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The article discusses the construction of the First Avenue Viaduct in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC) in the 1930s, including the role it played in the development of shopping district Commercial Drive, Vancouver. An overview of the role that the Grandview (Vancouver district) Chamber of Commerce played in the First Avenue Viaduct's construction is provided. The Australian legal advisor, building manager and insurance agent Charles E. Smith's plan for the viaduct is discussed.

Presents travel and tourism information about the Commercial Drive area in Vancouver, British Columbia. INSET: Commercial Drive TO KNOW IF YOU GO.

The article features Ryan Knighton, a blind author living near Commercial Drive in Vancouver, British Columbia. It says that Knighton is about to adapt his first book entitled "Cockeyed" for the screen, which is actually a memoir. According to the author, Knighton narrates in the book how he lost his sight to a condition referred to as retinitis pigmentosa The highlights of the memoir "C'mon Papa" and the details of the nonfiction book he is developing entitled "Nothing to See Here" are also discussed.

The article features horseman Nick Felicella. Back in his younger days sometime in the 1950s, Felicella moved from Naples, Italy and converted a coffee shop on Commercial Drive into a restaurant called "Nick's Spaghetti House." Such place has become a favorite of the racing crowd from the track a mile away. In 1979, Felicella and his wife began their interest in horse and horseracing and bought a horse they named Fire Ball. Since then, Felicella had a number of his horses raced at Hastings.

The article discusses the $3-billion Gateway project in the Greater Vancouver Regional District, which will consist of a four-lane, 80 kilometer route running from Fraser Valley to a seven-lane bridge in Pitt Meadows into Vancouver. The project received opposition from the residents of Commercial Drive since cars and even commuters on their way to Trans-Canada Highway will cross the neighborhood into downtown Vancouver. Greater Vancouver Regional District had no road improvements since 1980 so the provincial government intended to respond with the Gateway project.