U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Federal Highway 

Administration 

July 20, 2020 

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

In Reply Refer To: 

HSST-1/B-340 

Mr. Ron Faulkenberry 

Gibraltar Global LLC 

1208 Houston Clinton Drive 

Burnet, Texas 78611 

USA 

Dear Mr. Faulkenberry: 

This letter is in response to your May 08, 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 B-340 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: 

• Gibraltar Global TL-3 Cable Barrier System, 4H:1V Slope

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: Gibraltar Global TL-3 Cable Barrier System, 4H:1V Slope 

Type of system: Longitudinal Barrier 

Test Level: MASH Test Level 3 (TL3) 

Testing conducted by: Applus IDIADA KARCO Engineering, LLC. 

Date of request: May 08, 2020 

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

attached form. 

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.

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. 
3 

Standard Provisions 

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

control number B-340 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 setrany 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 ofvalidity, 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, 

Michael S. Griffith 

Director, Office of Safety Technologies 

Office of Safety 

Enclosures 
Version 10.0F (03/16) 

Page 1 of 9 

Request for Federal Aid Reimbursement Eligibility 

of Highway Flexible Barriers 

Submitter 

Date of Request: July 15, 2020 New Resubmission

Name: Bruno Haesbaert 

Company: Applus IDIADA KARCOEngineering, LLC. 

Address: 9270 Holly Road, Adelanto, CA 92301 

Country: United States of America 

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 

System Type Submission Type Device Name / 

Variant 

Testing 

Criterion 

Test 

Level 

'B': Flexible Barriers 

Barrier Placement in V-Ditch 

S: Single Barrier;D: Double 

Barrier SBP: Slope Break Point 

S or D: 0 to 4ft. Offset SBP 

4H:1V 

Physical Testing 

Gibraltar Global TL-3 

Cable Barrier System 

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: Ron Faulkenberry Same asSubmitter 

Company Name: Gibraltar Global LLC Same asSubmitter 

Address: 1208 Houston Clinton Drive, Burnet, Texas 78611 Same asSubmitter 

Country: United States of America Same asSubmitter 

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

Reimbursement Eligibility Process for Safety Hardware Devices' document. 

Gibraltar Global, LLC. and Applus IDIADA Karco Engineering, LLC. share no ($0.00) financial interests between 

the two organizations. This includes no ($0.00) financial interest but not limited to: 

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

valuesare not needed); 

ii. Consulting relationships; 

iii. Research funding or other forms of research support; 

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

v. Licenses or contractual relationships; or

vi. Business ownership and investment interest 

 ! - ! - ! ! - ! - ! 
 

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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

New Hardwareor 

Significant Modification 

TheGibraltarGlobalTL-3CableBarrierSystem isa high tension 4-cable longitudinal barrier.Thebarrier consists 

of four (4)0.75in.(19 mm)steel cables,C-sectionsteel posts,steelsockets,aluminum hair pinsand steel lock 

plates. The C-section posts were placed on alternating sides of the cablesand aluminum hair pins held the 

cablesin place.The top two (2)cablesof thesystem werestitched together making the cablesalternate in the 

top hairpin location.Thehair pinsheld thecablesat 20.0in (508mm),30.0 in (762mm) and 39.0 in.(991mm) 

above grade.Thecable barriersystem wasterminated on both endswith Gibraltar end terminals.The total astested length was 613.7 ft. (187.1 m) long. As recommended in MASH the cable tension wasset to the 

recommended tension at 100 degreesFahrenheit.Thecableswere tensioned to 4200 lbs(18.7kN).The post 

spacingsused for this testserieswereasfollows: 

- Flat Terrain narrowest: 7.0 ft. (2.1 m) 

- Flat Terrain widest: 21.0 ft. (6.4 m) 

- 4h:1VDitch narrowest:7.0ft.(2.1m) 

- 4h:1VDitch widest:16.0ft.(4.9m). 

