LONSDALE IN TERCHANGE ‘Highway improvement projects unveiled highways improvement projects were presented for public inspection Tuesday afternoon at the Coach House Inn. Provincial : officials were also ex hand to answer questions fram the public about the $22 rikion Lonsdex interchange st. ike Upper Levels Highway and - the $10. million Doliarton High- way overhaul. : :. Avseale model” of the $85. mil- lion Cassiar: Connector project was aisy on display. . Stage. one “of the. four-stage Lonsdale interchange.began soon after the -$10.9 million coastrac- tion contract for the project was awarded in’ June, to. Langley’s - Milter Contracting Ltd. Traffic wiil — remain on major existing streets. during stage one, -but a number of ‘smaller roads. that feed on to the ‘highway are now being closed, some ‘permanently. - LCN NE AAR The project to. build: highway . erpasses at. Lonsdale Avenue ‘gad Westview Drive. ‘was initistty Announced in October 1985, with ‘construction scheduled to begin *early in 1986; "Bat the-project has ‘been delayed until this venr. ..- ‘Dave Cunliffe, ” ‘highways ministry regional director ior the Guthcoast ‘region, said: Tuesday could foresee no major prob- is with the chronically-delayee project. amd «bss received . iitdle, egative feedback from/area res- idents over the construction atart. “have been anxivusly. awaiting the start of constractisn, and: think |, ithey ‘are. ‘greeting the- signs’ of ‘construction with relief.”” “According to. plaus for the in- terchange, two lanes of traffic _will be maintained in both direc- tions on the bighway and Lons- “dele throughout project con- struction. Highways McLean said tkere will minimal traffic delsys. -The project's stage one, which is.scheduled to be completed by December, involves the clearing and ground work for the inter- change’s on and off ramps, and the new highway configuration slightly seuth of its current loca- tion. Traffic will remain on major existing streets during stage one, but ¢ number of smaller roads that feed on to the highway are now being clesed, some perina- nently: ® Mahon Avenue access to the south side of the highway will be closed permanently at the lane north of West 24th Street; spokesman Rob be By TIMOTHY RENSHAW News Reporter ° © Chesterfield Avenue im- mediately south of the highway will be closed temporarily north of West 24th Street; - « .St.. Georges Avenue im- mediately south of the highway wilt be closed temporarily nurth of East 24th Street; . e St. Andrews Avenue access to the south side of the highway wiil be closed permanently at the Jane north of East 24th Street; ¢ And St. Georges Avenue north of the Upper Levels wiil be closed temporarily between East 26th Street and the highway. ‘In addition, parking will be prohibited along the westbound lanes of the highway during con- struction. In the project's stage two, which is scheduled for July 1999 completion, north and south- bound Lonsdale Avenue traffic will be re-routed via a temporary bridge that will jog slightly east over highway excavations. Eastbound bighway traffic will be diverted to ramps running south of the highway and parailel to excavations, while westhound traffic will run stong existing, widened westbound highway lanes. Both Chesterfield and St. Georges. Avenue will then be reopened to traffic. Cunliffe said the provincial government is currently planning Show best (0. stage construction on the accompanying Westview Drive. and Uppes Levels Highway : interchange. : *~ He said. the process $s should be “complete in the next three to four months. A poll, of resident. preference for Westview ‘overpass Loop or _Dinmond. design options was conducted last year.- / But: Cunliffe said. ‘the split was nearly even, and che. previncial government bas since chosen the Loop’ as the best option from an engineering point of view. Deiails of stages three and four will be released at a later date. Meanwhile, the $11 million, two-year. Dollarton . Highway overhaul is scheduled to begin § September. A 7.6-km section of the high- way, from McCariney Creek to Deep Cove, will be upgraded under the project to provide two lanes and a parking lane where possible. In addition, the overhaul will include grade construction, in- stallation of a concrete sidewalk, gutters, curbs on one side of the highway, an enclosed drainage system and bus bays. Left turn lanes will also be provided at Dollarton Highway jatersections at Roche Point Road, Dollar Road and Mount Seymour Parkway. The existing watermain will be replaced along the highway dur- jag construction. Following the upgrade, Dollar- toa will be declassified as a pro- vincial highway and turned over to North Vancouver District. 3 - Friday, July 28, 1989 - NEWS photos Tar Burley NORTH VAN BUS DEPOT Closure put on hoid PLANS TO close B.C. Transit’s North Vancouver bus depot and base Nozth Vancouver buses in Burnaby were put on hold July 21 by the B.C. Transit board of directors. The proposed move has been vehemently opposed by bus drivers, local bus users and the Vancouver Regional Transit Commission (VRTC). Transit staff cited the nec to cover expanding bus service on the North Shoré as reason to keep the East 3rd Street depot open. According to B.C. Transit spokesman Diane Gerdron, deci- sion on the ultimate fate of the ag- ing depot may be held up until the end of the year, pending comple- tion of a transit facility study. Said Gendron, ‘‘Because of the population growth everywhere, we're doing a facility study that will look at the need down the road in all areas, including North Vancouver.’* The VRTC voted June 1 to direct transit staff to explore all By MICHAEL BECKER News Reporter possible options of keeping North Vancouver buses on the North Shore. Meanwhile, local residents and transit workers belonging to In- dependent Canadian Transit Union Local 1, the union representing North Vancouver bus operators, proposed moving the 77 Novth Vancouver buses to the Lloyd Avenue depot, presently home to 28 West Vancouver Blue buses. But the move could cause labor trouble between ICTU and the Amalgamaied Transit Union (ATU), the union representing West Vancouver bus system opera- tors. At a June 29 general mecting, ICTU members supported a notice Editorial Page Home & Garden What's Going On..... Second Class Registration Number 3885 nate North Shore News Crushing blow THREE CARS mixed it up ear- ly Tuesday evening at the in- tersection of East 19th Street and Grand Boulevard. Accord- ing to North Vancoaver RCMP, the driver of the smashed up Renault (above) was attempting a left turn when collision occurred with an on- coming vehicle. The second vehicle then crashed into a third vehicle. Right, Renault driver Jim Munro comforts passenger Kerri Gilmour. No one was seriously hurt, but the accident resulted in approximately $5,700 damage to the cars in- volved. of motion calling for the granting of ‘grandfather’ rights on West Vancouver work to West Van- couver ATU members. According to ICTU Local 1 president Fred McCormack, if North Vancouver buses and the ICTU move to Lloyd Avenue and B.C. Transit absorbs the West Vancouver Blue Bus system, oper- ators working full time for West Vancouver Municipal Transit wouid be given first choice tc do existing West Vancouver work. But said Eric Wallace, ATU Local 134 president and business agent, ‘‘I don’t expect that (the move) to take place. I don’t expect ICTU to be taking over any of West Vancouver. ICTU is putting the cart before the horse again. We fully expect West Vancouver will still be a separate entity. It has always been an excellent bus system run by West Vancouver. We’re just sitting back and waiting until the ball stops bouncing.”’ WEATHER Friday, cloudy witk sunny periods. Chance of showers. Saturday, mostly cloudy with @ chance of showers. Highs near 21°C.