Safety Eligibility Letter B-266

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

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

September 29, 2016

Reply Refer To: HSST-1/B-266

Ms. Karla Lechtenberg
Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
130 Whittier Research Center
2200 Vine Street
Lincoln, NE 68583-0853

Dear Ms. Lechtenberg:

This letter is in response to your December 31, 2015 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-266 and is valid until a subsequent letter is issued by FHWA that expressly references this device.

Decision

The following devices are eligible, with details provided in the form which is attached as an integral part of this letter:

• Modified U.S. Standard and Arizona G4(2W) W-beam Guardrail Systems with 8⅝-in. and 8½-in. Nominal Diameter Ponderosa Pine Posts, respectively

Scope of this Letter

To be found eligible for Federal-aid funding, modified roadside safety devices should meet the crash test and evaluation criteria contained in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350. 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.

Eligibility for Reimbursement

FHWA previously issued an eligibility letter for the roadside safety system described in your pending request. Your pending request now identifies a modification to that roadside safety system.

The original roadside safety device information is provided here:

The pending modification(s) U.S. Standard G4(2W) W-beam guardrail system consists of the following changes:

1. 8⅝-in. nominal diameter Ponderosa Pine (PP) wood posts (SGR04d)
2. PP wood posts 65 in. long (PDE22) and set at 75-in. centers
3. posts are embedded 36 inches in the ground.
4. 6-in. × 8-in. × 14¼-in. routed wood blockout (PDB24)

The pending modification(s) Arizona G4(2W) W-beam guardrail system consists of the following changes:

1. 8½-in. nominal diameter Ponderosa Pine (PP) wood posts (SGR04e)
2. PP wood posts that are 64 in. long (PDE21) and set at 75-in.
3. posts are embedded 35 inches in the ground.
4. 6-in. × 8-in. × 14¼-in. routed wood blockout (PDB24)

FHWA concurs with the recommendation of the accredited crash testing laboratory as stated within 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

If a manufacturer makes any modification to any of their roadside safety hardware that has an existing eligibility letter from FHWA, the manufacturer must notify FHWA of such modification with a request for continued eligibility for reimbursement. The notice of all modifications to a device must be accompanied by:

• Significant modifications – For these modifications, crash test results must be submitted with accompanying documentation and videos.
• Non-signification modifications – For these modifications, a statement from the crash test laboratory on the potential effect of the modification on the ability of the device to meet the relevant crash test criteria.

FHWA's determination of continued eligibility for the modified hardware will be based on whether the modified hardware will continue to meet the relevant crash test criteria.

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 the NCHRP Report 350.

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.

Standard Provisions

• To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of eligibility designated as FHWA control number B-266 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 sell any patented system for which the applicant is not the patent holder.
• If the subject device is a patented product it may be considered to be proprietary. If proprietary systems are specified by a highway agency for use on Federal-aid 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.

Enclosures