Protesters gathered on Edmonton's Cloverdale Footbridge on Saturday afternoon in an effort to encourage city officials to put the brakes on a $1.8 billion-dollar Valley Line LRT extension project.

The pedestrian bridge is scheduled to be torn down to make room for the new portion of the LRT – a move that organizers claim is a mistake.

“The end goal is to urge the City to stop the Valley Line planning and to instead focus on an integrated and intelligent public transit system that [Edmontonians] can afford, [making] use of bus rapid transit,” said Save the Footbridge organizer Kristine Kowalchuk.

“As ETS advisory board said in [a] report to city council last fall, BRT can offer the same service as LRT for a fraction of the cost […] and I would say it does more because it leaves mature neighbourhoods alone – it leaves the river valley alone,” she told CTV News.

“LRT is actually outdated technology that cities around the world are moving away from – and towards BRT.”

The plan for the Valley LRT Line includes replacing the Cloverdale footbridge with a new pedestrian bridge.

However, City officials warn construction on the project will mean no one will be crossing for another three years.

According to Brenda Heffel, who uses a wheelchair, the footbridge is one of the few places she can go and the only way she can access the river valley.

“This is a special place. This is a park that we can come and enjoy the river. There are few places we can do that. I think the LRT could have gone another route and left this valley alone,” said Heffel.

Edmonton-Strathcona MP, Linda Duncan said she fought for years to protect the “natural aspect” of the river valley communities and supports organizers efforts.

“The decision has clearly been made […] I  came out to encourage them to get a voice in how this project is built to ensure the bridge remains as long as possible and to make sure that the natural area is not unnecessarily bulldozed,” she said.

However, Kowalchuk believes the project can be haulted.

“We can definitely stop it […] I don’t think it’s ever too late,” she said.

The Cloverdale Footbridge is slated to close in July.

With files from Nicole Weisberg