Construction is well underway on The Bentway (formerly known as Under the Gardiner Park), which is expected to transform 1.75km beneath the Gardiner Expressway, from Strachan Avenue to Bathurst Street, into a series of public spaces connecting neighbourhoods and acting as a gateway to the waterfront. Designed by PUBLIC WORK, one of Canada’s leading urban design and landscape architecture firms, The Bentway is the result of the partnership between The City of Toronto and the Judy and Wilmot Matthews Foundation originally announced in 2015.
The first phase of the project between the Fort York Visitor Centre and Bathurst Street is slated to open in December 2017 – just in time for visitors to enjoy the figure-eight shaped skating trail. The remaining stretch of The Bentway to Strachan Avenue will include access to the Garrison Crossing, with both projects expected to open in the Summer of 2018. Garrison Crossing will connect to Greybrook’s Garrison Point development, providing residents access to The Bentway, waterfront, and beyond.