4 ~ Friday, January 21, 1994 ~ North Shore News Quake tremors: a tunnel anda new bridge are the right idea GRIMLY, THE Los Angeles earthquake arrived im time to shake up some thoughts about a new or renewed . First Narrows Cressing. And the quake solidly supports the opinion I’ve been shaping over the last few months: We need both a bridge and at tunnel. While L don’t stay awake nights worrying about the earthquake promised for this area some time in the next 200 years -—— by which lime } could be as old as 259 and too arthritic to care — many people “do. , ly that case, a second and dilfer- ent kind of crossing at First farrows would be good and pru- dent insurance. : Assuming its survival intact, the’ Second Narrows Bridge would be choked with traffic — for the Months or years required to recon- struct a single First Narrows crass -ing. And don’t assurae it would fare “better than the 1928-~ model Lions Gaie Bridge.’ : The North V:ncouver engincer- ing firm of Bucklarid & Taylor, decided the latter’s ability to with- stand an earthquake is rated as. « ‘ “remarkably good” for its age. ... Wf either was discombobulaied, there'd be a slight traffic jam for ‘ some tine, ’ The average ‘daily traffic count “for Second Narrows is about 100,000, for Lians Gate 65,000. Ifa disaster, crippled Lions Gate, » the volume.on Second Narrows ‘would leap by. two-thirds. And if it “ were the other’ way around ... well, you do the arithmetic. Then sit . down and fan yourself. ->2- Lions Gate is said to be, on'a ‘per-lane basis, one of the most heavily used bridges in the wortd. _ Imagine it with 14 times more traffic than it has now, and you get the jolly old picture. If bath: were badly jarred, the Norih Shore would. be entirely cut off from Vancouver. “Hmmm... yes, the idea has its attractions. {But it would be impractical for many residents of Greater Tiddlycove if they couldn't go downtown to make their fortune. So let us try to be reasonable. ‘ “tis the application of my mighty powers of reasoning that leads to this chain of logic: & Dismiss, right away, the notion of a tunnel alone. f picture what an outside consultant from, for instance, Mirineapolis would say, 37 seconds after arriving and eyeballing the problem. “Hand me that fan your reader was using a few paragraphs ago,” he would say. “Let me get this straight. You have this fantastic view of the mountains for people driving north over your bridge. “And this terrific view of Stanley Park and the city skyline for people driving south. You are also a big tourist destination. “And you're considering putting all these people widerground? “You want to send them through atunael? “You folks up here crazy, or somethin’?” You get the point, A tunnel alone is absurd.- But a tunnel could make sense, if the present bridge was _Fetained and sufficiently hefty tolls imposed to discourage routine usc. ——— Lautens GARDEN OF BIASES Keep the grand old bridge, | suggest, with ils esthetic chann -— how can that be measured? — for those willing to pay the premium for driving across, and also for pedestrians, cyclists, and tour buses. That, unfortunately, is elitist. But better than pulling down the graceful bridge.” B Come on, How can we afford “to fix up Lions Gate — if rebuilt with slightly wider lanes, the bill would be around $85 millioa — and build a tunnel too? i By adopting the orphan of all the opiions: The Hans Bentzen plan, which the Ministry of Highways ignored unti] embarrassed into acknowledg- ing it exists. Bentzen has this advantage: he’s actuafly built a tunnel. That's the Deas Island (Massey) Tunnel. -! His proposal is indeed auda-! cious, and it poses problems involving rights-of-way and con- nections on both sides of Burrard Inlet. : ‘Bentzen would pay for the tun- nel by creating an island of 100 to 150 acres on Burnaby Shoal, east of Stanley Park, and selling the tand. Cost to taxpayers: zilch. Note this: there’s a large dif} fer- ence between Bentzen’s dream and his critics’ description of it. | Bentzen stresses the man-made real estate would be residentiai. His firm’s drawing shows a ercen island that looks almost like a Gulf Island, with a few hors: peeping out among the trees. One critic in contrast foresaw “t5-storey buildings.” The truth? Who can be sure? ; Vd doubt if mere residential lots, even at stratospheric prices, could pay the bill for the tunnel. But | also sniff the quiet pres- sure of existing big developers. Bentzen’‘s island would be multibucks competition, to say nothing of intruding on the hand- some views of present waterfront lease-holders, : i Finally, having described the best deal, what da I foresee as the real deal? We'll get a new five-kine bridge. That's emerged as the front- runner. BC Transit favors it. The provincial government is trying not to look as if it favors it too much. Cost: vaguely. $140 million to $360 million. Watch for a nod by the so-called community focus group, led by West Vancouver's Arthur Griffiths, Case closed. We can handle an earthquake, but don't rock the beat. ome opener Jan. 29 & 30. The Aspens —‘Trailside on Blackcomb is hot property. Phase 1 sold out before the season even began, We'd like to show it off'so you're invited to the Grand Opening, and presale of Phase 2. Don't. miss out this dime. Vhis ts your chance to yet the best located one and two bedroom suites in North America’s #E ski resort. 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