  The Jodrell Bank - VLA Astrometric Survey (JVAS) of flat-spectrum sources
yielded a catalog of 2118 compact radio sources in the northern sky. Those
sources are being used as phase calibrators for many synthesis arrays. JVAS
suffers from a zone of avoidance because Galactic confusion prevented selection
of flat-spectrum sources at $\mid b \mid < 2.5\arcdeg$. This confusion problem
was overcome by selecting variable GB6 sources in the JVAS zone of avoidance. A
subset of these sources were observed at 8.5 GHz with the NRAO VLA in the JVAS
style, leading to 29 compact radio sources in the zone of avoidance whose
positions have been measured to an rms accuracy of about 10~mas or less. This
extension of the JVAS lists to lower Galactic latitudes (1) improves the
prospects for VLBA phase-referencing of Galactic targets and (2) strengthens
the lists' usefulness for studies of the Galactic interstellar medium.
