Ontario Construction News staff writer
Waterfront Toronto has unveiled its preferred design concept for the Keating Channel Pedestrian Bridge, a key piece of infrastructure that will link downtown Toronto to the emerging Port Lands community.
The active transportation bridge is scheduled to open in mid-2028 and will connect the city’s central waterfront to Ookwemin Minising and Biidaasige Park, part of the broader revitalization of the Port Lands district.
Described as “a culturally resonant landmark and gateway to the area’s next phase of waterfront redevelopment”, the bridge features a signature S-shaped suspended arch connected by an array of fanning cables designed to evoke the sun’s path during solstices and equinoxes. The form is intended to create a changing visual experience as pedestrians and cyclists cross the structure throughout the year.
The project is a partnership between Waterfront Toronto, the City of Toronto and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the host nation and treaty holder for the area.
The bridge will span the Keating Channel from the southeast foot of Parliament Slip to the northwest edge of Biidaasige Park North on Ookwemin Minising.
WilkinsonEyre was the design architect, working with Zeidler Architecture Inc. as local architect and Arup as engineer. Additional collaborators include Two Row Architect as Indigenous consultant and PLANT Architect Inc. as landscape architect.
The project builds on earlier planning work, including the Keating Channel Precinct Plan (2010) and the Villiers Island Precinct Plan (2017), which envisioned a pedestrian and cycling bridge linking the central waterfront to the new island and regional park system.
In May 2023, Waterfront Toronto launched a request for qualifications and design competition for the bridge. After a competition that included a virtual public meeting and an online survey with feedback from more than 2,000 residents, the design by WilkinsonEyre—known as the Equinox Bridge—was selected.
Project partners say Indigenous design principles and engagement with Indigenous communities have been central to the concept. Waterfront Toronto is working with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the city’s Indigenous Affairs Office to incorporate Indigenous storytelling, arts and place-making elements into the bridge and surrounding public realm.
Once completed, it will connect the Water’s Edge Promenade east of Parliament Slip with Biidaasige Park North and the broader trail network along the Don River, while complementing existing cycling infrastructure, including the Cherry Street bridge and the Martin Goodman Trail.
