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Just after noon on Friday, two vehicles collided at the intersection of Egan Drive and the Glacier Highway access road near Fred Meyer, causing significant traffic delays for more than 45 minutes.
Police said Kim Andrews, 44, failed to yield as she turned left onto the access road. Her vehicle, a 2010 Toyota Corolla, was struck head-on by a pickup truck traveling outbound on Egan Drive, in the direction of the Mendenhall Valley.
Both the Corolla and the truck, a 2002 Ford F-150 driven by 55-year-old Robert Schenker, were totaled, according to the Juneau Police Department’s information release.
Despite the extensive damage to both vehicles, police said that an evaluation of their occupants at the scene by Capital City Fire and Rescue personnel, responding to the crash, found no one seriously injured.
Comments (17)
Add commentAirbags
Both drivers were driving vehicles new enough to be equipped with airbags, which is probably the reason there were no serious injuries.
It's well past time for a roundabout at this intersection, where there have been numerous head-ons into left turning cars.
Engineering
As curmudgeon says, the safety engineering in newer cars is really incredible. The airbags and the energy-absorbing crumple zones. Only downside is, when you have an accident, your car accordians to absorb the energy, and it's totaled. Better a totaled car than a totaled body.
Not sure how a roundabout would work on Egan. This intersection probably warrants an overpass. Or bring in access from the McNugget intersection, along where the bike path runs, though that wouldn't help the traffic headed toward the airport.
Seems like we get several wrecks a year from vehicles trying to cross Egan to get to Freddie's or the airport. The realigned turn lanes DOT did this year didn't help much in this instance. All-in-all, the worst intersection in town.
What ever happened to the grand plan DOT had for interchanges all along Egan? That's gone silent, while Parnell touts roads to Nome.
Lat
Did Parnell fire you or what? You seem to tie him into every single post. As for the intersection, due to the lack of driver skills and common sense, accidents are just not going to go away.
Glad no one seriously injured.
No Round-a-bout
I love round-abouts but an over pass and on ramps are what really are needed at Fred Meyers. The morning traffic from McNugett to Fredy's is too slow. an over pass would fix many of the problems in this particular area.
Latitude58,I have to
Latitude58,
I have to disagree with you. In the case of as you put it, "Parnell touts roads to Nome," the governor has his priorities in order. With the advent of images of Nome being beamed in the the homes of millions of Americans on "Bering Sea Gold," developing the transportation system into that locale has become a matter of pride for the entire state. Tossing away millions of needed dollars on the safety of a few people who ultimately really need driving lessons anyway should not be used as an excuse to hijack projects that will enhance our state's prestige at the national level.
June 25, 2012....
On June 25th the Empire put out an article on this very topic concerning the exact intersection along Egan.
The construction that was completed in July was "intended to improve visibility for cars turning left and reduce collisions at the intersection, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities officials said."
Hasn't there been a couple or more collisions at that intersection already post construction?
way to go DOT....
http://juneauempire.com/local/2012-06-26/road-construction-gets-underway...
Good one, JEF!
I like that...prioritizing reality TV over citizen safety. And maybe the guy heading outbound who had the lady pull out in front of him has some thoughts about your "driving lessons" comment as it relates to him.
However, I recognize and applaud your keen use of irony on this board, so you get an up-thumb from me.
Intersection @ Freddy's
How many wrecks to fix this problem?
I'll say this,
about that.
It was a dangerous intersection, when you could access Fred Meyer, via Yandukin Drive.
There is no need to spend taxpayer(at any level) dollars, to make further changes to that intersection. Ms Andrews failed to yield to oncoming traffic.
With the recent changes at that intersection, if she didn't see it (the F-150) coming, she wasn't looking.
Regardless, glad there were no serious injuries.
I still don't understand why
I still don't understand why they don't just extend the road that goes behind Fred Meyer all the way to the McNugget light and do away with that intersection.
I think a roundabout and or
I think a roundabout and or over pass is to much think all that's needed is a stop light there. Open up traffic headed away from fred Meyer to be able to get onto Egan with out having to drive all the way to the Walmart over pass. Having a light there would make people have to stop and wait instead of being dumb and turning thinking there's time. And who ever thought widening the lanes would help must be on something. Now if it were blocked vision by something I could understand but seriously wide open space there u can see traffic coming a mile away. So all that wasted money to widen the lanes when they could have put in lights.
Adt1987 - have you noticed
Adt1987 - have you noticed how Juneau drivers obey traffic signals? I don't think that's the solution either. And knowing DOT, they'd probably install a blinking yellow arrow - don't even get me started!
they want to kill more from this dangerous intersection!
about 50 more!
@adt1987
State cannot put another traffic light along Egan drive Anywhere because they would lose the federal hwy money. Too many lights turns it from an expressway to a basic hwy. Only allowed so many lights and they have already used them up.
How many millions was just
How many millions was just spent to make it safer?
Women Drivers
Typical.
Wow. Well something needs to
Wow. Well something needs to be done. And like the last post they just spent how much to make it safer when putting in a light and making it safer and losing money seems a better win for everyone. And no not everyone obeys lights but better then none at all.