A city council meeting this week confirmed that a new cheaper design will now be sought for the Fort York Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge. Construction of the curving inclined arch bridge was due to have been tendered shortly.



Councillor Mike Layton had fought to secure enough backing to save the scheme. He said that the move to investigate more affordable designs could "effectively take this project off the table entirely".

"The building of this bridge is extremely time sensitive: the construction becomes more complicated and more costly if it follows rather than precedes the construction of the Metrolinx Air Rail Link," he said. It is difficult to imagine this bridge ever being built if the current momentum is lost and existing approvals are allowed to expire, he said.