Ontario cancels demolition of historic Mississauga bridge, will repair it instead

The provincial government has announced it will be preserving a historic bridge in Mississauga.

The bridge, which is on the QEW and runs over the Credit River, was set to be demolished last month and replaced with two identical box girder bridges, according to a provincial report.

But after receiving feedback from the public to scrap the proposal, the province has decided to use the funds to rehabilitate the bridge instead of destroying it.

"Our government has listened to the people of Mississauga and we will only seek bids that involve the preservation and rehabilitation of the existing Credit River bridge on the QEW," said Kinga Surma, Associate Minister of Transportation. "We will be moving forward with rehabilitation of the bridge as announced in April."

The bridge's historic significance dates back to 1934 when it was built and was officially opened five years later during a visit by King George VI and the Queen Mother. 

New north bridge

In 2009, it was designated as provincially significant under the Ontario Heritage Act.

In a news release, the Ontario government also notes the project will include a new bridge north of the existing one.

"Building this critical infrastructure project is crucial to ensure we can move people and goods across our region," said Kaleed Rasheed, MPP for Mississauga East-Cooksville. "I am glad to hear that the project will go ahead while maintaining the Credit River bridge."