Friday, August 11, 20G0 - North Shore News - 3

Bridge replacement — schedule still not set

Prospect Point overpass to be replaced in the fali

Michael Becker

Newsroom Editor

Sn) — wit! eventualiy replace the exist-

long (19 deck. Deck pieces will be lifted inte

ing brid

NEWS photo Paul McGrath

Stepping out

ALE Brisbois (front), from Yakima and Robert Washington (rear) from Lummi — both in Washington State — showed their form in the men’s dance competition at the Squamish Nation Powwow last weekend.

Court hears dead youth on a mission to purchase LSD

salecker@nsuews.com

WORK on the §100-million Lions Gate Bridge renovation project continues slowly.

The southbound exit ramp to Prospect: Point will be closed 10 p.m. Sunday Aug. 13 to 6 aan, Wednesday Aug. 16. The closure is nec yo to allow completion of construction work at the Stantey Park Causeway exit point,

Lions Gate Project: spokeswoman Pany Ryan said new lane-controt lights have been installed along the causew. Work contiaues on jane widening and retaining walls on the west side of the causeway north of the Prospect Point over- pass. Seismic upgrading work continues on the north approach bridge viaduct.

In May, scheduled closures of the bridge were postponed after Lions Gate Project officials, in consultation with the contractors American Bridge and SureSpan, decided they weren’t satisfied with the engineering and equipment procedures for the deck lower and lift process. [It was found that the process to connect and disconnect the continuity ink as designed would be too slow and jeopar- dized chances to reopen the bridge to traffic by the 6 a.m. deadline envisioned.

The design of the continuity link remains under review. The link connects new and old deck Pieces to prevent sway. Fifty-four deck pieces, weighing in at 105 tonne — the majority of which measure 55 feet wide (17 m) by 64 feer

position by a moveable crane called a jacking wav- cHer.

Those who drive across the bridge will notice the angle of the deck at centre span has changed. Said Ryan, “It’s very normal and it’s part of the deck replacement process. V pected it deck replacement work continues there are going to be many more noticeable changes on the bridge, but the bridge itself is 109 per cent safe for traflic. ‘These changes in no way compromise the safety of the bridge. The good thing is that once the deck replacement process is finished, the bridge is actu- ally going to be smoother than it was before we started. There's actually quite a big hump in the bridge at the centre section of the rain span. Thart’s going to be much more smoother.”

Deck replacement was to take place during night-time closures throughout the summer, The design problem on the lift and replace process remains under review. A new closure schedule has yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, on July 24, the Vancouver Park Board unanimously called for the replacement of the Prospect Point overpass as part of the Stanley Park causeway improvements. Staff advised that if the existing overpass were to be modified, up to 30 significant trees would be compromised.

Ryan said demolition and replacement of the overpass at Prospect Point will take place in con- junction with bridge closures and bridge deck replacement. “Our target is the fall,” she said.

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to Vancouver to pick up some LSD for an acquaintance. One of Steudle’s friends testified that Steudle planned to sce part of the Indy race as well.

Steudle, a Ladysmith secondary student going into Grade 12, leli his auto body shop job at noon and drove his 1976 red Mercury Bobcat to the ferry. Three weeks later Steudle’s body was discovered by hikers.

His broken-down car was found about a month later for sale in Squalix, near Sorrento and Chase in the Shuswap [ake area. Through a note and phone number left by one of the car's occu-

pants, police eventually contacted two teenage

confessed during the investigation. The Crown lawyer did not go into a motive for the crime. The accused girl, who was born in Masset and lived as a street kid in the Victoria area, was charged in March 1959 and has been in custody for about 18 months.

On Wednesday, an acquaintance of Steud! ‘Troy Loucks, 30, testified that he had g..it Steudle $160 to buy 100 hits of ISD in Vancouver. Loucks testified that the LSD was for his own consumption and that Steudle was not peid expenses or a fee for the drug buy. Loucks testified he was “pissed off when he assumed Steudle had ripped him off.

Wimess Blair Acton, owner of the Squalix General Store and Hostel, testified that in carly September a red Bobcat had broken down near

ing, dread-locked hair with body piercing. Her friend in a hooded sweatshirt was described as. “sort of looking like a squeegee kid.” Acton allowed the car to be towed to her lot and placed tor sale for a few weeks. The girt left a note with her mother’s phone number, Acton testified the young people appeared to be heading to Montreal to go to school. Chase RCMP confis- cated the car the next month. The mother of one of the girls was contacted through the phone number on the note. Police eventually contacted the gil and her friend who was later charged with) murder. erday, the accused girl's defence law Philip Rankin cross examined West Vancouver Police Department (WVPD) Detective Stewart Nowacki, the head investiga- tor of the ca

occurred?” Nowacki paused and said, “Yes.” Nowacki testified that he didn’t know the whereabouts of Steudle’s car, the car keys, the vehicle registration paper from the car or the note the girl left with her mother’s number. He testified chat Steudie’s death as a possible suicide initially was “certainly 2 plausible outcome.” Nowacki testified that the idea of using an under-" cover police sting came from an RCMP sergeant. The sergeant’s role in the investigation was not explained to the jury. Rankin asked about WYPD press release trom September 1997 in which Steudle’s death was aot linked to foul play. ‘Testified Nowacki, “I have no idea what people based their press releases on.” Rankin then asked Nowacki if he knew Sut. Pollitt, the apparent author of the press release. Nowacki said Pollitt

girls, including one of the accused. The girls were interviewed by West Vancouver Police repeated- ly. The gids were eventually “targets” of an undercover police investigation. The accused girl de

Neighbours bring ack flighty bird —

Deana Lancaster

News Reporter dlancaster@nsnews.com

PESO the parrot has settied back comfortably into home life after making an unsuccessful bid for freedom. ;

His owner Carla Grant doesn’c think he'd have made it back without the help of hee Lynnmour neighbourhood. “1 just could not believe my neighbours ... [had more than 30 people who live here trying to help us catch him.”

Peso's adventure began in mid-July, Much to Grant’s d may, the bird — a wedding gift from her husband Kerry a year ago — flew away. “We didn’t think he coutd fly. His wings were clipped ... but not clipped enough,” she said: For five days the bird travelled the neighbourhood, landing in various trees and on rooftops.

The Grants’ neighbours kept track of the missing bird’s whereabouts. “He let us know where he was — he says ‘Hello’ constantly, starting at seven in the morning.”

One woman in the neighbourhood rose early every inorning, to listen for him, while another residvat, who is a linesman for Telus, took Carla up in his truck’s basket to try and get Peso

. back. The postal carrier across the strect even delivered notices around the neighbourhood, asking, for help in locating him.

Peso was eventually spotted in a tree where they thought

: they could reach him. “One of ny neighbours cabled his cage it weighs 70 pounds — up to the roof of the house, and - another woman went and bought some McDonald’s French |. fries, his favourite treat,” said Carla. She then crawled up on the roof and managed to lure Peso back into his cage. “He drank a lot, he was really dehydrated. But he's a happy bird now.”

her business. A girl from the car made several calls to someone to help stare the vebi bed the girl as wearing dark, ripped cloth-

Acton

was Ho sical ¢

Rankin asked, “ Would you agree before the undercover (investigation) was mounted, there lence of a murder having

was a duty officer ar the time. If convicted, the teen faces up to seven years in jail. The trial continues. .

AFTER five days on the lam Peso the parrot was returned safely hame, thanks to the n foreground, and Kerry Grant, immediately to the left of her. Pots :