1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590

June 12, 2008 

In Reply Refer To: HSSD/WZ-244 

Mr. Chuck Mettler 

Engineering Manager 

Plastic Safety Systems, Inc. 

2444 Baldwin Road 

Cleveland, OH 44104 

Dear Mr. Mettler: 

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

acceptance of modifications to your company’s various Type III barricade devices in one letter. 

These devices and their modifications had been found acceptable for use on the National 

Highway System (NHS) under the provisions of National Cooperative Highway Research 

Program (NCHRP) Report 350 “Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance 

Evaluation of Highway Features.” 

Plastic Safety Systems Type III (PSS Type III) barricades were found acceptable in the following 

FHWA acceptance letters: 

Letter Date Issued Description 

WZ-61 December 13, 2000 8 foot wide PSS Type III Plastic Barricade. 

WZ-85 November 15, 2001 Generic Type III Barricade, HDPE rails. 

WZ-102 April 12, 2002 8 foot wide PSS Type III Plastic Barricade with lightweight 

warning light and modified rail spacing. 

WZ-152 April 10, 2003 Type III barricade with “ANCHOR” base system. 

WZ-166 November 12, 2003 - 12 foot wide PSS Type III Plastic Barricade, 5 feet high. 

- 6 foot wide PSST Type III Plastic Barricade, 7 feet high. 

- 8 foot wide PSST Type III, Telespar frame, 5 feet high. 

WZ-166 Amendment #1 

May 17, 2005 

8 foot wide PSS Type III Plastic Barricade, 7 feet high. 

WZ-173 April 19, 2004 The Wave HDPE molded plastic rails, 8 feet wide. 

WZ-196 February 25, 2005 Up to 25 square feet of lightweight signs. 

WZ-233 April 13, 2006 Type III Barricades with lightweight warning lights. 
2

Specific modifications include: 

• WZ-152: Two anchor feet internally ballasted with up to 45 pounds per side. The anchor 

feet may now be modified with an extension allowing the anchor feet to be 60 inches long 

and ballasted with up to 60 pounds per side. 

• WZ-61, WZ-152, and WZ-166: Two uprights either 3.38 inches by 3.38 inches square 

extruded HDPE, 1.75 inches by 1.75 inches square tube in 5 foot and 7 foot lengths, or 

"Mast" blow-molded uprights in 5 foot lengths. 

• WZ-85 and WZ-173: Three plastic barricade boards 12 feet or smaller either extruded or 

blow molded “Wave” HDPE. 

• WZ-166: The uprights on the 12 foot and 10 foot barricades may be mounted within 24 

inches from the ends of the boards. 

• WZ-166 amendment #1: Include barricade widths 8 feet and shorter on 7 feet tall uprights. 

• WZ-85 and WZ-196: Added lightweight signs attached and up to 25 square feet. 

• WZ-85 and WZ-233: Added lightweight warning lights attached to the backside of the 

uprights. 

 

Findings 

This letter consolidates the findings of earlier FHWA acceptance letters affecting PSS Type III 

barricades. The Type III barricades and modifications in the FHWA acceptance letters listed 

above are acceptable for use on the NHS under the range of conditions tested with or without one 

or two lightweight warning lights, when proposed by a State. 

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

This acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the device and does not cover 

their structural features, nor conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. 

• Any changes that may adversely influence the crashworthiness of the device 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 device/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. 
3

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

WZ-244 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 Plastic Safety Systems, Inc. devices are patented products and considered proprietary. If 

proprietary devices/systems are specified by a highway agency for use on Federal-aid 

projects, except exempt, non-NHS projects, they: (a) 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 FHWA to use, 

manufacture, or sell any patented device/system for which the applicant is not the patent 

holder. The acceptance letter is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the 

candidate device/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, P.E. 

Director, Office of Safety Design 

Office of Safety 

FHWA:HSSD:MLupes:tb:x66994:5/29/08 

File: s://directory folder/mlupes/WZ244.doc 

cc: HSSD (Reader, HSA; Chron File, HSSD; M.Lupes, HSSD; 

 M.McDonough, HSSD)