Juneau's dangerous Egan Drive left turn is finally getting a signal

One of Juneau's most dangerous turns is getting fixed. At Egan Drive and Yandukin Drive, southbound drivers turning left have to cut across oncoming highway traffic with no signal to protect them, and anyone on foot or a bike has no safe way across at all. A $12.15 million federal grant will change that.

The award covers the entire project — no state match required — and pays for the intersection's first traffic signal, with protected left turns, dual turn lanes to cut down on backups, and signalized pedestrian crossings where there are none today.

The stakes are in the traffic count. The intersection already handles 30,000 to 40,000 vehicles a day, and the state expects roughly 8,000 more as the area around it, including the Fred Meyer shopping area, keeps growing. A 2021 state study documented what regular drivers already know: frequent, severe left-turn crashes and no place for pedestrians.

The state plans to bid the work in fall 2026 and start building in spring 2027. In the meantime, the winter speed limit along the corridor has been dropped to 45 mph — a stopgap the state says it'll lift once the signal is up.