Alternatives Worksheet

Return Home, to RSAP-V3 Wiki Alternatives Worksheet

The Alternative Worksheet is where data is entered for the comparison of different roadside design alternatives. RSAPv3 allows for the comparison of up to five different roadside alternatives. The number of alternatives to consider, the agency cost for each alternative, and the location and type of Roadside Hazards specific to each alternative are entered on this worksheet. Recall RSAPv3 is specifically designed to consider roadside design alternatives. This worksheet allows for considerable variation in the configurations and locations of Roadside Hazards across all alternatives. Perhaps there are small changes between alternatives, or perhaps there are large changes between alternatives. Maybe some Roadside Features remain constant throughout all of the alternatives. This worksheet provides opportunities to customize roadside designs under consideration and also copy data already entered to minimize re-entry of data.

Although not in the spirit of a Benefit-Cost analysis, RSAPv3 can be run with only one alternative in order to examine the expected number of crashes and associated crash costs of a particular roadside design. A Benefit-Cost analysis will require at least two alternatives. Currently RSAPv3 will evaluate up to five alternatives simultaneously. Generally, alternative 1 represents the current site conditions or null condition of the site if nothing is done. RSAPv3 does not assume this in analyzing the data but it is good practice to establish the Baseline conditions as alternative 1. It is useful though not essential to organize the alternatives in increasing construction cost order. RSAPv3 does not require this but the results are easier to interpret if the alternatives are arranged by increasing construction cost.

 Process 

1. Initially, Alternative 1 is selected when the Alternatives Worksheet Scribble40 is activated. The user-input area for Alternative 1 is highlighted in yellow indicating user input is required.

2. Now enter all the hazards that are associated with the selected alternative. Roadside Hazards are located using the Baseline station and Offset method. Hazards which have an associated length (e.g., longitudinal barriers) should be entered using the beginning and end stations and Offsets. Point Hazards (e.g., trees, poles, signs, etc.) should be entered using only the start station, Offset and the hazard diameter.

·     First enter the start station, starting Offset, end station and ending Offset of the hazard. Point Hazards include trees, poles, bollards, the ends of guardrail terminals, and other fixed objects which do not have an area or length but which can be represented as a point in space. Line Hazards include longitudinal barriers, the edge of a clear zone, the edge of a median, and any other objects which can be represented as a simple line.

·     Next, using the pull-down menu in the cell, choose the General Hazard Type (i.e., Bridge Rails, Crash cushions, Median Barriers, PoleTreeSign, Special edge, etc.,). The Alternatives Worksheet has hazard sensitive menus which aid in data entry for the large number of Roadside Hazards which an errant vehicle may encounter when it leaves the road. This large range of hazards can be grouped first into a General type, then a specific hazard.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:10.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-10.0pt;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0level1lfo1;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol">·     <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After selecting the general type, the Specific Hazard Type pull down menu and the  remaining data entry fields to the right are formatted to accept the appropriate data for either points or lines as described above.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none">3. Continue this process until all the hazards in the alternative are identified.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none">4. Enter the construction and maintenance costs for the alternative and enter a Title describing the alternative. Choose a default cross-section. More information about the Cross-Section will be provided on the Cross-Section Worksheet.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none">5. Select the next Alternative using the radio buttons and repeat steps 1 through 4 until all the alternatives have been completely defined.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Buttons to "Copy Alt" or "Delete Alt" are provided as described below. After completing data entry for an alternative, the "copy alt" button may be used for instances where a considerable number of the same Roadside Features are present in more one alternative. For example, maybe the Null alternative (i.e., Alternative 1) is an unprotected culvert headwall and Alternative 2 is to protect the headwall with guardrail. Both alternatives will have the same culvert headwall and sideslopes, except Alternative 2 will also have guardrail. After entering the Roadside Hazards for Alternative 1, press the "Copy Alt" button and indicate that Alternative 1 should be copied. Guardrail may then be added to Alternative 2 and the construction cost changed. Using the copy and delete buttons can help save considerable data entry time.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">When all the alternatives have been defined, select the "X-Section Info>" button to advance to the Cross-Section Worksheet.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Buttons 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">There are eight buttons available on the Alternatives Tab:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:10.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-10.0pt;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0level1lfo1;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol">·     <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:green">Clear All Alternative Data  <span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">- Clear all information on the worksheet in the yellow-highlighted cells.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:10.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-10.0pt;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0level1lfo1;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol">·     <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:green">Copy Alt  <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">- Copy the information entered for one alternative to a new alternative.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:10.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-10.0pt;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0level1lfo1;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol">·     <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:green">Delete Alt  <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">- Delete Alternative.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:10.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-10.0pt;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0level1lfo1;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol">·     Sort Alternative in Station Order <span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">- Sort the hazard information in order of the starting station.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:10.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-10.0pt;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0level1lfo1;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol">·     <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">View/Edit -- select the radio button for the alternative you would like to view or edit. The view will shift to the new alternative data entry area and the user-entry cells will be highlighted yellow.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:10.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-10.0pt;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0level1lfo1;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol">·     <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Hazard Info - Advances to the Severity Worksheet Scribble16

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:10.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-10.0pt;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0level1lfo1;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol">·     <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Highway Info - Return to the Road Segments Worksheet Scribble30

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:10.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:-10.0pt;line-height:normal; mso-pagination:none;mso-list:l0level1lfo1;tab-stops:10.0pt;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol">·     <span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">X-Section Info - Advance to the Cross-Section Worksheet Scribble7

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