Ontario Construction News staff writer
Fabrication has begun on a new pedestrian and cycling bridge that will connect downtown Toronto to Biidaasige Park and the new island of Ookwemin Minising.
Waterfront Toronto announced Nov. 1 that the Keating Channel Pedestrian Bridge is being manufactured by Cherubini Bridges and Structures in Dartmouth, N.S., using Canadian-made Algoma steel.
The bridge is expected to be transported to Toronto by barge through the St. Lawrence Seaway in 2027, with an opening anticipated in mid-2028.
The design, known as the Equinox Bridge, features an S-shaped suspended arch connected by fanning cables. The design is intended to evoke the sun’s path during solstices and equinoxes, creating changing visual effects as pedestrians and cyclists cross the bridge.
The bridge was designed by UK-based WilkinsonEyre in collaboration with Toronto-based Zeidler Architecture, engineering firm Arup, Indigenous consultant Two Row Architect and landscape architect PLANT Architect.
The bridge will provide an active transportation connection between Toronto’s central waterfront, Ookwemin Minising and Biidaasige Park, part of the city’s broader waterfront revitalization.
The project is a partnership between Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto, in collaboration with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Host Nation and Treaty Holder.
Plans for a pedestrian and cycling bridge across the Keating Channel date back to the Keating Channel Precinct Plan in 2010. The concept was carried forward in the 2017 Villiers Island Precinct Plan and the Port Lands Planning Framework, which identified the need to connect the central waterfront with Ookwemin Minising and the regional park system.
Waterfront Toronto and its partners launched a request for qualifications and design competition in May 2023 to select a bridge design that would provide an accessible connection and a distinctive gateway to the new island.
The winning design was selected following a competition that included a virtual public meeting and an online survey that received input from more than 2,000 community members.
The project team continued to consult with accessibility and community advisory committees, the Design Review Panel and Indigenous communities as the design advanced. The work also involved further assessment of construction costs, technical requirements and delivery strategies.
The team is now coordinating construction plans with work at the bridge’s two landing sites: the new stretch of Water’s Edge Promenade at Quayside and the northern section of Biidaasige Park.
Once complete, the bridge will provide a new route for pedestrians and cyclists travelling between downtown Toronto and the developing waterfront district.
