Federal grant fully funds Juneau's Egan-Yandukin safety overhaul

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities secured a $12.15 million federal BUILD grant to overhaul the intersection of Egan Drive and Yandukin Drive in Juneau, where southbound drivers turning left must cross oncoming highway traffic without a signal and pedestrians and bicyclists have no safe crossing option.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the award July 7. It covers the full estimated project cost, meaning no state match is required. DOT&PF plans to bid the project in fall 2026 and begin construction in spring 2027. Design work is ongoing.

"This award is a major win for Juneau and for everyone who travels Egan Drive every day," DOT&PF Commissioner Ryan Anderson said. "These improvements will reduce serious crashes, provide the first safe pedestrian crossing at this location, and keep traffic moving as the Juneau community grows."

The intersection currently carries 30,000 to 40,000 vehicles per day. DOT&PF projects that figure will grow by roughly 8,000 vehicles per day as nearby development continues.

What the project builds

Funded work includes a new traffic signal with protected left turns from Egan Drive onto Yandukin Drive and Glacier Highway, dual left-turn lanes to reduce queuing, signalized pedestrian crossings on both sides of Egan Drive and across Yandukin Drive, and rectangular rapid flashing beacons at unsignalized right-turn lanes. Advance warning signage with flashing yellow lights will alert drivers approaching a red signal.

DOT&PF says the partially signalized design was chosen because it meets safety and mobility goals with a smaller footprint, less right-of-way acquisition, and a faster construction timeline than other alternatives. Drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and customers of nearby businesses including the Fred Meyer shopping area will all see changes to signal timing, turn movements, and crossing access once construction is complete.

As an interim measure, DOT&PF implemented a seasonal winter speed reduction to 45 mph along the corridor. The agency says that reduction will be removed once the traffic signal is in place.

Background and next steps

The project traces to a 2019 public engagement effort and a Planning and Environmental Linkages study completed in 2021, which documented frequent and severe left-turn crashes, no pedestrian access, and local circulation problems at the intersection. DOT&PF formally began engineering and environmental studies in January 2026. The Egan-Yandukin project is part of a broader state effort to retrofit high-crash intersections in growing Alaska corridors with signals, pedestrian crossings, and turn controls.