Plan for 'new space for play' beneath Gardiner Expressway unveiled

An image of the Bentway, an area of Toronto located underneath the Gardiner Expressway. (Photo by Doha Hanno)

The next steps of what will eventually pop up in the space under the Gardiner Expressway were unveiled on Thursday – and it's being touted as a "new space for play, shared experiences and regenerative landscape."

As part of the Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan – a collaborative project with non-profit Bentway Conservancy and the City of Toronto to rejuvenate the underutilized space underneath the busy Toronto expressway – the Bentway Islands will be just one site of the 11,500 square metre development spanning from Dan Leckie Way and Spadina Avenue.

"The Bentway's innovative approach to transforming public spaces is exactly what Toronto needs. Over 100,000 residents within a 10-minute walk will enjoy this future space and new gateway to the waterfront," Ward 10 Coun. Ausma Malik said of the project online.

Three large-scale traffic islands will live in the heart of this concrete jungle – called The Triangle, The Wedge and The Arcade – and will not only serve as a "vibrant" space for visitors to enjoy, but as a "sister site" to the existing Phase 1 location that opened in 2018, the conservancy said. The conservancy also noted that this is the first manifestation of the Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan, which was approved by the city in 2024.

"The main goals of Bentway Islands are to improve pedestrian accessibility and safety, expand public amenities in the CityPlace neighbourhood, and enhance the area's biodiversity and environmental resilience," co-executive director of The Bentway, Ilana Altman, told CTV News Toronto in an emailed statement.

"It's now up to our talented design team to figure out what that will look like when it's complete, but visitors can expect spaces for four-season recreation and cultural experiences, public art, new linkages to the waterfront, a flood resistant landscape, and a welcoming signature space for pets."

The islands' design – overseen by Field Operations, an urban design firm known for the High Line in New York, and Brook McIlroy, a Toronto-based firm in planning and architecture – will draw inspiration from the Phase 1 site and input from Indigenous communities, locals and the city's technical experts.

"Our goal is to create an iconic, vibrant and sustainable public space that embodies The Bentway's vision," Isabel Castilla, associate partner at Field Operations, said online.

The City of Toronto is providing funding with additional support from the conservancy, including Manulife, with future financing "expected" to come from a variety of public and private sources.

The conservancy said the initial concepts of what the Bentway Islands could look like will be revealed in 2025, with construction kicking off after the multi-year rehabilitation project planned for the Gardiner. Altman says they expect to have the Bentway Islands open by 2029.