Test 4-10 and 4-11 were tested on flat terrain and were run asa part of the TL-4 submittal for letter B-316. Test 

3-10and 3-11were tested on flat terrain.Tests3-13,3-14,3-16,3-17,and 3-18were tested in a46 ft. wide 4H:1V 

V-ditch.Theroadsurfaceof the ditch wasa minimum of 6 in. deepcompacted AASHTOM147-65soil.Thepost 

socketswereembedded in 12 in. diameter by36 in. deepconcretefoundations with a minimum compressive 

strength of 2500 psi.Tests3-13,3-14,and 3-17 werepositioned on the front slope while 3-16and 3-18 were 

positioned on the backslope. 

Gibraltar also offers various post and socket optionssuch asconcrete socket foundations with steel or plastic 

sockets, driven steel sockets,and direct driven posts. Other options include swaged and wedge-type fittings 

which were installed andcrash tested. Pre-stretchedand non pre-stretched cableare permissible. 

Therewasone modification made during the testing of theGibraltarGlobalTL-34CableBarrierSystem during 

the MASHtest program.Tests3-11,3-17,and 3-18 usethe widest post spacing configuration.Test 3-11 used 

21.0ft.(6.4m)and 3-17 used 18.0ft.(5.5m) post spacing.ForTest 3-18, the post spacing for the line posts was 

reduced from 18.0 ft. (5.5 m) to 16.0 ft. (4.9 m). Complete details on the design modification is included in 

Attachment A to thissubmissionand in thecomplete test reports. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A brief description of each crash test and its result: 

Required Test 

Number 

Narrative 

Description 

Evaluation 

Results 

3-10 (1100C) 

Test 4-10 is the same as Test 3-10 and was 

run asa part of the TL-4submittal for letter 

B-316. Therefore, Test 3-10 was not re-run, 

but the same information wasused for this 

submittal. 

Applus IDIADA KARCOEngineering Project 

number P37379-01 was conducted with an 

1100C test vehicle impacting the system 

midspan between postsat a nominal 

velocity and angle of 62 mph and 25 

degrees, respectively. As recommend by 

MASH 2016 the narrowest allowable post 

spacing of 7.0 ft. (2.1 m) was used. 

The test vehicle, a 2011 KiaRio weighing 

2,427.2lbs(1,101.0kg) impacted thesystem 

at aspeed and angle of 62.38 mph (100.39 

km/h) and 25.1 degrees, respectively. The 

system redirected the vehicle and had a 

maximum working width of 7.6 ft.(2.3m). 

The test vehicle sustained moderate 

damage. There was no potential for the 

article to penetrate the vehicle and the 

occupant compartment deformation limits 

were not exceeded. The Occupant Impact 

Velocities (OIV) and ridedown accelerations 

are within the recommended limits. 

PASS 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Required Test 

Number 

Narrative 

Description 

Evaluation 

Results 

3-11 (2270P) 

As recommend by MASH 2016 the 

narrowest allowable post spacing of 7.0 ft. 

(2.1 m) and the widest allowable post 

spacing of 21.0 ft. (6.4 m) was tested with 

the 2270P test vehicle. 

Test 4-11 is the same asTest 3-11 and was 

run asa part of the TL-4submittal for letter 

B-316. Therefore, Test 3-11 was not re-run, 

but the same information wasused for this 

submittal. Both tests referenced here were 

part of theTL-4submittal for letterB-316. 

Applus IDIADA KARCOEngineering Project 

number P37358-01 was conducted with a 

2270Ptest vehicle impacting thesystem 1.0 

ft. (0.3 m) upstream of a post with the 

narrowest allowable post spacing of 7.0 ft. 

(2.1m)at a nominal velocityandangleof 62 

mph and 25 degrees,respectively. 

