U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20590
February 2, 2010
In Reply Refer To: HSSD/SS-162
Mr. Rick Balboa
17211 Lake Ray Hubbard Drive
Forney, TX 75126-5050
Dear Mr. Balboa:
Thank you for your letter of December 16, 2009, requesting the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) acceptance of your company’s Balboa 100 Traffic Warning Device as a crashworthy system for use on the National Highway System (NHS). Accompanying your letter were drawings and photographs of the system and system specifications. You requested that we find the system 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.”
Enclosed for reference is a drawing showing the device.
Weights of the significant components are:
Lights: 1.5 lbs
Sign: This system is intended to be used with any approved sign.
Controller including all electronics, battery pack, and one light: 5.5 lbs
Solar Panel: 4.5 lbs
Dimensions:
Lights: 6 inches x 2.25 inches x 1.5 inches
Sign: Any approved sign
Controller: 3.5 inches x 17.25 inches (11 inches of the controller fits inside the pole.)
Solar panel: 12 inches x 12 inches
This system is to be used with the Texas Universal Triangular 3-bolt slipbase sign support system.
Three FHWA Acceptance Letters, SS-90, dated August 18, 2000, SS-143, dated November 29, 2006, and SS-155, dated October 2, 2007, refer to systems similar to the Balboa system in that they include signs, lights, and other hardware on breakaway poles. The Balboa system detailed above is similar in weight to the systems accepted in the referenced letters. As the mass of the additional hardware serves to increase the center of gravity of the system, it will allow the pole to rotate over the vehicle at a higher elevation but have little effect on the performance of a crashworthy breakaway base. This acceptance will be limited to the Balboa system mounted on generic breakaway slip bases or a comparable breakaway base using crashworthy frangible couplings.
Please note the following standard provisions that apply to FHWA letters of acceptance:
Sincerely yours, /* Signature of David A. Nicol, P.E. */ David A. Nicol |