This story was updated at 6:30 p.m. Monday with additional information.
A crash Saturday on the outbound lanes of Egan Drive at the Fred Meyer intersection resulted in one person killed at the scene and four people being medevaced out of Juneau with critical injuries, according to Juneau Police Department public information officer Erran Kalwara in a Sunday afternoon information release.
According to the release, police received a call at about 3:06 p.m. reporting a “rollover motor vehicle collision” in which a maroon 2004 Dodge truck with two passengers and a blue Ford van with three passengers collided.
The driver of the maroon truck, a 59-year-old man, died at the scene. The passenger of the maroon truck, a 42-year-old woman, along with the three passengers of the blue van, a 37-year-old woman and two 8-year-old girls, were transported to Bartlett Regional Hospital with critical injuries, and later medevaced out of Juneau for advanced medical care, according to police.
According to a preliminary investigation, the crash occurred when the blue van was driving inbound on Egan Drive and made a left-hand turn toward Old Dairy Road and the Fred Meyer area, and collided with the maroon truck that was driving outbound. Both vehicles were totaled and impounded, and Kalwara said Monday evening the investigation is still ongoing and the release of names of people in the vehicles is pending.
“This was a very serious crash, in a busy area and we appreciate all the assistance provided by the Juneau Citizen’s Patrol, an Alaska State Trooper, a U.S. Forrest Service officer, on- and off-duty JPD, and CCF/R personnel and CCF/R volunteers during the response efforts,” Kalwara stated.
On Saturday traffic on Egan Drive was backed up for more than a mile following the incident. Outbound lanes of Egan Drive were being diverted onto Glacier Highway after the crash, while inbound lanes were unaffected. The road was reopened to traffic at around 6:30 p.m. Saturday and the area has since been cleared of debris.
The intersection has been considered one of the most dangerous — and the most dangerous, according to some — in Juneau for many years.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has been evaluating a series of possible safety improvement options the past few years, with a recommendation in August of 2021 to put a traffic signal at the intersection and extend the access road behind Fred Meyer to the “McNugget” intersection so traffic can be rerouted when necessary. Funding and a timeline for such a project remain undetermined.
• Contact reporter Clarise Larson at clarise.larson@juneauempire.com or (651)-528-1807. Contact reporter Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
