The $785 million cycle bridge plan for Auckland's Waitematā Harbour, once championed as a "missing link" by Transport Minister Michael Wood, has been dumped.
The funding will instead go to speeding up construction of the new Eastern Busway to communities in South and East Auckland.
The bridge was not popular with Aucklanders. A Newshub Reid Research poll from August revealing 81.7 percent of respondents did not support the crossing, while just 11.9 percent said they did.
The bridge was also panned as an ‘ideological vanity project’ by the opposition. At the same time of its announcement the government confirmed it was scrapping road projects in South Auckland, including the new arterial route through Papakura, Manukau, Takanini and Drury.
"Cancelling Mill Road will leave South Aucklanders fighting gridlock for decades to come," National's infrastructure spokesperson Andrew Bayly said.
Wood is now acknowledging the bridge does not have public backing.
"It did not get the public support needed for a project of its scale, and we acknowledge that," he said.
Waka Kotahi has been tasked with looking into cheaper ways of getting cyclists over the bridge, including dedicated cycle ferries or buses, according to Wood.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff welcomed the announcement saying the busway "infrastructure is critical" for those in the South and East.