The Credit River bridge on the Queen Elizabeth Way in Mississauga has been spared the wrecking ball.

Earlier this year, the province committed funds to either rehabilitate the 80-plus year-old bridge or tear it down altogether and replace it with a new structure. Although it shortlisted three construction teams to proceed with the work, the government invited the public to provide feedback on their preferred course of action.

Groups such as Mississauga city council argued strongly against the proposal to destroy the bridge, which they said has strong historical significance.

"This bridge has been identified as deserving of heritage preservation, why that is being ignored is baffling to me,” said Councillor George Carlson, who chairs Mississauga's Heritage Advisory Committee. “There's a reason we have heritage inventories: to preserve and protect our history. Once something like this bridge is gone, it's gone forever – we can never get it back. That's why we need to take a strong stance and ensure that we're doing absolutely everything we can to preserve it."

On December 18, the government announced the bridge, which was designated a heritage structure, would be preserved, and a new bridge structure built to the north. Some 165,000 vehicles use the QEW each day.

"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."

Three teams have already been shortlisted for the project: Keystone Transportation Partners (led by Peter Kiewit Sons and Dufferin Construction), Credit River Developers (led by Ferrovial Agromán) and EDCO (led by EllisDon Capital and Coco Paving). Infrastructure Ontario expects to announce the preferred team by the summer.

"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."