1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE. 

Washington, DC 20590 December 8, 2008 

In Reply Refer To: HSSD/B-185 

Mr. Rick Mauer 

Outside National Sales Representative 

Nucor Steel Marion Inc. 

P.O. Box 837 

Greenland, NH 03840 

Dear Mr. Mauer: 

This letter is in response to your request for Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

acceptance of a modification to a Nucor Steel Marion W-beam barrier for use on the National 

Highway System (NHS). 

 Name of system: Nu-Guard 27 Barrier System 

 Blocked Out W-beam 27 to 31 inch heights 

 Type of system: W-beam guardrail 

 Test Level: NCHRP Report 350 Test Level-3 (TL-3) 

 Testing conducted by: Holmes Solutions of New Zealand 

 Date of request: July 25, 2008 

 

You requested that we find this modified system acceptable for use on the NHS under the 

provisions of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 

“Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features.” 

Requirements 

Roadside safety systems should meet the guidelines contained in the NCHRP Report 350. 

The FHWA Memorandum “ACTION: Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features” of 

July 25, 1997, provides further guidance on crash testing requirements of longitudinal barriers. 

Description 

The TL-3 Nu-Guard barrier system consists of Nucor Strong Posts which are hot rolled high 

tensile steel fabricated into a U cross section of approximately 2” deep and 3-1/2” wide. The 

weight of each post is 5 pounds per foot. A slot, 3/4” wide is located 1” down from the top of 

the posts in the middle of the cross section. The slot has a total length of 7”. All posts are 

78” long and hot dip galvanized. When Nucor posts are used with 27” high non-proprietary 

W-beam guardrail systems, they are used with the original plastic blockouts, 14” x 3-5/8” 

which are used to space the guardrail 8” from the face of the U posts. The plastic blockouts are 

manufactured from a 50 percent blend of new and recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE). 

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This system was found acceptable in the following the FHWA acceptance letters: 

B-162 September 11, 2007 TL-3 U-channel post, w-beam rail 

27” w/blockout and 31” w/o blockout & median version 

B-162B June 27, 2008 TL-4 31” w/o blockout 

Your present request is for the TL-3 Nu-Guard 27 w-beam barrier system with blockouts to be 

accepted for use if installed between 27 inches and 31 inches above the nominal ground line. 

Crash Testing 

Full scale crash testing was conducted on the 27-inch high version with 8-inch deep blockouts 

and on the 31-inch high version without blockouts. Performance was verified with the pickup at 

the 27 inch height and with the small car at the 31 inch height. It is apparent that the taller 

31-inch rail, with or without blockout, would perform better with the pickup as the additional 

height would be advantageous with the taller light truck category. The only performance 

question would be with the small car and the blocked-out 31-inch tall barrier. Because blockouts 

have been used to enhance the performance of w-beam barriers by reducing vehicle contact with 

the posts and helping to keep the rail at a proper height to redirect impacting vehicles, we concur 

that blockouts may be used at rail heights between 27 inches and 31 inches on the NHS under the 

range of conditions tested, when such use is acceptable to a highway agency. 

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

• This acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the system and does not 

cover its structural features, nor conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control 

Devices. 

• Any changes that may adversely influence the crashworthiness of the system will require a 

new acceptance letter. 

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

performance reveals unacceptable safety 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 potential users with sufficient information on design and 

installation requirements to ensure proper performance. 

• You will be expected to certify to potential users that the hardware furnished has essentially 

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

and that it will meet the crashworthiness requirements of the FHWA and the NCHRP 

 Report 350. 

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

B-185 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 Nu-Guard barrier systems are patented products and considered proprietary. If 

proprietary systems are specified by a highway agency for use on Federal-aid projects, except 

exempt, non-NHS projects, (a) they must be supplied through competitive bidding with 

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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 FHWA to use, 

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

The acceptance letter is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the candidate 

system, and the FHWA is neither prepared nor required to become involved in issues 

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

Sincerely yours, 

 David A. Nicol 

 Director, Office of Safety Design 

 Office of Safety 

Enclosures 

FHWA:HSSD:NArtimovich:tb:x61331:12/4/08 

File: s://directory folder/nartimovich/B185NucorNuGuard27_31FIN.doc 

cc: HSSD (Reader, HSA; Chron File, HSSD; N.Artimovich, HSSD; 

 W.Longstreet, HSSD; M.McDonough, HSSD) 

Archived – 

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Research 

and 

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