On January 22, 2007, Saskatoon City Council voted to officially name it the "Traffic Bridge", on the recommendation of the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee, as a way to acknowledge its historic character and the vital role it played in the city's early history.

[1] The Traffic Bridge came into being when residents of Nutana agreed to merge with the town of Saskatoon and the village of Riversdale to form a city.

As a condition of their joining with the other two communities, they demanded that a bridge be built for foot and vehicular traffic.

Up to then, the only way to cross the river was on an unreliable ferry, or a difficult and sometimes dangerous walk across the QLLS railway bridge.

An anchor presumed to be the SS City of Medicine Hat's was located in August 2006 by divers training just downstream, near the Broadway Bridge.

Short Hill referred to the steep rise up the east bank from the foot of the bridge along Victoria Avenue.

Some adjustments were also made to widen the roadway, as many modern motorists were experiencing difficulty crossing the bridge.

On September 6, 2005, the City of Saskatoon closed the bridge for inspection, in preparation for planned upgrades to the roadway (including the installation of the city's first roundabout (since the removal of the "traffic circle" on 8th Street a decade earlier) just off the north end of the bridge) in anticipation of an adjacent riverfront development (River Landing).

On November 2, the bridge was closed indefinitely to vehicular traffic upon completion of the inspection, due to corrosion and other factors.

[15] Without major repairs, engineers had given the bridge a 20 year life expectancy (either as a vehicle or a pedestrian crossing).

[19] A 2010 poll conducted by Insightrix Research showed that the public was split over to repair or replace the bridge.

[23] Although the final design, funding and timeline for construction for the new bridge are yet to be determined, it will be wider and possibly shorter than the existing structure.

[24][full citation needed] Proposals to salvage sections of the original bridge and its LED lights were scrapped due to cost, as decided by an executive committee in May 2011.

The pedestrian access ramp on the south side of the bridge was removed first to enable load testing on the piers.

City officials warned thrill-seekers that construction made the water near the bridge extra hazardous.

Vehicular traffic was allowed as of October 3, one day after the opening of the Chief Mistawasis Bridge at the north end of Saskatoon.