The Bentway is a unique public space and programming platform that reimagines 1.75km of underutilized land underneath Toronto’s elevated highway, the Gardiner Expressway, as a new creative place, connective corridor, and backyard park for all of Toronto.

The Gardiner Expressway has long been a point of division in the City, cutting off the mainly residential city from the traditionally industrial waterfront. The Bentway aims to renew Toronto’s connection to its waterfront, by knitting together seven distinct urban neighbourhoods home to nearly 100,000 people living within a 10-minute walk and improving north-south pathways to the water. For these mostly condo-dwelling residents, The Bentway acts as a vital gathering space and pedestrian corridor through Toronto’s western downtown. The Bentway improves north-south connections under the Expressway, linking up to an existing network of sidewalks, bike lanes, and multi-use trails, becoming a gateway to Toronto’s waterfront.

Construction of Phase 1 was completed in 2018, and includes the following key spaces and amenities:

- A 720-ft long refrigerated Skate Trail

- A multi-use path connecting to surrounding communities

- Wooden Amphitheatre that seats 200

- Green Amphitheatre that seats 1,000

- Interior washroom and maintenance facilities

- A “splash pad” water feature

- Site lighting, park furniture, and free site-wide WiFi

- 5 storeys of height from the ground up to the deck of the Gardiner

The Bentway

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Winner Status