Latest Updates

New Traffic Signal Technology Coming to Cobbs Ford Road in Prattville

A project to implement new traffic signal technology for Cobbs Ford Road in Prattville is nearing completion. The project includes new traffic signal controllers and additional vehicle detectors for the nine signalized intersections along Cobbs Ford Road from Silver Hills Drive to I-65. These signals are also being connected to a database and interconnected with…
Read More

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

One of my favorite quotes from Jim Meads is “I’m not up in the stands; I’m on the playing field with you.”  When you are in charge of managing a design project, it’s always helpful to know “who is on the playing field” with you.  An easy way to describe how we staff a design project…
Read More

National Work Zone Awareness Week

Created in 2000, National Work Zone Awareness Week  (NWZAW) is an annual spring campaign dedicated to educating and encouraging safe driving through work zones. It also honors those whose lives have been lost due to a work zone accident. This year, the 20th annual campaign will take place April 8-12 with the theme: “Drive Like You Work…
Read More

Annual ATPA Conference at Gulf State Park

On March 13-15, the Alabama Transportation Planners Association (ATPA) gathered in Gulf Shores for its annual conference.  The mood was decidedly more cheerful this year, thanks to passage of the Rebuild Alabama Act, which will provide more money to fund transportation infrastructure needs in Alabama. In addition to celebrating the good news for funding, participants got to…
Read More

“Aren’t you already a Road Safety Professional?”

I have some new initials behind my name.  Erin L. Curry, P.E., R.S.P.  I am now a certified Road Safety Professional (RSP).  (To read what the P.E. means, check out this blog post). Charles Cochran in our Birmingham, AL office also obtained the certification.  A few months ago the Transportation Professional Certification Board (TPCB) announced a new certification…
Read More

Mentoring the Senior Design Class

The Senior Design program at the University of Alabama provides students with the opportunity to get realistic experience practicing engineering with area industries. Sain Associates has had the pleasure of working with the Senior Design Class every semester since the Fall of 2017. Each semester the class is given a different engineering project, and professionals aid…
Read More

Rebuilding Alabama’s Infrastructure

Guest Blogger: Drew Harrell, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Business Council of Alabama and Executive Director of the Alliance for Alabama’s Infrastructure All over the state, at every level of government, the issue of fixing Alabama’s crumbling road and bridge system is a policy matter that has risen to the forefront over the past few…
Read More

Behind The Scenes: I-59/20 Big Build

If you live anywhere close to the Birmingham area or if you have traveled through Birmingham within the past several months, you are certainly aware of the construction taking place on I-59/20 in the Central Business District (CBD) of downtown Birmingham. The emphasis of the project is to replace the aging bridges on I-59/20 between…
Read More

ACEC Alabama: 2019 Outlook

There have been a lot of exciting things happening for the American Council of Engineering Companies from a National and State perspective. It is an honor to serve as President for ACEC Alabama for the 2018/2019 fiscal year. It’s hard to believe that my term is halfway through. We have an extremely hard working Board made up…
Read More

Travel Demand Models Help Predict Travel Patterns

Travel Demand Forecasting involves the use of a variety of models to duplicate Trip Generation, Trip Distribution, Mode Choice (e.g. car, transit, bicycle, etc.), and Highway/Transit assignment in a metropolitan region. The models are coded using a program language that is typically executed using Cube or TransCAD software. The primary inputs into the model are…
Read More