The 1988 and 1996 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Roadside Design Guide includes general warrants for the use of traffic barriers and other roadside safety features. However, these warrants do not address the cost-effectiveness of such installations. The Roadside Design Guide also includes information on a computer program, ROADSIDE, which was developed for cost-effectiveness analysis. However, agencies using the ROADSIDE program have experienced difficulties, and some have found the results questionable. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has adopted National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350, Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features, as the official guidelines for safety performance evaluation of highway features. The guidelines incorporate the multiple performance level concept for roadside safety features. The intent of the multiple performance level concept is to provide roadside safety features that are better tailored to the specific conditions of a site. The current version of the ROADSIDE program does not readily allow for the analysis of different performance levels. Research is needed to develop improved software for cost-effectiveness analysis of roadside features and to formulate procedures for using the software to apply the multiple performance level concept. The objective of this study was, therefore, to develop an improved micro-computer based cost-effectiveness analysis procedure for use in: (1) assessing alternative roadside safety treatments at both point locations and sections of roadway, and (2) developing warrants and guidelines including those which consider performance levels of safety features. The Roadside Safety Analysis Program (RSAP) was developed as a result of this study. The RSAP program is comprised of two separate, but integrated programs: the User Interface Program and the Main Analysis Program. The Main Analysis Program contains the cost-effectiveness procedure itself and performs all the necessary calculations. The Main Analysis Program is written in the FORTRAN language due to its efficiency in performing scientific calculations. However, the FORTRAN language is very poor in terms of user interface. Thus, user interface is handled through the User Interface Program so that the Main Analysis Program is transparent to the users, i.e., the users do not work directly with the Main Analysis Program. The User Interface Program is written in the Microsoft C++ language, which is more adept at providing a user-friendly environment through the use of windows, screens, and menus. The User Interface Program provides the users with a simple and structured means to input the data into the RSAP program. The program generates input data files that, together with the default data files, serve as inputs to the Main Analysis Program. After processing by the Main Analysis Program, the User Interface Program then takes the outputs from the Main Analysis Program and presents the results to the users. The transfer of data files between the User Interface Program and the Main Analysis Program is in ASCII format for simplicity and ease of file transfer. This User's Manual is one of two reports prepared under this study. The other report is the Engineer's Manual. The User's Manual provides reference for users on the operations of the RSAP program. The Engineer's Manual is intended as a reference document for users who are interested in the details of the procedure, including descriptions of algorithms, source materials, validation and calibration results, discussions of limitations, sample applications, and research needs. There are five additional chapters in this User's Manual: o Chapter II - Installation. This chapter outlines instructions for installing the RSAP program onto the computer. o Chapter III - General Instructions. This chapter provides general instructions on the use of the RSAP program. o Chapter IV - Data Input. This chapter provides instructions on how to input the data into the program. o Chapter V - Data Processing. This chapter describes how to process the input data. o Chapter VI - Reports. This chapter describes the reports available from the program. In addition, there are four appendices. Appendix A shows a list of feature categories and types and the associated severity estimates. Appendix B lists the edit, range, and consistency checks built into the program. Appendix C provides details on the two sample problems included with the RSAP installation program. Appendix D provides answers to some frequently asked questions.