THE voic

—

52 pages

January 12, 1994

OF NORTH ARD WEST 7 VANCOU

TTR AR A pa es negra argent

UW dere

ia) Adis a)
Ah ks ay
= eke y as
Biss tis ae
oe eas Renan ee

(eR IRI OE

Office, Editorial 985-2131

Gov’t consultant names top
Lions Gate Bridge option
‘but committee jury still out

A REPORT commissioned
by the provincial government
and released earlier this
week suggests that a new
five-lane bridge comes closest
to meeting the province’s
goals in dealing with the
aging Lions Gate Bridge.

By Kevin Gillies
Contributing Writer

| The existing bridge would be
scrapped — at a cost of $7 million.

Th. report backing the $145- to
~ $360-million option was produced
' by the Vancouver-based environ-
‘mental consulting firm Acres
International Ltd.

As Lions Gate Bridge’s life
“draws to a close; a community
focus group aided by.a technical
liaison committee and government
consultants is studying a number of
options for the crossing.

In February the group will pare a .

‘list of around 15 options down to a
short list of three or four for further

examination by an expert technical on

committee.
- Prime options will be passed on
to the highways ministry.

“Community Focus Committee
_member William Weir said the con-
sultant’s $ report only examines the
environmental impact of the bridge
options. Environmental impact is

‘one of several factors being exam-
ined by the committee. °

Weir said the committee had not
‘been informed of the consultant's
report favoring the five-lane bridge
option.

“To my knowledge’ the
Community Focus Committee has
not finished its work,” he said.

By April a single recommenda-

tion will be passed on to Minister of
Transportation: and Highways
Jackie Pement.

The new First Narrows bridge

option involves building a cable-
‘stayed bridge east of the existing
bridge. It would be a virtual dupli-
cate of the Alex Fraser Bridge span-
“ning the Fraser River between
‘Richmond and Surrey. ;

The new bridge would run paral-
lel to the Lions Gate with a slightly
, different route to the east through

* Stanley Park. The Chiico bus toop
‘would be moved east of the cause-
way_as it enters the park at Georgia.

.. The new bridge could have four

or five lanes —— the extra being for
- transit or possibly carpools.

A new right-of-way to the cast

through the Squamish lands (Indian
Reserve No. 5) on the North Shore
would be needed. The right-of-way
would likely be narrower than the
existing right-of-way.

The provincial government
would also have to negotiate a new
right-of-way through Stanley Park.
The park is owned by the federal
government but is leased to the city
for park purposes.

Lions Gate Bridge would be
used for traffic untit the new bridge
opened. {t would then be scrapped
and most of the old causeway
would be replanted.

The new bridge would have

sidewalks outside the bridge's

cables to accommodate pedestrians
and cyclists.

Four general-purpose traffic
lanes, two in each direction. would
be augmented by a reversible, tran-
sif-only lane.

The lanes would be 3.6 metres
(11.7 feet) wide.

The cost of building the five-
lane bridge could go as high as
$360 million if Stanley Park should
receive majar renovations for

‘esthetic purposes. A four-lane

bridge would be slightly cheaper to
build.

Points in favor of a new bridge
at First Narrows:

H it would be a compietely new
structure — no mixing of oid and
new parts. [t would therefore have a
longer lifespan;

B it would connect easily into

sting traffic patterns;

there would be a minimum of
disruption to commuters. Lions
Gate Bridge would be used while
construction takes place:

@ work could be done during
the day. thereby averting premium
labor costs;

& it would improve facilities for
cyclists and pedestrians;

& it would improve traffic flow
by having two lanes in each direc-
tion;

B it would provide a dedicated
lane transit lane;

@ it would meet the construction
timetable,

Working agains? the proposal:

@ the old bridge would be
scrapped — regardless of its his-
toric significance;

@ impact on Stanley Park — a
new arm of the existing causeway
would need construction and part of
the existing causeway would have
to be widened to accommodate two
extra lanes.

some disruption to commuters
when the new bridge tics into the
North Shore approaches.

exretiti

HOME COOKING
Endless Sunday suppers
in the kitchen of an
Austrian master.

HAPPY TRAILS

NV rockers Mushreom
Trail set to ink
worldwide deal.

Je

Display Advertising 980-0511 Classifieds 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337

NEWS photo Nell Lucent

Sportsplex soccer action

_A BOUNDARY Bullets player (right) fights for ball control Saturday against a Lions Gate
Laser during action at the Capilano College Sportsplex. Over 2,500 local soccer players
took part in the North Shore News-sponsored Seventh Annual North Shore. Youth Soccer
Association Indoor Tournament, the largest indoor competition in North America.

Eek