| Friday Editor andrew@nsnews.com ROAD relief is just 48 hours away. On Friday the much-anticipated North Vancouver City Low Level Connector will officially open to traffic. | . Following years of engineering and traffic study and a year of acrual road work, the $5 million connector roadway promises to alleviate the congested traffic on Marine Drive, a stretch of asphalt North Vancouver City engincers characterize as one of the busiest arterial roads in all of North America, _ “This is a roadway that will keep the city moving smoothly into the next century,” said North Vancouver City Mayor Jack Loucks.- The longtime mayor estimates that “the connector will remove up to 15% of Marine Drive congestion and ‘ provide: much-needed alternative east/west corridor for “traffic flow.” . «. According to city traffic studies, 45,000 vehicles a day _. use Marine Drive — move vehicles than cross the busy Lions Gate Bridge in a 24-hour period. - Assistant city engineer Tony Barber said most arterial roads have a tidal {low aspect to them. In other words, * the bulk of traffic flows one way or another at any given time (i.¢c. busy one way in the morning rush hour and busy: during the afternvon rush hour the other way). “Bet Marine: Drive is busy all the time,” Barber said. ‘You. get commuters going both ways during peak ours, thea you get shoppers and business-related travel diving. the day.” ../ With just Marine Drive and the Upper Levels Highway allowing cast-west cravel across North Vancouver, the Low Level road was identified years ago a way of alleviating growing congestion on Marine Drive. “This is the largest capital project the city has under- gone in’ the past decade,” Barber said, adding that N FUTURE FELL AVE” os RAIL OVERPASS Friday’s officiai opening completes the City’s szction of the low-level Toad. The new section of road over Mosquito Creek links First Street with the Low Level Road, and, according to the city, will accomplish three important objectives: @ reduce congestion on Marine Drive; W@ improve traffic safety because the new four-lane road climinates dangerous corners that large trucks have diffi- culty navigating on Marine Drive; @ and establish a better flow vf traffic to the soon-to-be developed Fullerton flats area on the city waterfront. * Greystone Properties Ltd. is currently in the early stages of constructing a rail overpass on Fell Avenue that will provide access to the Fullerton site, Barber said next on the city’s roadway wish-list is expanding from two lanes to four the stretch of the Low Level Road from St. Andrews cast to 3rd Street. The city has approached the Greater Vancouver Regional District with a funding request for the project, which Barber esti- mates at “approximately $30 million.” Friday’s official opening is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. at the new entrance to the North Vancouver City Works Yard (720 West 2nd St.), © New Traffic Signal am Rallway GS (New Low Level Route 5 Future cotversion to parking tet upon completion of Low Level Route FORBES AVE. NEWS graphic A new bridge over Mosquito Creek (centre) connects 1st Street with 3rd Street in North Vancouver. lorth Van lacrosse team suspent From page t in 1994, This. tribunal — like its predeces- sor — features a single autministra- tor. But Tom Patch, a lawyer who is also acting chairman of the actual B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, could well make his determination without any submissions from the respon- dents, Now defunct, the Daily Victorian was recently dropped from the claim. And on Monday, placard-bearing Collins supporters watched the jour- nalist and his lawyer David Sutherland bow out of tribunal deliberations. Sutherland, who also represents the News, said he may return after lawyers for Abrams, the B.C. Human Rights Commission and B'nai B'rith Canada, which has been granted intervenor status at the hearing, argue the merits of the case. Collins, he added, could Wkewise re-attend “as it suits him.” Moments later, a defiant Collins met reporters to read a prepared statement. He said, “I am nor attending this so-called human rights tribunal — except fo say that I am not attending. I am not defending the columns Harry Abrams and B’Nai B'rith are complaining about because there is nothing to defend. “The columns contain facts and Opinions that Jewish organizations don’t like,” he declared, as support- ers cheered and hotel guests gawked. “But they are not hate literature. If they were, [ would have been WORKMEN put the finishes touches on the new Low Level Connector roadway on Monday. The $5 million construction project . designed to aileviate congestion on Marine Drive in North Vancouver. The official opening of the connector is Friday afternoo Complainant fears . x charged under feder: Instead, the Human C B.C,’s ‘Heresy Act?’ has-been thrown at me.and the, North: Sho: News for the second time: x Outside the hotel, Sut not dismiss a reporter's thae there could be no end‘ ol bunals if future complainan ble. differene.scts of columns -for.ini-" tial consideration ‘by, the. B.C. Human Rights Commission. . Observed Suther!: tion is that this pr eri- ous and fairly obvious harassment.” During. his testimony