MINNESOTA SWING-AWAY MAILBOX SUPPORT

A swing-away mailbox support was designed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) for use in locales where snow and ice removal during the winter presents a problem. The Minnesota swing-away mailbox support design uses a cantilevered arm for attachment of the mailbox assembly. The cantilever arm design is intended to allow for more efficient snow plowing operation without damaging the mailbox support, which presents a maintenance problem. The design allows complete snow removal beyond the shoulder or curbline, thus reducing snow-drifting on the roadway. It is easily installed with existing highway agency equipment, can be salvaged and reinstalled, and costs considerably less than current mailbox designs approved by MnDOT. The results of four full-scale crash tests conducted on this Minnesota swing-away mailbox support and the evaluation of its impact performance are presented. The mailbox support with a single mailbox assembly was judged to have successfully met all evaluation criteria outlined in NCHRP Report 350 and the 1985 AASHTO Standard Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires and Traffic Signals. However, the mailbox support with a triple mailbox assembly was judged to have failed to meet the evaluation criteria.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1994/1468/1468-009.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=MINNESOTA+SWING-AWAY+MAILBOX+SUPPORT&author=K.+Mak&author=R.+Hille&publication_year=1994
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309061024
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1468, Recent Research on Roadside Safety Features. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Mak, King K
  • Hille, Roger D
• Publication Date: 1994

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 68-74
• Monograph Title: Recent research on roadside safety features
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1468
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Costs; Crash tests; Crashes; Mailboxes; Performance; Snow removal; Specifications; Testing
• Identifier Terms: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; NCHRP Report 350
• Old TRIS Terms: Test results
• Subject Areas: Design; Finance; Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00677718
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309061024
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 19 1995 12:00AM