The test vehicle,a2013ChevroletSilverado 

weighing 5,011.0lbs(2,273.0kg) impacted 

the system at aspeed and angle of 60.93 

mph (98.06 km/h) and 25.3 degrees, 

respectively. The system redirected the 

vehicleand hadamaximum working width 

of 7.9 ft.(2.4m).The test vehiclesustained 

moderate damage.Therewasno potential 

for the article to penetrate the vehicle and 

the occupant compartment deformation 

limits were not exceeded. The Occupant 

Impact Velocities (OIV) and ridedown 

accelerationsare within the recommended 

limits. 

Applus IDIADA KARCOEngineering Project 

number P37359-01 was conducted with a 

2270Ptest vehicle impacting thesystem 1.0 

ft. (0.3 m) upstream of a post with the 

widest allowable post spacing of 21.0 ft (6.4 

m)at a nominal velocityand angleof 62 

mph and 25 degrees,respectively. 

The test vehicle,a2013ChevroletSilverado 

weighing 5,028.7lbs(2,281.0kg) impacted 

the system at aspeed and angle of 61.78 

mph (99.43 km/h) and 25.1 degrees, 

respectively. The system redirected the 

vehicleand hadamaximum working width 

of 13.8 ft.(4.2m).The test vehiclesustained 

moderate damage.Therewasno potential 

for the article to penetrate the vehicle and 

the occupant compartment deformation 

limits were not exceeded. The Occupant 

Impact Velocities (OIV) and ridedown 

accelerationsare within the recommended 

limits. 

PASS 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Applus IDIADA KARCOEngineering Project 

number P38018-01 was conducted with a 

2270Ptest vehicle impacting thesystemat 

a nominal velocityand angle of 62 mph and 

25 degrees, respectively. The system was 

installed 4 ft. from the frontSBPof a46 ft. 

wide 4H:1V V-ditch. As recommend by 

MASH 2016 the narrowest allowable post 

spacing of 7.0 ft.(2.1m) wasused. 

3-13 (2270P) 

The test vehicle,a2012ChevroletSilverado 

1500 with a test inertial weight of 5,026.5 

lbs (2,280.0 kg) impacted the system at a 

speedand angle of 63.31mph (101.89km/ 

h) and 25.7 degrees, respectively. The 

system redirected the vehicle and had a 

maximum working width of 12.5 ft. (3.8 m). 

The test vehicle sustained moderate 

damage. There was no potential for the 

article to penetrate the vehicle and the 

occupant compartment deformation limits 

were not exceeded. The Occupant Impact 

Velocities (OIV) and ridedown accelerations 

are within the recommended limits. 

PASS 

3-14 (1100C) 

Applus IDIADA KARCOEngineering Project 

numberP38112-01 wasconducted with an 

1100Ctest vehicle impacting thesystemat 

a nominal velocityand angle of 62 mph and 

25 degrees, respectively. The system was 

installed 4 ft. from the frontSBPof a46 ft. 

wide 4H:1V V-ditch. As recommend by 

MASH 2016 the narrowest allowable post 

spacing of 7.0 ft.(2.1m) wasused. 

The test vehicle, a 2012 KiaRio with a test 

inertial weight of 2,428.4 lbs (1,101.5 kg) 

impacted the system at aspeed and angle 

of 60.97 mph (98.12 km/h) and 25.3 

degrees, respectively. The system redirected 

the vehicle and had a maximum working 

width of 5.5 ft. (1.7 m). The test vehicle 

sustained moderate damage. There was no 

potential for the article to penetrate the 

vehicle and the occupant compartment 

deformation limits were not exceeded. The 

Occupant Impact Velocities (OIV) and 

ridedown accelerations are within the 

recommended limits. 

PASS 

3-15 (1100C) 

PerMASH2016 this test isnot applicablefor 

V-ditches greater than or equal to 26 ft, 

measured from the front SBPto the back 

SBP.This test isalso not necessary for 

double median systems placed within a 

median ditch, one on eachsideand 0 to 4 ft 

from aSBP. 

