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

Refer to: HOTO-1
September 13, 2000

Mr. Mike Curtit
Technical Support Engineer
Missouri Department of Transportation
105 West Capital Avenue
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Dear Mr. Curtit:

Thank you for your letter of August 2 to Division Administrator Allen Masuda, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Jefferson City, Missouri. Your request was forwarded to the Office of Transportation Operations (HOTO-1), FHWA, Washington, DC, for a reply. You requested approval to experiment with Pedestrian Countdown Timers for Crosswalk Signals.

As you are aware, Requests for Experimentation must be in accordance with Section 1A-6 of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). We have reviewed your document "Request to Conduct an Experiment, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Pedestrian Countdown Timers for Crosswalk Signals" transmitted on August 2 in support of your Request to Experimentation. We will approve your request subject to the following comments. Requested information may be provided by fax to Harold Lunenfeld at 202-366-8712:

1. The diagram shown as Model PCS 444 does not conform to the current MUTCD Figure 4D-3 or The Standard Highway Signs book. Please explain this discrepancy.
2. The Evaluation Plan of the experimental device is approved.
3. Note that the Evaluation Procedure should provide for close monitoring of the experimentation, especially in the early stages of the field implementation. The timeframe for submittal over a 15-month period is approved.
4. The location of the experimental installation at US Route 50 and Sunset Plaza in South St. Louis County is acceptable.
5. Your agreement to provide semiannual progress reports for the duration of the experimentation, and to provide a copy of the final results to the FHWA Office of Transportation Operations (HOTO-1) within nine months is acceptable.
6. We request that you indicate when you plan to install the device and when you plan to complete the project. We will begin the experimental schedule on the dates you specify.

For reference purposes, we have assigned your request the following official experimentation number and title: "IV-168 (E) - Pedestrian Countdown Timers for Crosswalk Signals." Please refer to this number in future correspondence.

If you have any questions while preparing your revised request to experiment, please call Mr. Harold Lunenfeld at 202-366-6598.

Sincerely yours,

Shelley J. Row, P.E.
Director, Office of Transportation Operations