State transportation officials are seeking a company to design a traffic light to fix one of Juneau’s most dangerous intersections.
The intersection by the Fred Meyer grocery store — where Yandukin Drive crosses Egan Drive — has long been one of Juneau’s most accident-prone areas. Dozens of crashes, some deadly, have occurred there over the years.
Sam Dapcevich, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, said making the state-owned intersection safer has been a long time coming.
“I know that it’s a very high priority for DOT, and DOT knows from our frequent communications with the community that it’s a high priority for Juneau, too,” he said. “So we are working hard to get it done.”
Juneau residents have been vocal about the need for safety changes for at least two decades. And, last fall the Juneau Assembly passed a resolution asking the state to make “immediate and substantial improvements” at the intersection following a fatal crash there just months before.
Recently, the department made small changes like extending the medians there, painting clearer markings and introducing a seasonal speed limit reduction.
But now, officials are looking for a company to design more substantive changes — like adding a traffic light, a pedestrian crossing and an alternative route.
Dapevich said the department hopes to start construction by 2026. The updates will happen in phases.
“We’ve got a great contractor team who’s going to review everything and make sure that we cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s, and we’re going to try to expedite it as much as possible,” he said.
In total, the improvements are expected to cost between $23 and $47 million. Most of that will likely be funded using federal-aid highway program funds.
