One of the first projects I worked on after joining Sain Associates in 2003 was a TDOT planning project for State Route 126 (Memorial Boulevard) in Kingsport and Sullivan County. The corridor had evolved from an animal and wagon trail into a roadway needing safety and geometric improvements. At the request of the Kingsport Metropolitan Planning Organization, TDOT launched Tennessee’s first Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) planning project. Sain Associates was selected in 2001, just a few years after beginning work with TDOT, based on our reputation for communication, facilitation, and creative problem-solving.
Sain’s role included project management, budget and schedule oversight, communications, meeting facilitation and presentations, subconsultant coordination, documentation, traffic analysis, and functional plan preparation. The team led a community resource group in evaluating the route and identifying feasible improvement alternatives. TDOT later documented the CSS process in a Lessons Learned report to guide future projects.
The corridor presented several challenges, including steep terrain, dense downtown development, a large cemetery, and historic structures. The team developed short- and long-term recommendations that reflected public input and corridor constraints. TDOT identified immediate safety improvements, including traffic signal upgrades, guardrail repair, enhanced delineation, increased speed enforcement, and high-visibility pavement markings. For the long term, the team developed four concepts with varying cross sections, design speeds, and shoulder treatments, then recommended a blended approach. TDOT advanced that recommendation through environmental review, public involvement, and travel demand model updates to select a final solution that improves safety while minimizing environmental and community impacts. The selected approach avoids impacts to East Lawn Cemetery and Yancey’s Tavern while substantially reducing residential and business displacements.
Twenty-five years after our work began, TDOT is now constructing Phase I, extending from East Center Street to east of Briarwood Road. Seeing construction begin on a project that started more than two decades ago is a reminder that transportation improvements are often measured in decades, not months. While projects may evolve as communities grow and priorities change, a thoughtful planning process provides a foundation that continues to guide decisions long after the initial study is complete. We are proud to have helped shape the future of Memorial Boulevard and look forward to seeing the corridor serve the Kingsport community for generations to come. Learn more about the project on the TDOT website: Memorial Boulevard (State Route 126).