Non-Relevant Test, not conducted 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Applus IDIADA KARCOEngineering Project 

numberP39320-01 wasconducted with an 

1100Ctest vehicle impacting thesystemat 

a nominal velocityand angle of 62 mph and 

25 degrees, respectively. The system was 

installed 4 ft. from the back SBP of a 46 ft. 

wide 4H:1V V-ditch. As recommend by 

MASH 2016 the narrowest allowable post 

spacing of 7.0 ft.(2.1m) wasused. 

3-16 (2270P) 

The test vehicle, a 2009 KiaRio with a test 

inertial weight of 2,431.7 lbs (1,103.0 kg) 

entering the ditch at aspeed and angleof 

61.91mph (99.63km/h)and 25.0 degrees, 

respectively. The system redirected the 

vehicleand hada maximum working width 

of 3.0 ft (0.9 m). The test vehicle sustained 

damage to the front end. There was no 

potential for the article to penetrate the 

vehicle and the occupant compartment 

deformation limitswerenot exceeded.The 

Occupant Impact Velocities (OIV) and 

ridedown accelerations are within the 

recommended limits. 

PASS 

3-17 (1500A) 

Applus IDIADA KARCOEngineering Project 

number P38113-02 was conducted with a 

1500A test vehicle impacting thesystemat 

a nominal velocityand angle of 62 mph and 

25 degrees, respectively. The system was 

installed 2 ft. from the front SBP of a 46 ft. 

wide 4H:1VV-ditch.With thesystem offset 2 

ft. from theSBPthe vehicle had the highest 

propensity to penetrate the system. As 

recommend by MASH 2016 the widest 

allowable post spacing of 18.0 ft. (5.5 m) 

wasused. 

The test vehicle, a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu 

with a test inertial weight of 3,244.0 lbs 

(1,471.5kg) impacted thesystemat aspeed 

and angle of 64.73 mph (104.17km/h)and 

24.6 degrees, respectively. The system 

redirected the vehicleand had a maximum 

working width of 13.5 ft. (4.1 m). The test 

vehiclesustained moderate damage.There 

wasno potential for thearticle to penetrate 

the vehicleand the occupant compartment 

deformation limitswerenot exceeded.The 

Occupant Impact Velocities (OIV) and 

ridedown accelerations are within the 

recommended limits. 

PASS 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3-18 (2270P) 

Applus IDIADA KARCOEngineering Project 

numberP40079-01 wasconducted with an 

2270Ptest vehicle impacting thesystemat 

a nominal velocityand angle of 62 mph and 

25 degrees, respectively. The system was 

installed 8 ft. from the back SBP of a 46 ft. 

wide 4H:1V V-ditch. As recommend by 

MASH 2016 the widest allowable post 

spacing of 16.0 ft.(4.9m) wasused. 

The test vehicle,a2016ChevroletSilverado 

with a test inertial weight of 5,011.0 lbs 

(2,273.0 kg) entering the ditch at aspeed 

and angle of 62.92 mph (101.26km/h)and 

25.1 degrees, respectively. The system 

redirected the vehicle and had a maximum 

working width of 15.0 ft (4.6 m). The test 

vehicle sustained damage to the front end. 

There was no potential for the article to 

penetrate the vehicle and the occupant 

compartment deformation limits were not 

exceeded. The Occupant Impact Velocities 

(OIV) and ridedown accelerations are within 

the recommended limits. 

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.):

Laboratory Name: KARCOEngineering, INC 

Digitallysigned byBruno Haesbaert LaboratorySignature: Bruno Haesbaert Date: 2020.07.15 15:58:04 -07'00' 

Address: 9270 Holly Road, Adelanto, CA 92301 Same asSubmitter 

Country: United States of America Same asSubmitter 

Accreditation Certificate 

Number and Dates of current 

Accreditation period : 

TL-371: July 2019 - July 2022 

Haesbaert 

Digitally signed by Bruno 

SubmitterSignature*: Bruno Haesbaert Date: 2020.07.15 15:58:15 -07'00' 

ATTACHMENTS 
 

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Page 9 of 9 

Attach to this form: 

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