Development and Evaluation of a MASH TL-3 Modified Single Wood-Post Skid-Mounted Sign Support System

Abstract

Previous crash testing determined that the conventional Texas Department of Transportation, U.S., single wood-post, skid-mounted temporary sign support system did not satisfy guidelines included in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). Modifications were made to the system to improve impact performance and meet MASH requirements. The modifications included increasing the mounting height of the sign, installing weakening holes in the wood support post at a prescribed height, and adding a wire rope loop around the weakening holes to act as a hinge mechanism when sections of the wood sign support fracture during vehicle impact. Crash tests were performed on the modified system in accordance with the MASH Test Level 3 (TL-3) matrix for work-zone traffic control devices. The modified single wood-post, skid-mounted temporary sign support system with a 90 in. sign mounting height, weakening holes, and tether cable met the performance criteria for MASH TL-3 work-zone traffic control devices.