Dramatic changes in Fraser Valley when original Port Mann Bridge and four-lane highway opened in 1964
This photo of the original Port Mann Bridge, built in 1964, was taken by Stephen Rees in 2011. The photo is looking towards the Surrey side of the river. This was written for the 125th anniversary edition of The Chilliwack Progress , B.C.'s oldest continually-published community newspaper. It began operations in 1891. Chilliwack and the entire Lower Mainland began a period of transformative change when Highway 401 (now Highway 1, "the freeway") was officially opened in 1964. The changes related to the opening of that highway continue today. The anniversary edition of The Progress was published on April 29, and can be found here . Unfortunately, it did not have enough room for this article. Chilliwack was drawn irrevocably closer to Vancouver when the four-lane freeway, known at the time as the 401 Highway, was officially opened on June 12, 1964. “At $90 million, this was the most expensive piece of highway in Canada,” said Premier W.A.C. Bennett at the ...