Design firm sought to fix dangerous Juneau intersection

Traffic postulation zooms down Egan Drive wherever it intersects pinch Yandukin Drive successful Juneau connected Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)

State proscription officials are seeking a institution to creation a postulation ray to fix one of Juneau’s astir vulnerable intersections.

The intersection by nan Fred Meyer market shop — wherever Yandukin Drive crosses Egan Drive — has agelong been 1 of Juneau’s astir accident-prone areas. Dozens of crashes, immoderate deadly, person occurred location complete nan years. 

Sam Dapcevich, a spokesperson for nan Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, said making nan state-owned intersection safer has been a agelong clip coming.

“I cognize that it’s a very precocious privilege for DOT, and DOT knows from our predominant communications pinch nan organization that it’s a precocious privilege for Juneau, too,” he said. “So we are moving difficult to get it done.”

Juneau residents person been vocal astir nan request for information changes for astatine slightest 2 decades. And, past autumn nan Juneau Assembly passed a solution asking nan authorities to make “immediate and important improvements” astatine nan intersection pursuing a fatal clang location conscionable months before.

Recently, nan section made mini changes for illustration extending nan medians there, coating clearer markings and introducing a seasonal velocity limit reduction. 

But now, officials are looking for a institution to creation much substantive changes — for illustration adding a postulation light, a pedestrian crossing and an replacement route.  

Dapevich said nan section hopes to commencement building by 2026. The updates will hap successful phases.

“We’ve sewage a awesome contractor squad who’s going to reappraisal everything and make judge that we transverse each nan t’s and dot each nan i’s, and we’re going to effort to expedite it arsenic overmuch arsenic possible,” he said.

In total, nan improvements are expected to costs betwixt $23 and $47 million. Most of that will apt beryllium funded utilizing federal-aid road programme funds.