A bid to save a pedestrian bridge that would have linked two neighbourhoods to Fort York failed to garner city council approval on Wednesday, effectively sealing the fate of the waterfront renewal project.
The city had already spent $1.3 million on the project.
Council's public works committee had voted in April to scrap the S-shaped bridge and search out a cheaper alternative, calling the $23-million project too expensive.
Coun. Mike Layton opposed the decision and appealed to have the decision overturned, presenting council with some 2,000 letters from the public, supporting the original construction plans.
Layton's motion was shot down in council on Wednesday, losing a vote 22-23. The vote had required two-thirds approval to be successful.
The S-shaped bridge was to be completed for next year's War of 1812 bicentennial.
Supporters of the Fort York Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge said it is a key waterfront renewal project and would link to a network of parks and promote local business.
The project was approved in the 2011 budget but the public works and infrastructure committee still had to grant approval to the construction contract.
But the project had been criticized by council conservatives after costs ballooned from $18 million to $23 million.
The bridge would link Fort York to Stanley Park over the GO railway tracks.
An online petition called "Save The Fort York Pedestrian Cycle Bridge" has been launched. It says the bridge would have been on par with London's Millennium Bridge.
