Vissim modeling allows individuals to map various intelligent traffic management systems to stabilize traffic flow and increase traffic safety. Vissim is a microsimulation tool that models individual vehicles in the traffic stream, considering the actions of virtual drivers in response to other vehicles, the road network, and various traffic controls. Sain Associates built a Vissim…
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When you’re looking at designing (or redesigning) a roadway, you need to think first about the impact that project will have on the utilities surrounding the road. If you don’t, you’ll likely find yourself grinding to a halt when you encounter a utilities-related roadblock in your next project. Utilities are the lines, wires, and pipes…
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Formula and grant funding play a crucial role in the civil engineering industry, allowing for the development of innovative projects that improve infrastructure and support sustainable growth. Without these public funding sources, many engineering projects would not be possible. While infrastructure funding has typically been legislated on a formula basis, in recent years, we have…
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We are excited to announce the Redland Road / Firetower Road Intersection project received an Honor Award in the Transportation Category (3rd Place) for 2023 from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Alabama. Sain was recognized at the state-level ACEC/Alabama Awards Gala this past Thursday at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook, Alabama….
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What does a fruit have to do with engineering? Well, in this case, it’s one of the first steps in the preliminary engineering process. The Advanced Planning, Programming, and Logical Engineering (APPLE) program is administered by the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB). The goal of the program is to assist local governments in…
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In 2022, the United States Department of Transportation adopted a Safe System Approach as the guiding paradigm to address roadway safety. It recognizes that people make mistakes, and the road system should be designed to forgive those mistakes. This is especially true for wrong-way driving prevention – we must do something before people drive the…
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A few weeks ago, I was traveling out of state to meet my newborn niece for the first time. My wife and I encountered many rural roadways that needed some TLC along the way. To my wife’s amusement, my engineer’s brain could not stop noticing all the deficiencies of the roadways. Abrupt curves with no…
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Did you know that the International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) is one of the oldest associations for public safety systems? A group of municipal signal employees formed IMSA in 1896 as the “International Association of Fire and Police Telegraph Superintendents.” The initial goal of IMSA has stayed the same over the years: to help its members…
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I recently had the opportunity to talk about my job as an Infrastructure Designer with a young member of my church. They had a lot of questions about the roadway design process, such as “do you guys just put dirt down and call it a day?” The simple answer is this: roadway design is a…
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Microtransit is a flexible transit service that bridges the gap between individual private transportation and public mass transit. It is a demand-response service that uses existing buses, paratransit vehicles, passenger vans, and cutaways enabled by various mobile technologies. Rides are scheduled through a smartphone app, traditional phone, or website. The goal of microtransit is to…
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