U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
400 Seventh St., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590

April 7, 2005
Refer to: HOTO-1

Mr. Bruce W. Smith
Director
Traffic Engineering & Highway Safety Division
New York State Department of Transportation 1
220 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12232

Dear Mr. Smith

Thank you for your March 8 letter requesting approval to experiment with fishhook-shaped arrows on lane-use control signs and pavement markings for roundabout approaches at six locations in New York State. We have reviewed your request and concur with it.

Your experimentation request is approved for a period not to exceed 4 years. For future reference purposes, we have assigned the following two official experimentation numbers and titles to your request: "2-562(Ex)--Fishhook Arrows on Roundabout Lane-Use Control Signs-NYSDOT" and "3-177(Ex)-Fishhook Arrow Pavement Markings for Roundabouts-NYSDOT." Please refer to both of these numbers in future correspondence. Although separate experimentation numbers have been assigned for the signs and markings elements of your experimentation, the use of fishhook arrows at roundabouts is considered a unified system and we ask that you submit consolidated reports that evaluate the signs and markings deployed as a system and evaluated versus standard lane-use control signs and markings.

Thank you for your interest in improving traffic safety through the use of innovative traffic control devices. We look forward to receiving your semiannual progress reports and final report. If we can be of further assistance on this matter, please contact Mr. Scott Wainwright on 202-366-0857 or via email at scott.wainwright@fhwa.dot.gov or Mr. Fred Ranck on 708-283-3545 or via email at fred.ranck@fhwa.dot.gov.

Sincerely yours,

Regina S. McElroy
Director, Office of Transportation Operations
cc: Mr. Roger Wentz, ATSSA