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

Refer to: HOTO-1

July 14, 1999

Mr. Ernest D. Archuleta
State Maintenance and Traffic Operations Engineer
P.O. Box 1149
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1149

Dear Mr. Archuleta:

We have reviewed your November 8 letter to FHWA’s New Mexico Division regarding your request for interpretation of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) on the use of the Idaho Shield and an Idaho Shield that incorporates a YIELD sign at passive highway-rail grade crossings. These devices do not comply with the MUTCD. If you desire to experiment with these devices, please submit a request for experimentation to us (see section 1A-6 of the MUTCD). We will need to approve that request prior to their use in New Mexico.

For future reference purposes, we have assigned the following official interpretation number and title to your request: IV- 167(I) -"Idaho Shield with Yield Sign." Please refer to this number in future correspondence.

If we can be of further assistance, please contact Ms. Louisa M. Ward on 202-366-4372.

Sincerely yours,

Donald P. Steinke
Director, Office of Transportation Operations