Dear Editor:
Re: Editorial: A third North Shore bridge would not solve our traffic issues
I think a cost-effective way to help solve the transportation problem on the North Shore is to just add an upper deck above the existing Highway 1 and bridges as is done in many countries. This would not change the footprint of the existing highway, just use the air above it. This would double the traffic that the highway could handle and could be built relatively quickly with minimal impact to the environment.
You could have the lower deck reserved for traffic going in one direction only with the other deck reserved for traffic in the other direction. Or, what would be cheaper, is to keep the traffic pattern the same on the lower deck as is now with traffic going in both directions, and the upper deck reserved for traffic going in both directions but with few on/off ramps as the upper deck would be mostly used for traffic bypassing the District and North Vancouver as well as West Van.
You could also build relatively cheaply a SkyTrain system with stations spaced out on the upper level and over the bridges to and from Burnaby and Vancouver with stairs and elevators that would connect to various buses on the lower level.
Michael Smith
North Vancouver
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