Sain Projects

Project Spotlight – Carvana Distribution Center

In April 2020, Carvana, a cutting-edge leader in online automotive sales, contracted Sain Associates to perform surveying, civil, and traffic engineering services for a distribution facility in Bessemer, Alabama.  Although non-disclosure agreements required the project to be known as “Project Otto,” it was later announced as Carvana. Commonly known as an online car dealership and…
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50 Years of Problem-Solving

Sain’s 50th anniversary includes all the qualities of a great American success story – vision, hard work, and collaboration. Charles “Hack” Sain, PE, founded our firm with the vision to transform the relationship between engineers and property developers into one of mutual respect, where the engineer provides leadership and problem-solving on behalf of the client. Mr….
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ACEC Awards through the Years

The American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) competition recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate an exceptional degree of innovation, complexity, achievement, and value. Award entries are submitted through a statewide competition and can later be entered at the national level. Sain Associates supports ACEC Alabama, ACEC Tennessee, and ACEC…
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Evolution of Civil and Traffic Engineering

When Sain Associates opened its doors in 1972, the business consisted of consulting engineering services and land surveying. Many projects included site engineering for enclosed shopping malls across the southeast. Believe it or not, some of the mall projects from the 1970s are still in operation today, including the Santa Rosa Mall in Mary Esther,…
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Dothan Long Range Transportation Plan

Long Range Transportation Plans (LRTP) are an essential element of an agency’s transportation planning process. A traditional LRTP is a 20-year planning horizon vision document that reflects the application of programmatic transportation goals to project prioritization. Transportation plans are conducted at the National, Regional, and unit level for Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMAs). LRTPs include financial components…
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What is a Metropolitan Planning Organization?

A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is a federally designated transportation policy-making body composed of representatives from local governments and transportation agencies in the designated planning region. Federal legislation passed in the 1960s required urbanized areas with a population over 50,000 to establish a metropolitan planning organization to ensure that existing and future transportation expenditures in…
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Did You Know? ALDOT On-Call Contracts

Did you know Sain Associates has many on-call contracts with ALDOT? There are many benefits of on-call contracts. First, they allow Sain Associates to work with ALDOT on a range of projects. Over the years, the projects have ranged from surveying to corridor and traffic studies to a broad array of design projects. Since a…
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Roundabouts in Engineering

In honor of National Roundabout Week, we’re sharing a throwback blog from 2016! A few years have passed since it was last published, but one thing remains the same – roundabouts are a proven safety countermeasure because they can substantially reduce crashes that result in serious injury or death. Roundabouts can improve safety, promote lower…
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The Story behind Exit 46

Many Southern Middle Tennessee drivers have already traveled through the work zone at Exit 46 on Interstate 65 (I-65) in Maury County. The construction will last approximately three years, but the process started nearly two decades ago. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) contracted with Sain Associates in 2002 to begin planning for modification of…
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Bicycle and Pedestrian Friendly Community

Bicycling is more than a practical, cost-effective solution to many municipal challenges. It’s an opportunity to make a community a vibrant destination for residents and visitors – a place where people don’t just live and work but an environment where everyone can appreciate the outdoors. Understanding bicycling and walking activity, preferences, and trends is critical…
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