The bridge, designed by Santiago Calatrava, was intended to serve as a visual and symbolic gateway for travellers coming to and from Denver via the airport. The tied arch design had been unveiled in July last year. 

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is obligated to build a basic bridge, while DIA has the right to pay for betterment. However, DIA's leadership has determined that the premium for building the signature bridge is not in the best interest of the airport.

“From the day we announced the South Terminal Redevelopment Program we’ve pledged only to move forward with projects that make good financial sense,” said DIA manager of aviation Kim Day.  “Mr Calatrava designed a stunning gateway element that would’ve been the envy of other cities and airports around the world. However, our first and foremost responsibility is to maintain the fiscal strength of this airport, and investing $20 million in this structure is just not the best use of our capital.”

The airport estimated the cost for building the signature bridge would have been US$22 million. RTD identified US$1.4 million as their cost for a standard elevated rail bridge crossing Peña Boulevard.  This would have represented their contribution toward DIA’s signature bridge.

“We worked over the past few months with our design team and RTD to reconcile costs and their contribution for the bridge,” Day said.  “At the end of the day, this was simply not a sufficient offset for us to pursue building the bridge.”