The plan was halted in the face of opposition, but the Cogswell Interchange remained a visible reminder, occupying a large amount of prime land and posing a barrier to pedestrian movement.

[2] This eventually became Scotia Square, a complex of office, residential and hotel towers atop parking garages and a shopping mall.

The developers of Scotia Square, a project of a scale hitherto unattempted in the Maritimes, stressed the importance of improved transport infrastructure to the complex and commissioned a study recommending a conceptual precursor to "Harbour Drive", a proposed elevated freeway running parallel to the water, similar to the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto.

Opposition to the plan began to mount, led by the Nova Scotia Association of Architects with Allan F. Duffus at the helm.

Many architects, engineers and planners spoke out against the destruction of the historic urban core and stated that it was not too late to build "simpler roads," which would require less demolition.

[8] 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.