Toronto’s shared space

featured programs

Several younger children and families skating in winter on ice underneath the Gardiner Expressway.

Our outdoor skate trail under the Gardiner was open from Dec 16, 2023 to Feb 19, 2024 and is now CLOSED for the season. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Bentway Staging Grounds is a site of active, environmental learning that continues The Bentway’s creative work along the Gardiner Expressway. Visitors are invited into a living laboratory for urban ecology, with experimental gardens that use rainwater run-off from the highway above to support the growth of flowering plant species.

Waterfront ReConnect re-imagines the street-level experience of two under-Gardiner intersections through innovative approaches to lighting, color, and storytelling. The projects (located at York Street and Simcoe Street) showcase how the Expressway can better serve our city as a thriving civic asset – both above and below the deck.

what’s on

An intersection under an urban highway is painted blue; maintenance equipment have been converted into bright, friendly characters with "googly eyes" overlooking passers-by
Waterfront ReConnect: Boom Town

On view now

Boom Town employs vibrant colour, playful characters, and environmental lighting to enliven the York Street intersection, improving safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists.

Pedestrians explore a colourful wall under an expressway.
Waterfront ReConnect: Pixel Story

On view now

Pixel Story references the multitude of vantages, scales, speeds, and distances at which to view the Expressway, enticing passersby to move forward towards the waterfront, or pause to reflect on its diverse stories.

Bentway Staging Grounds

On view now

Bentway Staging Grounds is a site of active, environmental learning that continues The Bentway’s creative work along the Gardiner Expressway. Visitors are invited into a living laboratory for urban ecology, with experimental gardens that use rainwater run-off from the highway above to support the growth of flowering plant species.

People walking on built pathways underneath a highway at night. Highway columns and large-scale screen installations showing abstract are brightly lit.
Fountain Monumental

On view now

Logan MacDonald premieres Fountain Monumental, a series of 20-foot-tall images situated within the new Bentway Staging Grounds public space pilot. MacDonald re-imagines the original shoreline of Lake Ontario and invites us to consider the unique history of our city’s waterways while also imagining a decolonial future that prioritizes ecological preservation.

visit

The Bentway is active at multiple sites under and near the Gardiner Expressway:

Getting there

250 Fort York Blvd, under the Gardiner

The Bentway Skate Trail is situated on the lands of Fort York National Historic Site, running from just east of the Fort York Visitors Centre to Bastion St.

Find at: bents 83-89

By TTC

511 Bathurst (at Fort York Blvd)
509 Harbourfront (at Fleet St)

Parking

Paid parking available @ Green P lots, located at 250 Fort York Blvd and 800 Fleet Street.

Accessibility

This space is fully accessible to mobility devices, with flat paved and wooden decked surfaces. 

Free wifi

Free wifi is provided by Beanfield. Sign onto “Beanfield1hfree” and get one free hour of wifi at The Bentway.

Washroom Hours

On-site washrooms are currently open 10am to 6pm daily.

Getting there

250 Fort York Blvd, under the Gardiner

The Bentway Strachan Gate is situated on the lands of Fort York National Historic Site, at Strachan Ave.

Find at: bents 46-50

By TTC

509 Harbourfront (at Fleet St)
63 Ossington (at East Liberty St)
511 Bathurst (at Fort York Blvd)

Parking

Paid parking available @ Green P lots, located at 250 Fort York Blvd and 800 Fleet Street.

Accessibility

This space is partially accessible to mobility devices. In addition to flat and sloped paved surfaces, a large surface is covered in compacted gravel. Washrooms are accessible to mobility devices. Recommended entry to the site: from the east or the south.

Free wifi

Free wifi is provided by Beanfield. Sign onto “Beanfield1hfree” and get one free hour of wifi at The Bentway.

Getting there

55 Fort York Blvd

The Bentway Studio is a mixed indoor/outdoor facility that faces into Canoe Landing Park, just west of Spadina Ave.

Find at: north of bent 116

By TTC

510 Spadina (at Bremner Blvd / Fort York Blvd)

Parking

Paid parking available at local InPark and Green P lots, and on local streets (including Dan Leckie Way and Housey St).

Accessibility

This space is fully accessible to mobility devices, with flat surfaces. 

Off-Site Projects

In addition to operating permanent public spaces, The Bentway is testing out new ideas for the Gardiner Expressway through a series of temporary shorter-term projects.

Explore these off-site projects here:

Staging Grounds Under Gardiner
Staging Grounds

Viewable 24 hrs/day
Find at: bent #113-117
Under the Gardiner @ Dan Leckie Way

Get directions on Google Maps ->

Pixel Story Under Gardiner
Pixel Story

Viewable 24 hrs/dav
Find at: bents #169-170
Under the Gardiner @ Simcoe Street

Get directions in Google Maps -›

Boom Town Under Gardiner
Boom Town

Viewable 24 hrs/day
Find at: bents #179-182
Under the Gardiner @ York St

Get directions in Google Maps -›