ARTICLE POST-IMPACT

ARTICLE DAMAGE Base Deformation/Upper separation

VEHICLE DAMAGE

VEHICLE DAMAGE SCALE

FL-2 ; FR-2

COLLISION DAMAGE CLASSIFICATION 12FLEN01 

12FREN01

MAXIMU M DEFORMATION Negligible
JPEG of TEST ARTICLE DRAWINGS: APEX TRIPOD