4 ~ North Shore News — Wednesday, March 22, 2000 Summer closures threaten businesses irom page 1 night through to 6 a.m. the following Monday morning. Dalton said thar the week: end closures would only serve to cripple businesses and tourist attractions on the North Shore and in the Sea- to-Sky corridor leading to Whistler. He was also worried what sort of effect the closures would have on businesses adjacent to the bridye in the Park Royal and Ambleside areas. He also wondered what sort of a guaranice motorists and transit riders had that the bridge would not remain closed past the 6 a.m. cutoff time should nighttime repairs be delayed for some reason. “What happens if there’s a delay and the bridge doesn’t open at six a.m. sharp?” he said. “What about the people who have 8:30 classes at UBC? These summer closures invite nothing but trouble.” He said that because there are only ovo SeaBuses, the vessels could not be expected to adequately handle the over- flow of commuters if such a delayed opening were to occur one morning. Nancy Stibbard, owner and general manager of the Capilano Suspension Bridge, agreed with Dalton and said in a statement that any clo- sures could spell economic disaster not only for her site but for other tourist draws on the North Shore. “Any daytime closures from June to the end of September would be devastat- ing and have a long-term effect on business on the North Shore and beyond,” she said. The Capilano Suspension Bridge draws some 800,000 visitors a year with over 80% coming through the gates during the summer months. Dalton, who took a tour of the construction site below the bridge last week, said that he is doubtful the bridge upgrade can even be complet- ed on time. “The first scheduled clo- sure of the bridge was slated for January, and now they’re talking June,” he said. “That tells you how far behind schedule they are. They can’t do it (by the fall). You talk to any engineer on this planet and they'll tell you that they can’t do it in that timeline. “This whole project was doomed from the start. I hate to say that 1 told you so, but that’s what it’s coming, to.” Doyle, however, — was adamant that bridge repairs would be completed on schedule and scoffed at Dalton’s suggestion that the contractors wouldn't be able to finish the job on time. “There are no problems and there’s no truth to what Dalton is saying,” he said. “We're still on schedule to fin- ish the work (by the dead- line).” There are penalties if the project isn’t completed within the agreed-upon timetrame, but Doyle would not elabo- rate on what they were. He admitted that work had fallen behind due to a delay in the fabrication work for the S4 deck panels that must be replaced in the renovation process. “The work can't be done without closures, but our objective is to minimize the disruption to traffic as much as possible,” he said. “We're only going to close the bridge at nighttime when traffic vol- umes are at their lowest.” He said the BCTFA aiso plans to launch an aggressive advertising campaign through newspapers and radio and meet with community groups to keep them abreast of any planned closures. “We want to warn people well in advance so that they can make alternative travel plans,” he said. West Vancouver District Coun. John Clark said he is confident that the closures won't pose too much of a problem for people wavelling to and from the North Shore and that the project leaders will work closely with the public to lessen the impact of any shutdowns. “The project office is very sensitive to the conditions on the North as well as the South Shore and they'll work closely with both community groups and chambers of commerce to mitigate the situation as best they can,” he said. Clark said he would only be concerned if the total num- ber of night closures were increased. Initially, — approximately 150) night) closures were planned for the bridge but Clark was part of an ad hac committee that included the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, the Retail Merchants of B.C., and the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver that last year suc- cessfully lobbied the project leaders to whittle that number down to 40 or less. 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