UPDATED: Construction on West 8th Street & Glacier Avenue begins August 7

The CBJ Engineering & Public Works department will begin construction on West 8th Street between F Street and Glacier Avenue on July 21. Construction will continue throughout the summer and early fall. The planned work is expected to be completed by October 2025.

Following barge delays, preliminary work at West 8th Street and Glacier Avenue will begin tomorrow, Thursday, August 7. While vehicle traffic will continue the morning of August 7, expect flaggers and frequent stops in the area.

Depending on the results of initial excavations, project work may proceed swiftly to full construction. Once construction is underway, the Glacier Avenue & West 8th Street intersection will be closed to vehicle traffic. Construction will continue throughout the summer and fall, with an anticipated completion date in late October.

The planned work includes road repairs and utility upgrades. The project will require intermittent disruptions to pedestrian access, vehicle traffic, and Capital Transit service in the project area (see map).

What to expect:

  • The intersection of Glacier Avenue and West 8th Street will be closed to the public beginning the week of July 21 and will remain closed for up to three weeks.
  • Residents of Parkshore Condominiums and their visitors will access F Street from 10th Street.  The 10th Street intersection will remain open during the duration of the project.
  • Pedestrians should avoid the project area and utilize alternate routes. Motorists should follow detour signs posted on either side of the project area.
  • The Downtown Fire Station will retain access to F Street throughout the project.
  • Capital Transit will use detour routing during construction. The stops at the Federal Building, Downtown Fire Station and Glacier Avenue at 12th Street will be closed beginning July 21 and remain closed for up to three weeks. Transit riders can use the nearby stops at the State Museum, Foodland IGA (at Willoughby) and the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. Additional information regarding Capital Transit stop closures and route alterations will be available at juneaucapitaltransit.org.

Road closure barricades and pedestrian detour signs will be in place for the duration of construction. Please obey all signage and detours for the safety of yourself and others. We appreciate your patience and cooperation while work is underway.

For questions, please contact Jason Hoffbauer, CBJ Project Manager, at [email protected] or (907) 586-0800 ext. 4191.

Originally published July 16. Updated August 6.

July 16th, 2025|

Construction on Lawson Creek Road begins May 12

Construction on the Lawson Creek Road Reconstruction Project will begin on Monday, May 12 and continue throughout the summer.

The project, which affects the entirety of Lawson Creek Road, part of Great Western Street, and part of of Raven Road (see attached), includes water main replacement, sanitary sewer system repairs, installation of a new storm drain system, and pavement and gutter work. The project is expected to be completed by September 15.

Work will generally take place Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with traffic impacts scheduled for 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Work will begin at the Crow Hill intersection and progress up the hill.

During construction, affected stretches of Lawson Creek Road will be closed to through traffic during working hours. A bypass area or one traffic lane (depending on location) will be open at all times, and pedestrian access will be maintained along one side of the street.

Please stay alert for work crews and equipment, follow all traffic signs, and drive slowly and safety in the project area. We appreciate your patience and cooperation and will make every effort to minimize inconvenience while this work is underway.

For questions, please contact:

May 9th, 2025|

Mendenhall Valley flood fighting maps published

New flood modeling supports both near and long-term GLOF mitigation solutions, emergency preparedness

The City & Borough of Juneau (CBJ) today published flood fighting inundation maps for the Mendenhall Valley for glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF). The series of maps demonstrates the effectiveness of the Phase 1 HESCO barrier project and provides a visual model of 8 ft – 20 ft flood levels. The static pdf maps are available on the CBJ website. A Special Topic Assembly Committee of the Whole meeting with subject matter experts will be held at 12 p.m. on May 12.

The inundation maps were produced by modeling the Phase 1 HESCO barrier project at 14 ft – 18 ft flood levels (the August 2024 GLOF was 15.99 ft) both with and without the HESCO barriers. Modeling shows that the Phase 1 HESCO barrier alignment effectively protects the hundreds of homes and infrastructure within the identified Local Improvement District (LID) at these higher flood levels, without causing downstream or upstream impacts to homes or developed property at flood levels similar to the 2024 GLOF. The maps also demonstrate the potential flood impact to the community if the barriers were not in place.

“These new maps provide assurance of our flood fighting efforts with the USACE both in the short and long-term; the maps give us confidence in the barriers going into our neighbor’s yards and get us a big step closer to a permanent flood mitigation solution,” said Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon. “They also remind us that we need to keep focused and keep working together to prepare for the next flood event.”

The maps are the result of CBJ contracting with Michael Baker, International (MBI) to conduct hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) analysis and modeling. The maps were reviewed by the National Weather Service (NWS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the University of Alaska, Southeast with funding support from the USDA Forest Service.

