A beloved Mississauga bridge has been saved from demolition

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Published December 18, 2019 at 4:11 pm

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After weeks of passionate protest, the City of Mississauga has managed to save a historic bridge that was slated to be demolished and rebuilt. 

On Dec. 18, the Ontario government announced that it will be rehabilitating the 1934 bridge on the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) over the Credit River in Mississauga.

Last month, Mississauga city council unanimously passed a resolution strongly objecting to the proposed demolition of the existing bridge that spans the Credit River just east of Mississauga Road. The resolution came after the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) announced that it planned to demolish and replace the existing Credit River Bridge rather than rehabilitate it as originally planned. 

The just-announced rehabilitation project is part of a plan to bring overall improvements to the QEW from west of Hurontario Street to west of Mississauga Road. 

The decision to demolish the bridge was announced on Nov. 7, and residents and some members of council were furious and demanded that the province reconsider.

The province says that based on the feedback it received in the aftermath of the demolition announcement, the government made the decision to preserve the original heritage structure of the bridge.

In addition to rehabilitating the existing bridge, the project will also include a new north bridge structure and will accommodate the city’s active transportation plan. It will also bring improvements to the QEW/Mississauga Road interchange.

“This is a government that listens to local communities and values their input on important projects like this,” said Rudy Cuzzetto, MPP for Mississauga-Lakeshore. 

“At over 80 years old, this bridge needs major rehabilitation now, to ensure it remains safe for the public. However, we recognize it is both a provincially significant heritage bridge, and a symbol of the Credit River Valley, and I’m very proud of our commitment to preserve it.”

Ward 1 City Councillor Stephen Dasko praised the province for listening to the city.

“Very pleased to see the government has listened to the community and decided to save the Heritage QEW bridge across the Credit River,” Dasko wrote on Twitter.

“A big thank you to the [Town of Port Credit Association], Mayor [Bonnie] Crombie and councillors [Carolyn] Parrish, [Dipika] Damerla, [Karen] Ras, [Matt] Mahoney and [Ron] Starr for their hard work.” 

The bridge is 840 feet long and was originally constructed in 1934 and expanded in 1960. It is owned by the province.

Cover photo courtesy of TOPCA

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