1962 - Port Mann Bridge Project Foundations

This film was created in 1962 to show the work that was being done on the Port Mann Bridge with respect to its foundations. The film covers all aspects of creating the foundations. The film was created before the bridge was completed.
The film was produced by Perini Pacific to show the work they were doing. The company no longer exists and as far as I can find out, they went out of business in 1979. They used equipment from Benoto Inc of France
The film has no end credits, but here are the names I managed to connect to the film:
Produced by Lew Weekes
Creators
Donn Williams - owner of Williams Bros Photography Ltd
Warner Williams - I assume the brother to Donn
Don Coltman - not sure why he is included, he sold his photography business to Donn Williams in 1955.
Howard King - Donn Williams purchased glass plates from him.
The film is in the public domain,
The original footage is at this link:
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[@nickiewilson9134]

My late husband's parent's moved to West Vancouver from Niagara Fall's, Ontario in 1960. The father Fred P. was a Professional Engineer,he did the Port Mann and wasn't happy with the design,took his bussiness over Seas to Japan etc.

[@Johnny_Guitar]

EXACTLY .... you're husband was right all along!

[@Berlin-Kladow]

Astounding that while this was built , the patullo bridge was the detour . Yet the Patullo bridge is still going strong , outlasting that 1960’s engineering. Thankfully we have work safe rules these days. The video shows several near misses of hands almost being caught in that drilling equipment. Pretty bad safety rules. I wonder how many workers were killed or injured during the build?

[@BCHistory]

Watch some of the videos of the construction of the Lion's Gae bridge. I am surprised more men did not die.

[@macthemec]

The old port mann still had 25 years of design life in it when it was removed and the pautello has been operating well beyond its designed lifespan for years, the entire bridge deck not just the wearable surface was re cast 10 years ago at night

[@leniszameit]

when i was a little girl in the 60s i loved going over the port mann bridge. we loved the fog lights lit up on the bridge railings. our gparents lived in ladner and normally we went over the pattullo bridge river way to ladner. but a treat was going over the port mann bridge at night coming home

[@larryjohnstone6260]

Loved the old bridge, it blended in with the scenery, unlike the new one.

[@Johnny_Guitar]

I live on the Surrey side and the old bridge was nothing but a COMPLETE nightmare of a design! It was hazardous and especially dangerous at night with the wackiest road-level continuous lighting that caused countless accidents! Worse design ever compared to the fabulous newly built Port Mann Bridge !!!

[@garricksl]

Too bad, Gov of BC destroyed the original one.

[@BCHistory]

I did not understand why it was taken down. I would have thlought there were other uses for it

[@garricksl]

@@BCHistory Westbound could use the original bridge, with the new bridge can have reversible lanes like SF Golden Gate Bridge.

[@BCHistory]

I really wondered about the decision. It surprised me at the time. It is not like the first Port Mann bridge was going to fail

[@macthemec]

Money, flatiron and PKS made at least a billion dollars off the project because it was a design/build contract and they got paid to remove the old bridge

[@DouglasDunn-jo6sm]

@@BCHistoryrumour was that innovative pile system ended up being placed over a large rock that over time was moving and causing issues with one of the pier supports