the real physical damage was in the earlier shots which were made by peter stackfold who was mostly a still photographer and made quite a name for himself in the liuka shots he made in the early stages of the steel erection. and he made some spectacular scenes from the cables, catwalks as well as the tower places. looking down some 300 feet to the ferry boats below. >> reporter: the work continued. six months ahead of schedule the bridge was finished in november of 1936. the upper deck was six lanes of two way traffic. the lower deck reserved for trucks and commuters trains. >> the bay bridge is the most beautiful bridge in the world. even a lot prettier than the golden gate. it's six or seven different kind of bridges. got tunnel. got a suspension bridge and eight and a half miles long. from the island to the center pier, on the oakland side. is 109 feet longer than the span of the golden gate. >> reporter: beauty does seem to rest most comfortably in the eye of the beholder. >>> when we come back on "a second look," the key system providing transit in the east bay and across the bri