The initial phase knits together seven local neighbourhoods with over 70,000 residents, becoming a gateway to the waterfront and providing access to important attractions and destinations. The Bentway offers year-round activities and events, including a skate trail, recreational amenities, public art, festivals, live performances, and more.
The Bentway follows the original shoreline of Lake Ontario, when it was an important junction for trade, and a hunting and a gathering place for Indigenous peoples. The site is located on the Treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and is the traditional territory of the Haundenosaunee, the Huron-Wendat, and many other Indigenous nations. The first phase of The Bentway is located on lands that are part of Fort York National Historic Site, recognized by the Government of Canada as being of national significance.
| Infrastructure Type | Highway |
| Status | Open / Ongoing |
| Opening | 2018 |
| Size | 10 acres, 1.2 miles |
| Design Team | PUBLIC WORK, Greenberg Consultants, Inc. |
| Management | Managed by the Bentway Conservancy in partnership with the City of Toronto |
| Project Leader | Ilana Altman & David Carey |
We were under the Gardiner Expressway, and the zoom of cars overhead blended with a low, irregular hum: the sound of a thousand heartbeats, thumping together. A lattice of light bulbs pulsed in time to their rhythm.
The Bentway has announced the six shortlisted teams for the Waterfront ReConnect design competition, a collaboration with the City of Toronto, the Waterfront Business Improvement Area, and the Toronto Downtown West Business Improvement Area.
Picture Berczy Park in Toronto – before the cute dog statues were added to the fountain. On a hot summer day at this modest little slice of green in an otherwise busy downtown area, a woman decides to sit on the fountain’s edge.
