Transportation

50 Years of Shaping Communities

As a Senior Project Manager at Sain, I lead our transportation and sustainability practices in the Traffic Department to help communities plan for future growth. Sain’s approach is to take a look at the community as a whole to map out a plan that will include transportation analysis to shape a community’s future growth and…
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When 3 is Better than 4

If you’re like me, when you hear the word “diet,” your first reaction isn’t the thought…sign me up! However, in transportation, it may often be an easy solution that provides a favorable outcome for all involved. A “Road Diet” is essentially a reallocation of space on an existing roadway to better meet the needs of…
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Importance of Timed Traffic Signals

Interested in saving on fuel costs, reducing negative environmental impacts, and helping provide a more pleasant driving experience? The solution can be found through proper signal timing and coordination. Suppose signals are timed or coordinated incorrectly. In that case, vehicles will likely have to make frequent stops while traveling through a corridor, which wastes time…
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The Ins and Outs of Traffic Calming

Cut-through traffic and speeding issues on local roadways are two of the more common complaints that city engineers and public works employees receive from concerned citizens. Traffic engineers have developed a variety of strategies to help mitigate these issues. These strategies are known as traffic calming. Per the Federal Highway Administration and Institute of Transportation Engineers: “traffic calming…
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Distracted Driving is Dangerous Business

You and your family are driving to Grandma’s for Easter weekend. You’re at the wheel and get a call from a relative asking about your arrival. You answer what should be a quick question but then get caught up in the conversation that lasts for several minutes. While this might seem like an innocent situation,…
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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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Alicia Bailey’s 20th Anniversary

We are excited to recognize a huge career milestone in just a few short days – Alicia Bailey, PE, Practice Leader / Sr. Principal, is celebrating her 20th anniversary with Sain Associates. Alicia wears many hats at our company, leading our Infrastructure and Survey teams and serving as a member of our Executive Committee. We appreciate…
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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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