You're being urged not to use side streets to avoid a traffic jam on East 1st Avenue in Vancouver

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Brace yourself for a slow commute if you use 1st Avenue in East Vancouver.

It’s partially closed between Boundary Road and Nanaimo Street as crews begin work on installing a major gas line. Starting today, two lanes are closed on that stretch of the route.

Darren Grieve in the NEWS 1130 Air Patrol has some advice if you want to avoid gridlock. “The best east-west route to take would be Grandview Highway. If you want to continue a little farther up Highway 1 and get off at Hastings Street, that would work pretty well, as well.”

“The one thing you don’t want to do is start using all the side streets in and around 1st Avenue because they are exactly that — side streets. There are a lot of kids on those streets and cars parked on both sides,” he adds.

Jen Coles in the NEWS 1130 Traffic Centre agrees, pointing out those side streets can’t handle the extra volume.

“It’s going to cause more headaches, more frustration, and more volume in areas that don’t need to see it. If you plan your day, take the time to map out the other semi-major routes to get around that situation, to avoid the side streets.”

The work on East 1st Avenue will continue throughout the summer.

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