February 22, 2021 

Mr. Henry A. Ross 

Plasticade

100 Howard Avenue, Des Plaines 

IL 60018 

USA

Dear Mr. Ross:

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590

In Reply Refer To: 

HSST-1/WZ-424 

This letter is in response to your November 23, 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 WZ-424 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:

• Plasticade SS620A Sign Stand with corrugated plastic signs (60-in) 

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: Plasticade SS620A Sign Stand with corrugated plastic signs (60-in) 

Type of system: Work Zone

Test Level: Test Level 3

Testing conducted by: Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) 

Date of request: November 23, 2020 

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

attached form.

In accordance with FHWA's Memo "Federal-aid Reimbursement Eligibility Process for Safety 

Hardware Devices" dated November 12, 2015, FHWA will make note of any reported damage to 

a test vehicle's fuel tank, oil pan, or other feature that might serve as a surrogate of the fuel tank. 

AASHTO's MASH states "Although not a specific factor in assessing test results, integrity of a 

test vehicle's fuel tank is a potential concern. It is preferable that the fuel tank remains intact and 

not be punctured. Damage or rupture of the fuel tank, oil pan, or other feature that might serve as 

a surrogate of the fuel tank should be reported". A test report included in this submittal 

documenting Test 3-71at 90 degrees states "there was a small cut in the oil pan", and Test 3-71 at 

0 degrees states “there was slight damage to the oil pan”. 

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. 
3 

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. 

Standard Provisions 

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

control number WZ-424 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,

Enclosures 

Michael S. Griffith

Director, Office of Safety Technologies 

Office of Safety
Version 10.0 (05/16)

Page 1 of 5

eve

Test System Type Submission Type Device Name / Variant Testing Criterion Level

'WZ':CrashWorthyWork Zon ' ' Physical Crash Testing Plasticade®SS620A Sign AASHTO MASH TL3

Stand with corrugated ZoneTrafficControl Devices EngineeringAnalysis plastic signs (60-in)

r

r

Device & Testing Criterion - Enter from right to left starting with Test L ! - ! - ! ! - ! - ! 

Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility 

of Highway Safety Hardware

r etti ubm

S

Date of Request: November 23, 2020 New Resubmission

Name: Henry A. Ross

Company: Plasticade

Address: 100 Howard Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60018

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-ai

highway program.

d 

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: Henry A. Ross Same as Submitter

Company Name: Plasticade Same as Submitte

Address: 100 Howard Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60018 Same as Submitte

Country: U.S.A. Same as Submitter

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 by Plasticade® to perform full-scalecrash testing of the

Pasticade®SS620A Sign Stand with corrugated plastic signs. There are no shared financial interests in the 

Plasticade®SS620ASignStand with corrugated plasticsignsbyTTI,or betweenPlasticade® andTTI,other than 

costsinvolved in theactual crashtests and reportsfor thissubmission toFHWA.

690900-PLP 16-17-18 (60-in)
Version 10.0 (05/16)

Page 2 of 5

New Hardware or 

Significant Modification

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Modification to 

Existing Hardware

ThePlasticade®SS620ASignStandisa proprietary signstand tested to hold corrugated plasticsign panels at 

60 inches above grade. Each sign stand was tested with a 48 inch square diamond-shaped Plasticade® 

corrugated plasticsign panel.Above thesign, threeconspicuityflagswere mounted at the top of thestand.A 

40-lb sand bag wasplaced on each of the four legs of thesign stand to hold thestandsin place.Eachsign 

stand weighed60.8lb (exclusiveof thesand bags).

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 MASH test 

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

theMASHcriteria.

Engineer Name: D.LanceBullard,Jr.,P.E.

Engineer Signature: D.LanceBullard,Jr. Digitally signed by D. LanceBullard,Jr.

Date: 2020.11.2208:06:17 -06'00'

Address: 

Country:

1254 Avenue A,Bldg 7091,Bryan,Texas77807 

U.S.A.

Same asSubmitter 

Same asSubmitter

A brief description of each crash test and itsresult:

Required Test Narrative Evaluation 

Number Description Results

3-70 MASH states that Test 3-70 for small 

vehicles is considered optional for workzone traffic control devices weighing less 

than 220 lb, because velocity changes 

during low-speed impacts with free3-70 (1100C) standing, lightweight featureswill be within 

acceptable limits. The Plasticade® SS620A 

Non-Critical, not conducted

Sign Stand weighed 60.8 lb (excluding the 

sand bags). Therefore, MASH Test 3-70 was 

not performedon this traffic control device. 

