Federal Highway Administration
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590

Refer to: HOTO-1

Ms. Patricia A.Wolfe
President
O.T.W. Technologies
54 Main Street
South Meridan, CT 06451

Dear Ms. Wolfe:

Thank you for your May 21 letter requesting a ruling to determine if your product is in conformance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). We apologize for the delay in responding to your request. All first class mail sent through the United States Postal Service to Federal agencies in the District of Columbia must be processed in a special way to protect government employees from the possibility of handling anthrax-tainted mail.

Based on the information you provided, the Flagmaster stop/slow sign and staff are in conformance with the MUTCD. Although, the flagmaster audible warning device is not included in the MUTCD, we see no reason why it could not be used if it is approved by any State or local jurisdiction.

For your information, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) does not endorse or approve products or devices for use on streets and highways. The decision to purchase and select construction or maintenance equipment is up to the individual State/local Departments of Transportation. The FHWA is responsible for establishing national standards for design and application of all traffic control devices (signs, traffic signals and pavement markings) on any street, highway, or bicycle trail open to the public. The MUTCD is approved as the national standard for all traffic control devices installed on any street, highway, or bicycle trail open to public travel by reference in 23 CFR 655.603(a) copy enclosed.

For future reference purposes, this request has been number and titled: 6-189(I) "Flagmaster." Please refer to this number in future correspondence.

We appreciate the opportunity to provide this information to you and hope it is helpful. If you have any question, please contact Mr. Charlie Sears at 202-366-1555.

Sincerely yours,

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