VANCOUVER – Long-term lane closures on Cambie Street to make way for RAV Line construction will begin next week.

Motorists will find the three lanes on the east side of Cambie closed between King Edward and 37th Avenue, beginning Tuesday at 6 a.m. They are expected to stay closed for close to two years, until the fall of 2007.

In the meantime, one of the three lanes on the west side of Cambie will be used for northbound traffic, and two will accommodate southbound traffic. “As a result, traffic delays may occur,” said InTransitBC, the company building the RAV Line, which was officially named the Canada Line last week.

Other changes along Cambie:

– The east side of 37th Avenue will be temporarily closed to vehicles but will stay open for cyclists.

– There will be no street parking on the east side of Cambie between 23d and 41st avenues, nor on the west side between 22nd and 39th avenues.

– The sidewalks will remain open on both sides of Cambie, but cyclists will be detoured along city cycling routes.