At some point in the day, everyone is a pedestrian. Unfortunately, pedestrian injuries and fatalities remain high. In 2020, a pedestrian was killed every 81 minutes in traffic crashes. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) designates October as Pedestrian Safety Month. Pedestrian safety is a two-way street that involves equal…
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Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something. -Winnie the Pooh The great scholar, Winnie the Pooh, knew a thing or two about what we need to be fulfilled each day. At Sain, we improve road safety, are a part of bringing a new industry to a city, and positively impact our communities….
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Most historians agree that the first unit of measurement was the cubit. Developed by the ancient Egyptians, the cubit was the arm length between the elbow and the tip of the middle finger. In fact, most earlier units of measure were based on the human body. An inch was based on the width of a…
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Railway safety is a topic that cannot be emphasized enough for both the public and those working on the railway. According to Federal Railroad Administration statistics, 236 highway-rail grade crossing fatalities occurred in 2021, with nine in Alabama. There are two types of protection at an at-grade rail crossing: passive and active. Passive protection consists of pavement…
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Ethics is an important topic for all of us, and when issues arise, it is a serious matter. If I were to have an ethical violation in one state, all the other states where I am licensed would be notified, and there might be penalties to face in multiple locations. Over the past several years,…
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What is the most enjoyable part of your job? For me, I would say teamwork. In my more than 20 years at Sain, I have been on many teams, including work teams, external project teams, professional society boards, and charity event boards. As I reflect on my participation with various groups, several questions come to…
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Yesterday marked our official 50th year in business. Charles “Hack” Sain founded our firm with a goal to do what no others were doing – uniting engineers, architects, and contractors in seamless communication, planning, and execution. In 1972, Sain Associates began with two employees and now has over 70 employees among our Birmingham headquarters and…
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When tackling site engineering projects in urban settings, such as downtown Birmingham, the areas we are working on typically have been developed multiple times in the past. This means that they frequently involve environmental remediation or rehabilitation. Redevelopment of these old sites is a very sustainable approach for planning a project or revitalizing a city….
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One of the best ways to describe surveyors is to say that we are the eyes and ears of property owners. Many property owners, public or private, are not always familiar with the land they are trying to develop or improve. By doing a survey, we can show and note on a survey any easement,…
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Who doesn’t love to ride a bike or walk around their city? Have you ever thought about the planning that goes into making a street bicycle- or pedestrian-friendly? Historically, roads have been designed to get vehicles from point A to point B as quickly as possible, without a lot of regard for other road users…
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