A Review of Breakaway Supports for Small Signs and Mailbox Installations
REPORT NUMBER
TRP-03-068-98
AUTHORS
Jon Vogel, Ronald Faller, John Reid, Dean Sicking
PUBLICATION DATE
1997-11-17
ABSTRACT
For many years, the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) installed two types of crashworthy mailbox support systems alongside their state highways, consisting of the Eze-Erect sign support system manufactured by Franklin Steel Company and the V-LOC socket support system manufactured by Foresight Products Inc. In 1994, the Franklin Steel Company went out of business, the patent period of the Eze-Erect system expired, and the Eze-Erect system became unavailable.
The objective of this research project was to either identify new sources of low-cost, small sign and mailbox supports or, if necessary, develop a new support system as a replacement to the Eze-Erect system to meet the safety standards provided in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report No. 350, Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Standard Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires, and Traffic Signals.
An extensive literature review was performed on existing small sign and mailbox supports available from several manufacturers located in the United States including those that have been crash tested. Additionally, a summary was provided on each of the Pooled Fund member states' standards for addressing mailbox supports.
The research results revealed that several crashworthy, small sign and/or mailbox supports are available from manufacturers and suppliers, consisting of round pipe, square tubing, U-channel geometries as well as several wood post options. Therefore, it was not necessary to develop, test, and evaluate a new support system.
KEYWORDS
Highway Safety, Mailbox supports, Small Sign Supports, Breakaway Supports, Roadside Appurtenances, Crash Tests, Compliance Tests