1200 New Jersey Ave., SE

 Washington, D.C. 20590

August 19, 2011

In Reply Refer To:

HSST/CC-109A

Mr. Gerrit A. Dyke, P.E.

Barrier Systems, Inc.

3333 Vaca Valley Parkway, Suite 800

Vacaville, CA 95688

Dear Mr. Dyke:

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

acceptance of a roadside safety system for use on the National Highway System (NHS).

Name of system: X-TENuator Wide (X-TEN Wide)

Type of system: Variable width Redirective Non-Gating Crash Cushion

Test Level: NCHRP Report 350 TL-3

Testing conducted by: Safe Technologies Inc.

Date of request: December 27, 2010

Request Initially acknowledged: January 4, 2011

Task Force 13 designator: SCI23b

You requested that we find alternative widths to your narrow X-TEN crash cushion 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.” The original design described in FHWA Acceptance letter 

CC-109 was a parallel-sided attenuator 36-inches (926-millimeters) wide.

Requirements

Roadside safety devices should meet the guidelines contained in the NCHRP Report 350 if tested 

prior to December 31, 2010 or the American Association of State Highway and Transportation 

Officials’ Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) if tested after that date. The FHWA 

Memorandum “Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features” of July 25, 1997 provides 

further guidance on crash testing requirements of longitudinal barriers.

Decision

The following system design was found acceptable, with details provided below:

• X-TENuator Wide variable width Redirective Non-Gating Crash Cushion
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Description

The X-TEN system is a redirective, non-gating crash cushion designed to decelerate an errant 

vehicle to a safe stop when struck end-on or redirect an errant vehicle away from roadside or 

median hazards when impacted along either side. The system is comprised of an energy 

absorbing nose bracket and cover, dual X-Tension impact heads and cables, front cable anchors, 

W-Beam side panels, specially designed posts and post braces and a separate rigid backstop. 

Standard W-Beam offset blocks are used to attach the side panels to the posts. Enclosure 1 

shows both an alternate new narrow design and the new wide design.

The X-TEN Wide design differs from the original design in three significant ways:

1. The Energy Absorbing Nose was replaced with a steel actuator (Enclosure 2) that serves 

to reduce the flare of the panels as they move rearward by spreading the impact heads 

apart during impact.

2. In lieu of the single support posts used in the narrow X-TEN, the wide design uses a 

double row of modified posts that can be adjusted outward, and bracing was added to 

provide the appropriate support for side impacts (Enclosures 3 and 4).

3. A collapsible pipe section was added to the backstops to account for the increased impact 

forces on the flared system during side impacts near the back of the system (Enclosure 5).

Crash Testing

The X-TEN Wide crash cushion was successfully tested at its maximum width of 60 inches 

(1500 millimeters) under NCHRP Report 350 test designations 3-31, 3-32, 3-37, and 3-38 by 

Safe Technologies Inc. Test 3-31 was also conducted on the 36-inch (915-millimeter) narrow 

design using double posts. In tests 3-31(narrow design), 3-32, and 3-38, the X-TEN system was 

attached to a 75-millimeter (3-inch) thick Asphalt Concrete (AC) pad over 300 millimeters (12 

inches) of a dense graded aggregate with sixty-eight (68) 20-millimeter (3/4-inch) long all thread 

studs embedded 400 millimeters(16 inches) and epoxied in place. In tests 3-31 (wide design) 

and test 3-37, the X-TEN Wide design was attached to a 250-millimeter (10-inch) thick Portland 

Cement Concrete (PCC) pad with fifty-two (52) 20-millimeter (3/4-inch) long all thread studs 

embedded 150 millimeters (6 inches) and epoxied in place. This crash cushion can also be used 

on a 200-millimeter (8-inch) thick unreinforced or a 150-millimeter (6-inch) thick reinforced 

PCC pad. You will be expected to provide users with concrete specifications and anchor designs 

for these applications.

Enclosures 6 through 10 summarize the results of the tests that were run. 

Findings

The tests you ran conformed to the matrix agreed to beforehand by members of my staff, with 

slight modifications in scope based on your decision to limit development to a 60-inch (1500 

millimeter) wide unit. Each test met the appropriate Report 350 evaluation criteria. In your 

letter, you have requested FHWA acceptance of the following: 

• The X-TEN Wide system as an NCHRP Report 350 TL-3 design with a backstop width 

ranging from 36 inches (915 millimeters) to 60 inches (1500 millimeters) when secured 

to an Asphalt Concrete (AC) or Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) base as described 

above.
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• Acknowledgment that the X-TEN Wide system has redirective capacity beginning at the 

impact head behind the nose cover,

• Acknowledgment that the X-TEN Wide system can be attached to other roadside barriers 

by using standard transitions that have been accepted for attaching “W” profile guardrails 

to rigid barrier systems.

Based on our review of the submitted information, including test reports, the X-TEN Wide 

system described above and detailed in the enclosed drawings is acceptable for use 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 FHWA letters of acceptance:

• This letter includes a Task Force 13 designator to be used when drafting new of revised 

Task Force 13 drawings.

• This acceptance is limited to the crashworthiness characteristics of the systems 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 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

 CC-109A 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 X-TEN Wide system is a patented product 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 

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.
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• 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,

Michael S. Griffith

Director, Office of Safety Technologies 

Office of Safety