Non-critical, notconducted
Version 10.0 (05/16)

Page 3 of 5

Required Test Narrative Evaluation 

Number Description Results

The results of test 690900-PLP17 are found

in TTI Test Report number 690900- 

PLP13-18. In this test, a sign stand with a 

corrugated plasticsign mounted 60 inches 

from grade to the bottom of sign was 

impacted.Thesign stand was aligned 90° 

to the test vehicle. The test vehicle was 

traveling at an impact speed of 62.9 mi/h 

when it contacted the sign stand at an 

impact angle of 90°. The post and the sign 

cameto rest 5 ft downstream and 8 ft to the 

left of the impact.One baseleg landed 206 

ft downstream and in line with the impact, 

while the remaining base assembly 

remained under the car and came to rest 

378 ft downstream and in line with the 

impact.There was a small cut in the oil 

pan, but no fuel tank damagewas 

observed.

Maximum exterior crush to the vehicle was

0.75 inches in the hood. No occupant 

compartment deformation orintrusionwas 

observed.

Theresults of test 690900-PLP18arefound 

in TTITestReport number 690900- 

PLP13-18. In this test, a sign stand with a 

corrugated plasticsign mounted 60 inches 3-71 (1100C) PASS from grade to the bottom of sign was 

impacted. The sign stand was aligned 0° 

to the test vehicle. The test vehicle was 

traveling at an impact speed of 61.5 mi/h 

when it contacted the sign stand at an 

impact angle of 0°.Thesign panel,post,and 

two of the legs came to rest 8 ft 

downstream and in line with the impact, 

and the remaining base assembly was 

trapped under the carandcame to rest380 

ft downstream and 7 ft to the left of the 

impact. No damage to the windshield or 

fuel tank wasobserved, however there was 

slight damage to the oil pan. Maximum 

exterior crush to the vehiclewas1.0inch in 

the front plane16inchesto the right of the 

centerline at bumper height and hood 

height.

MASH does not require instrumentation of 

the vehicle when impacting lightweight, 

freestanding work zone traffic control 

devicesweighing lessthan 220 lb, therefore 

the occupant risk factors were not 

calculated for this test. The Plasticade® 

SS620A Sign Stand weighed 60.8 lb 

(excluding thesand bags).

The device performed acceptably for MASH

test 3-71with an impact angle of 90°and 0°.
Version 10.0 (05/16)

Page 4 of 5

The results of test 690900-PLP16 are found

in TTI Test Report number 690900- 

PLP13-18. In this test, a sign stand with a 

corrugated plastic sign mounted 60 inches 

from grade to the bottom of sign was 

impacted. The test vehicle was traveling at 

an impact speed of 62.1 mi/h when it 

contacted the first sign stand at an impact 

3-72 (2270P)

angleof 90°.Thevehiclewastraveling at an 

impact speed of 60.1mi/h and impact angle 

of 0° when it contacted the second sign 

stand. The base of the first impacted sign 

stand came to rest 8 ft downstream and in 

line with the impact.Thesign panelcameto 

rest55ft downstream and 8 ft to theleft.

Thepost came to rest75ft downstream and 

25 ft to the left of the impact. For the 

second sign stand, two of the legslanded 5 

ft downstream,and the post came to rest30 

ft downstream.The base of thesecondsign 

stand came to rest 450 ft downstream, and 

the sign panel came to rest 15 ft 

downstream and 13 ft to the left of the PASS

centerline.Thewindshield wascracked over 

anareathat was21inches× 31inches and

1.5 inches deep, but there were no holesor 

tears in the windshield laminate. No fuel 

tank damage was observed. Maximum 

exterior crush to the vehicle was 2.0 inches 

in the front plane 13 inchesto the right and 

left of the centerline of the vehicle at 

bumper height. Maximum occupant 

compartment deformation was1.5inchesin 

the windshield.

MASH does not require instrumentation of

the vehicle when impacting lightweight, 

freestanding work zone traffic control 

devicesweighing lessthan 220 lb, therefore 

the occupant risk factors were not 

calculated for this test. The Plasticade® 

SS620A Sign Stand weighed 60.8 lb 

(excluding the sand bags). The device 

performed acceptably for MASH test 3-72 

with impact anglesof 0°and 90°.

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

Laboratory Name: Texas A&M Transportation Institute

LaboratorySignature: Digitally signed by Darrell L. Kuhn 

'Date: 2020.11.20 16:18:15 -06'00

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

Country: U.S.A Same as Submitter

Accreditation Certificate 

Number and Dates of current 

Accreditation period :

ISO 17025-2017 Laboratory

A2LA Certificate Number: 2821.01 

Valid To: April 30, 2021

Submitter Signature*:HenryA.RossDigitally signed by Henry A.Ross

Date:2020.12.0310:14:16 -06'00'

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