1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20590

November 18, 2011

In Reply Refer To:
HSST/B-226

Hemal Shah, PE
Conti Enterprises, Inc
2045, Lincoln Highway
Edison, NJ 08817

Dear Mr. Shah:

This letter is in response to your request for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to review a roadside safety system for eligibility for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program.

You certify that the device described herein meets the crashworthiness criteria of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Association"s (AASHTO) Manual on Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). Based on your testing, you asked that we find the device(s) eligible for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program.  Eligibility for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program does not establish approval or endorsement by the FHWA for any particular purpose or use.

Decision:
The following device is eligible, with details provided below:

• Conti Half Shape Concrete Bridge Rail

Requirements
Roadside safety devices should meet the guidelines contained in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). The FHWA Memorandum "Identifying Acceptable Highway Safety Features" of July 25, 1997 provides further guidance on crash testing requirements of longitudinal barriers.

This Conti designed half section concrete barrier is a pre-cast steel reinforced concrete barrier with following critical dimensions

• Width at Base = 15"
• Width at top = 6"
• Length of each Section = 19'-8"
• 5” X 5” Anchor Bolt Pockets at Base = 7-Ea within each section
• Reinforcement: Structural steel rebar and Light weight wide flange section beams
• Approximate Weight: 6,350-lbs per section
• Approximate Volume: 41-cuft

Please refer to the enclosed drawing, "Exhibit-A" for the detailed fabrication shop drawing. This shop drawing provides all necessary details to fabricate and to inspect and verify the barrier being used during application.  Concrete within the pre-cast barrier is 4000-psi design strength (28-days).

During the preparation of the crash test it was determined that the HS-l barrier system needed to be tested according to the MASH guidance at TL-3. The TL-3 test level is designed to document the safety system's capability to safely contain and redirect vehicles traveling at high speeds. The MASH 3-11 test uses a pickup truck designated as vehicle 2270P (2270 kg). The vehicle impacts the determined critical impact point of the length of need barrier at a designated impact speed of 100 km/h at a nominal angle of 25 degrees.

The length of need (LON) of the constructed barrier system at the crash testing facility was 98 ft, consisting of 5 consecutive HS-l barrier sections pinned together and each section was bolted onto a simulated 9-inch concrete bridge deck constructed at the test facility. The critical impact point (CIP) on the constructed barrier system was determined to be 4.3 ft downstream of the joint between the third (middle) and fourth barrier sections. The approach angle of the vehicle was set at 25 degrees. The test vehicle was a 2002 Dodge RAM 1500 Quad Cab 2WD, meeting the MASH criteria for the 2270P vehicle.

The test vehicle impacted the barrier system at a speed of 98.2 km/h (61 mi/h) and a 24.08-degree angle 5.1 ft from the joint of the third and fourth barrier. The test vehicle was safely redirected by the barrier system with an exit angle of 4.8 degrees well within the designated exit box. The test vehicle suffered minor damage throughout the impact. No measurable deformation of the passenger compartment was detected. No penetration of any kind or obstruction of view of the driver was detected. The test article had suffered minor damage and very small deformation. The impacted barrier segment developed a crack in the lower left comer of the barrier at the joint between the impacted (third) and adjacent upstream (fourth) barrier. Maximum permanent and dynamic penetrations occurred at the same location and were measured at 0.012 m (0.47 in).

Findings
Therefore, the system described and detailed in the attached form is eligible for reimbursement and should be installed 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 eligibility letters:

• This finding of eligibility 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 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 this letter.
• 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 review, and that it will meet the crashworthiness requirements of the FHWA and the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware.
• To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of eligibility is designated as number B-226 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.
• 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.  The finding of eligibility 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.
• The Conti HS barrier is not yet patented, but you consider the design as proprietary intellectual property.  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.