It opened in 1970, the same year the municipal government recanted and cancelled construction of the remainder of Harbour Drive. It then cost $5.8 million. In the decades since construction, the interchange has become a much-maligned feature of downtown Halifax. It is widely considered excessively large and pedestrian unfriendly. It separates downtown from the North End and the waterfront from the uphill areas. Numerous plans have been put forth for its demolition. The most current, the Cogswell Interchange Lands Plan, is currently in the detailed design stage. The design is being led by the Redevelopment Program director John Spinelli, previously of the Union Station Redevelopment Project in Toronto, Ontario. The plan aims to offer quality urban design and promote economic development through a number of goals:   On September 20, 2016, the municipal government voted to hire a company to develop a plan for its removal and replacement by a more appropriate road network with the design work being carried out by WSP Group and several design consultants. In February 2019, council approved the 90 per cent design plan and directed city staff to proceed with a tender for the demolition and redevelopment of the site. The municipality and the province share responsibility for maintenance of the bridge spans. The municipality is responsible for the road surfaces and the retaining walls.