Safety Eligibility Letter B-216

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

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

August 18, 2017

In Reply Refer To:
HSST-1/B-216A

Gary D. Miracle
Cumberland Barrier, Inc.
7685 Old Woods Court
Springboro Ohio 45066

Dear Mr. Miracle:

This letter is in response to your March 30, 2016 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-216A 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:

• Emergency Median Access Barrier System

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' 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.

Eligibility for Reimbursement

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

Name of system:	Cumberland Emergency Median Access Barrier
Type of system:	Moveable Steel Median Barrier Unit
Test Level:	MASH Test Level 4 (TL4)
Date of original request:	December 21, 2010
Original FHWA eligibility letter:	March 10, 2011
FHWA Control number:	B-216

The modification(s) consists of the following changes:

1. Replace cover plate retention pin with revised cover plate retainer, "dead bolt. "
2. Replace rigid cover plate guides with hinged cover plate guides.
3. Eliminate external control box by relocating external control box contents to bottom horizontal gate member.
4. Eliminate the 6"x 6"x 0.25" guide tubes, W6x15 posts extending below the gate, and associated pulleys.
5. Eliminate the 7"x 7"x 0.25" guide tube housings, 7"x7"x 0.25" lift post housings, W5x19 stiffeners, and the lower sections of the W12x40 end posts.
6. Relocate the counterweight housing.
7. Revise the vault bottom by adding a platform of W8x10 beams to aid in transporting and installation.
8. Modify the original sprocket covers mounted on top of the concrete median barrier, to accommodate the "two part line" sprocket arrangement in Item 9) and the relocated counter weight housing in item 6).
9. Shorten the counterweight travel distance by replacing the "one on one" sprocket arrangement with a "two part line" arrangement between the gate and counterweight.

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

This eligibility letter is issued for the subject device as tested. Modifications made to the device are not covered by this letter and will need to be tested in accordance with all recommended tests in AASHTO's MASH as part of a new and separate submittal.

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.

Standard Provisions

• To prevent misunderstanding by others, this letter of eligibility designated as FHWA control numbers B-216A 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.

Sincerely yours, Robert Ritter Acting Director, Office of Safety Technologies Office of Safety

Enclosures