“The Forest Service is proud to have supported the City & Borough of Juneau’s community planning efforts to update flood modeling information,” said Michael Downs, Juneau District Ranger. “This new data will help design more resilient infrastructure around Mendenhall Lake and support the long-term mitigation planning process.”

To develop the maps, MBI performed a thorough review of existing and relevant data to create a hydraulic model using industry-standard USACE river modeling software. This model was then used to simulate potential flood conditions incorporating different glacial lake outburst, rainfall, and tidal conditions. By adjusting these conditions, MBI could simulate the likely flood extents for GLOF events of varying magnitude and simulate the impact and effectiveness of HESCO barrier installation. MBI calibrated the model against the 2023 and 2024 GLOF events for validation. Inundation maps corresponding to one foot lake stage intervals were then created up to 20ft. Of note, to model higher stage GLOF events MBI considered river discharges well beyond the historical record and the USGS rating curve. This data extrapolation makes it challenging to predict higher stage (19ft – 20ft) flood events based on the current understanding of Suicide Basin.

In addition to informing Juneau residents, first responders, local businesses, governments and agencies of the likely flood inundation extents from future potential GLOF events, the maps will be key to the community’s ongoing disaster mitigation and preparedness efforts.

The maps will provide baseline data for the General Investigative Study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in their pursuit of a long-term mitigation solution. CBJ and the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) are also using the maps to plan future community-wide flood mitigation strategies along the Mendenhall River.

“We recognize the vital role of both scientific data and our traditional ecological knowledge in preparing for these environmental changes,” explained President Richard Peterson, Tlingit & Haida. “We encourage our Tribal Citizens to review these maps and engage in discussions about how we can best protect our homes and communities in the face of potential glacial lake outburst flood. This collaborative effort underscores the importance of working together to safeguard our future.”

CBJ and Tlingit & Haida will cohost community preparedness meetings and disaster planning workshops in May and June of this year.

The Maps: The maps and other materials are available at bit.ly/MendenhallFloodMaps, along with a frequently asked questions document and explanatory video from MBI.  The maps include GLOF inundation modeling at the 8 ft – 20 ft levels, significantly expanding the previous modeling which stopped at the 16 ft level. MBI also performed impact modeling from the Phase 1 HESCO barrier project (CBJ website) at the 14 ft – 18 ft flood levels. Additional modeling is in process by MBI and new information will be shared with the community as soon as it becomes available.

For additional information and latest updates regarding the Mendenhall Valley Flood Fighting Maps, visit juneau.org. For questions or comments about the maps, email [email protected], and join the public meeting on Monday, May 12, at 12 p.m. Community members are invited to contact Assembly Members with their questions ahead of the meeting. Meeting participation details are available at juneau.org/calendar.

May 8th, 2025|

Safe Streets 4 All roadway study seeks your input online and at open houses

The City and Borough of Juneau invites all community members to participate in our comprehensive roadway study and safety action plan. We would like to hear about your experiences on Juneau roads, and where we can provide the most impactful solutions to high priority areas.

CBJ has generously been awarded a Safe Streets 4 All (SS4A) planning grant by the U.S. Federal Highways Administration. The purpose of the SS4A grant is to improve roadway safety by reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through developing a safety action plan focused on all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, personal conveyance and micro mobility users, and commercial vehicle operators.

With the help of our friends at Kinney Engineering and RESPEC, we have developed multiple ways for you to get involved! Please visit our website at bit.ly/CBJSafeStreets to find more information on the grant program, take our roadway survey, and make some additions to our interactive map.

We are also hosting three open houses in February. Each will offer the opportunity to hear a brief presentation, speak with the Study and Action Plan team, and see some of our early findings. Please join us at one or all the upcoming dates:

  • Tuesday, February 4, Mendenhall Public Library Large Meeting Room, 5-7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, February 5, Dzantik’I Heeni School Commons, 5-7 p.m.
  • Thursday, February 6, Downtown Public Library Large Meeting Room, 5-7 p.m.

We look forward to hearing from you!

For questions, please contact Jeffrey Thole at [email protected].

January 24th, 2025|

Homestead Park closed for reconstruction starting January 13

Homestead Park in Douglas will be closed to the public for major reconstruction work beginning Monday, January 13. Construction is expected to continue into June 2025.

During this closure, the park will undergo a number of improvements including replacements to the elevated wooden platforms, walkways, and stairs. This project is funded by the Marine Passenger Fee program.

The 3rd Street & David Street bus stop and adjacent sidewalk will not be impacted by construction. The Homestead Park surface parking lot will be closed for the duration of the project.

Learn more about the Homestead Park Rebuild project on the CBJ project page.

For questions, contact CBJ Project Manager Jason Hoffbauer at (907) 586-0800 ext. 4191 or [email protected].

January 10th, 2025|
© 2001-2026 City and Borough of JuneauReturn to Homepage