Juneau’s Egan and Vanderbilt intersection is back open after months of construction.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced it reopened Saturday afternoon. Sonny Mauricio, a spokesperson for the department, said the changes were made due to safety concerns at the intersection.
“With any safety project, we hope to see that it does what it’s intended — to decrease collisions within that intersection,” he said.
The popular intersection, located in the Lemon Creek area, has been closed to vehicular traffic since late May. It leads to spots like Costco, Home Depot and the recycling center.
According to Mauricio, the intersection has been updated to have a “Continuous Green T” design. That means southbound traffic on Egan Drive can now flow through the intersection without needing to stop for a red light.
“With this intersection, there was a documented history of rear-end angle and sideswipe crashes,” he said. “The continuous ‘Green T’ is designed to reduce those risks by eliminating conflict points.”
The DOT shared a video of the intersection on YouTube, explaining the changes. The $4.7 million project was funded by the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program.
