Safety Eligibility Letter CC-35E

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

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

March 31, 2016

In Reply Refer To:
HSST/CC57E

Mr. Bret Eckert P.E.
Engineering Applications Manager
Trinity Highway Products
3617 Cincinnati Avenue
Rocklin, CA 95677

Dear Mr. Eckert:

This letter is in response to your December 16, 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 CC-57E 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:

• QuadGuard® Elite System Modification

Scope of this Letter

To be found eligible for Federal-aid funding, roadside safety devices should meet the applicable crash test and evaluation criteria in place at the time the device, hardware or system is initially presented to FHWA for an eligibility determination. The applicable crash test and evaluation criteria is contained in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 (Report 350).

The FHWA, the Department of Transportation, and the United States Government do not regulate the manufacture of roadside safety devices. The determination of eligibility for Federal-aid reimbursement contained in this letter is based solely on a review of crash test results and certifications submitted by the manufacturer, and the crash test laboratory.

This eligibility letter does not establish approval, certification or endorsement of the device for any particular purpose or use. 

Proper manufacturing, installation, and maintenance are required for this device to function as tested. Even so, there are multiple factors involved in a vehicle crash such as vehicle speed or the aspect of the vehicle to the device at the time of impact that can influence the outcome of a vehicle crash with any roadside hardware. This letter is not a determination by the FHWA, the Department of Transportation, or the United States Government that a vehicle crash involving this device will result in any particular outcome, nor is it a guarantee of the in-service performance of this device.

This finding of eligibility is limited to the device's compliance, at the time of testing, with the applicable crash test and evaluation criteria. It 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 device, hardware or system described in FHWA eligibility letter with control number [insert control number]. This letter identifies a modification to that roadside safety device, hardware or system.

The original roadside safety device information is provided here:

The pending modification(s) consists of the following changes:

1. Removed belt nose pullout bracket slots.
2. Lengthened threaded stud on the nose cylinder to diaphragm mounting hardware.
3. Updated stamping of logo on nose cylinder and increased nose cylinder attachment hole clearance.
4. Revised size of restoration limiting chain bracket attachment holes in QuadBeam panels from 22millimeter diameter to 22millimeter × 28millimeter slots.

Based on the crash test results and/or certifications submitted by the manufacturer and the crash test laboratory, FHWA finds that the device described herein meets the crash test and evaluation criteria of National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350. Therefore, the device with the above listed modifications is eligible for reimbursement under the Federal-aid highway program.

It is the responsibility of the user of the hardware, the manufacturer of the hardware, and the contractor installing this device to ensure that this device is appropriate for the location, and installed and maintained properly.

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 roadside safety hardware that has an existing eligibility letter from FHWA, the manufacturer must notify FHWA of such modification. Information that describes the significance of a modification is located in FHWA's policy memo Roadside Safety Hardware-Federal-aid Reimbursement Eligibility Process dated May 21, 2012. The notice of any modification(s) to a device must be accompanied by:

1. Significant modifications – For these modifications, crash test results must be submitted with accompanying documentation and videos
2. 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, and
3. a request for FHWA's review for continued eligibility for reimbursement.

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 Report 350.

We reserve the right to modify or revoke this letter should the FHWA determine that the qualification testing was flawed, that in-service performance of this device reveals safety problems, or that the system is different from what is described in this letter and its accompanying documentation.

Standard Provisions

• This letter provides an AASHTO/ARTBA/AGC Task Force 13 designator that should be used for the purpose of the creation of a new and/or the update of an existing Task Force 13 drawing for posting on the on-line ‘Guide to Standardized Highway Barrier Hardware’ currently referenced in AASHTO Roadside Design Guide.
• To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of eligibility designated as FHWA control number CC-57E shall only be reproduced 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. Regulations concerning proprietary products are contained in Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 635.411.

Enclosures