Long-Term Vegetation Management Strategies for Roadsides and Roadside Appurtenances (2023)

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67 APPENDIX B: INTERACTIVE SELECTION TOOL USER MANUAL NCHRP 14-41 Interactive Selection Tool User Manual This user manual provides guidance on the use of the interactive tool developed for NCHRP 14-41 Long-Term Vegetation Management Strategies for Roadsides and Roadside Appurtenances. This tool employs a decision algorithm to advise the user of the appropriate VMSs for specific conditions. The tool’s interactive decision rules are in a self-contained folder format that can be downloaded using the following link. To open/run the Tool click on the link below and follow the directions in “How to Run the Tool” at https://www.dropbox.com/s/coqfcnab92gvfx5/NCHRP%20W350_Selection%20Tool.zip?dl=0. HOW TO RUN THE TOOL To run the NCHRP 14-41 tool using the zipped, self-contained folder, please follow these steps: 1. Download the folder by selecting the folder and clicking on the download tab. Note: Downloading may take a few minutes based on internet speeds. 2. Go to the folder in which the file has been downloaded. The downloaded file will be a zipped file. You need to unzip the folder (extract files) to run the tool. After unzipping, the folder will show the following items (two folders and ‘Click_Here’ html file). 3. Click “Click_Here” to open the tool (it will automatically open in a web browser such as Chrome). Note: The user needs to download the zipped folder and unzip the folder to run the tool.

68 INTERFACE Figure B1 shows the interface of the opening page for the interactive tool. The user clicks “Click_Here.htm” in the “NCHRP14_41Tool” folder. Clicking on “Click_Here.htm” opens the interactive tool in a web browser (which will depend on the browser selection of the user). The source code and algorithms are stored in two other folders (“core” and “css,” respectively). The user does not need to explore these folders to run the tool. Figure B1. Interface of the NCHRP 14-41 Tool Opening Page. The web interface has four different tabs: • Home (the interface shown in Figure B1) • Selection Tool (users can go to this tab by clicking on it or by clicking on “Get Started” on the interface page) • Non-Herbicide VMS • Additional Resources GETTING STARTED This section describes the basic information needed to perform permanent vegetation control treatment selection. Figure B2 shows the interface of the “Non-Herbicide VMS Selection Tool.” This page contains two tabs (“General Introduction” and “Tool Instructions”). The “General Introduction” tab provides a brief overview of the purpose of this tool. The “Tool Instructions” tab provides a description of this tool.

69 The main tool has the following options: • VMS Location: a dropdown panel including cable barrier, support posts and poles, edge of pavement, gore/median, guardrail, mow edge, and slope/embankment • Level of Aesthetics: a dropdown panel including standard and high • Construction Type: a dropdown panel including new construction and retrofit Figure B2. Non-Herbicide VMS Selection Tool. SELECT OPTIONS A list of VMSs will be populated for different combination options. Figure B3 shows an example treatment (with its synopsis) that is generated based on some selection criteria. Figure B3. Treatment: Patterned Concrete Pavement.

70 Example 1: What retrofit non-herbicide VMS applications are recommended at the edge of pavement in an urban location? To determine the appropriate VMS, the user needs to select the following options: • VMS Location: Edge of Pavement • Level of Aesthetics: Standard • Construction Type: Retrofit Twenty VMS applications will be populated from this selection criteria (see Figure B4a): • Aggregate Base • Asphalt Composite • Asphalt Concrete Pavement • Crumb Rubber Modified Concrete • GCCM • Glass Cullet • Gravel Mulch • Irrigated Ornamental Vegetation • Minor Concrete Pavement • Modular Paving Units • Native and Non-Irrigated Vegetation • Organic Mulch • Patterned Concrete Pavement • Recycled Asphalt Millings • Rock Blanket • Rock Slope Protection • Rubber Weed Mat • Stamped Asphalt Pavement • Standard Concrete Pavement • Weed Control Fiber Mat To get additional information on these treatments, the user clicks “Information Sheet.” For example, a PDF file in a separate browser page will be populated by clicking “Information Sheet” from “Standard Concrete Pavement.”

71 (a) VMS populated for Example 1 (b) Information Sheet PDF for a VMS Figure B4. Example 1. NON-HERBICIDE VMSS AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES The other two tabs (“Non-Herbicide VMS” and “Additional Resources”) provide additional contexts of this tool. The “Non-Herbicide VMS” tab provides a tabular format of all VMSs (see Figure B5). The “Additional Resources” tab provides some relevant studies with hyperlinks. Clicking on the images opens the information sheet in a new tab. The spreadsheet can also be download as a PDF document by clicking “Click here to download the table.”

72 Figure B5. Non-Herbicide VMS Tab.