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U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

400 Seventh St., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590

March 21, 2007

Refer to: HSSD/WZ-228

Mr. Peter Speer
Davidson Traffic Control Products
Filtrona Extrusion, Inc.
3110 70th Avenue East
Tacoma, WA 98424

Dear Mr. Speer :

Thank you for your letter requesting the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) acceptance of your company's Steel-Kade Type I and Type II barricades with angle iron legs and plastic panels as a crashworthy traffic control device for use in work zones on the National Highway System (NHS). You've requested we find the device acceptable for use on the NHS under the provisions of National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 "Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features."

The Steel-Kade is a modular barricade comprised of the following components:

Component

Composition/Brand

Dimensions/Notes

Weight

Quantity

Barricade legs

Hot-rolled angle iron

1 ¼ x 1 ¼ x 45 inches

2.3 - 3 lbs.

4 per each

12 x 24 inch Panels

High Density PE

5/8 x 12 x 24 inches

1.74 lbs.

0 - 2 each

8 x 24 inch Panels

High Density PE

5/8 x 8 x 24 inches

1.18 lbs.

0 - 4 each

6 x 24 inch Panels

High Density PE

5/8 x 6 x 24 inches

0.89 lbs.

0 - 2 each

4 x 24 inch Panels

High Density PE

5/8 x 4 x 24 inches

0.63 lbs.

0 - 2 each

Hardware Kit

Steel

5/16 x 1 inch Bolts, Nuts

2.1 lbs.

1 per each

Barricade Light

Empco-lite

Model 100 or 2000

3.3 lbs.

Optional

The components listed above are assembled into a complete barricade as described in the enclosed drawing. The legs may consist of 12 or 14 gauge, powder coated or galvanized, hot roll formed, high carbon angle iron or galvanized steel. The barricade configurations consist of either an 8 or 12 inch top panel, and an 8 inch bottom panel, with an optional 4 or 6 inch panel at the bottom to provide for identification of the user agency.

In support of your request you reference our November 1998 acceptance letter, WZ-6, and our October 2003 acceptance letter, WZ-165, issued for similar parade style barricades. Type I and Type II Generic barricades, to which your barricades conform, are detailed in our memorandum dated November 15, 2001 (WZ-85). Your Steel-Kade barricade is essentially identical in form and function to the barricades identified in acceptance letters WZ-6, WZ-85, and WZ -65. Since the barricades described above and in the enclosed drawing have either been successfully crash tested or conform to the FHWA's generic barricade specifications, they will be acceptable for use on the NHS under the range of conditions that the generic barricades were tested, when proposed by a State. A lightweight warning light may be attached to the top of Steel-Kade barricades provided it is securely attached with the tamperproof hardware supplied
by the light manufacturer.

Please note the following standard provisions that apply to the FHWA letters of acceptance:

Sincerely yours,

/original signed by /

John R. Baxter, P.E.
Director, Office of Safety Design
Office of Safety

Enclosures


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