Federal Highway Administration |
400 Seventh St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590 |
March 16, 2007
Refer to: HSSD/WZ-230
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 Green Cross in-street delineators, made up of an FG 300 PE post with one or two signs attached and mounted on a 10 or 20 pound portable rubber base as a crashworthy traffic control device for use in work zones on the National Highway System (NHS). Accompanying your letter was a drawing of the product and a video of the informal crash testing conducted. You've requested we find the device 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."
The Green Cross in-street delineator is comprised of the following components. The lightest combination is as follows:
Component |
Composition/Brand |
Dimensions (inches) |
Weight |
Quantity |
12 x 12 inch Flex sign |
Roll-up sign substrate |
12 x 12 x 0.08 thick |
0.3 lbs |
1-2 each |
FG 342 PE post |
Low Density polyethylene |
3 x 2 x 42 tall x 0.15 thick |
1.7 lbs. |
1 each |
FG 300 round base |
Recycled Rubber |
12 in. round x 2 in. tall |
10 lbs. |
1 each |
The heaviest combination is as follows:
Component |
Composition/Brand |
Dimensions/Notes |
Weight |
Quantity |
12 x 36 inch R1-6 sign |
Roll-up sign substrate |
12 x 36 x 0.08 thick |
2.0 lbs. |
1 -2 each |
FG 342 PE post |
Low Density polyethylene |
3 x 2 x 42 tall x 0.15 thick |
1.7 lbs. |
1 each |
FG 300 20 lb. base |
Recycled Rubber |
12 in. round x 2 in. tall |
20 lbs. |
1 each |
The components listed above are assembled into a complete portable sign as shown in the enclosed drawing. As you describe, the FG 300 post is friction fitted into the rubber base. The small signs are attached to the post with two pop rivets per sign; the larger signs are attached with ¼ inch molly-jack nuts. Mountable signs allowed include either flexible roll-up sign material, 1/8 inch Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) or 1/8 inch Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) polyethylene.
In support of your request, you submitted informal crash test video for FHWA review. The crash tests were conducted on two configurations of your Green Cross in-street delineators, one with a flexible 12 x 36 inch roll up sign and one with a rigid 14 x 24 ABS plastic sign. Both signs were fitted into the 20 pound rubber base. When impacted, the posts with signs detached from the base and were carried forward in the direction of the vehicle path. The signs remained attached to the post.
The FHWA has routinely accepted hazard marker panels, up to and including an 18 inch by 18 inch panel, without testing. Based on our review of the crash video submitted, your portable delineator device with mounted ABS or UHMW signs has been successfully crash tested. Therefore, we will accept your company's request to use the Green Cross in-street delineators, made up of an FG 300 PE post with one or two signs attached and mounted on a 10 or 20 pound portable rubber base as a crashworthy traffic control device for use in work zones on the NHS under the range of conditions tested. The range of conditions tested includes an overall maximum of 432 square inches of total sign area (12 x 36 inches) using up to two ABS or UHMW signs mounted on one FG 342 PE post.
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