The Bentway and Exhibition Place recently revealed plans to build a connection point between our two sites, adding 50,0000 sq. ft. of new public space along the Gardiner (just west of Strachan Ave).
about the project
This week, the Bentway and Exhibition Place revealed a new public artwork that sits along a future extension that will connect both sites together. Funding to kick off the next stage of design for this extension has just been confirmed by the City of Toronto, and will be supplemented by The Bentway’s growing family of supporters.
Once complete, visitors will be able to pass seamlessly across The Bentway’s multi-use trail or through Fort York’s Garrison Commons, under Strachan Ave, into Exhibition Place through to Manitoba Drive – forming a vital first-mile/last-mile connection to the nearby Ontario Line currently under construction. Locals and visitors alike will be able to “take the Bentway” to the new Exhibition subway station.
Led by the Bentway Conservancy, Exhibition Place and the City of Toronto in partnership, the design process will build opportunities to extend The Bentway’s landscape strategies, wayfinding/identity features, and programming offerings – both outdoors and within a large enclosed interior space under the highway.
(Recent images of the future extension site, just west of Strachan Ave)
Following the appointment of a design team in early 2026, initial concepts for the extension are planned later that year. Construction is expected to follow in a few years’ time once Metrolinx’s Ontario Line work in the area has been completed. Future financing is anticipated from a range of public and private sources.
shared vision for the gardiner
Through this partnership, Exhibition Place is proudly playing a leadership role in supporting The Bentway’s work to “unlock” new possibilities below the Gardiner Expressway; an opportunity prioritized in the Exhibition Place Master Plan.
While The Bentway was first envisioned as a single site, the organization’s impact and ambition have grown. The Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan, approved by Toronto City Council in 2024, offers a comprehensive vision for all the underutilized spaces below and adjacent to the highway along its full 7km elevated length (from Dufferin to the DVP).
Implementation of this plan is now in motion. A second Bentway site (at the foot of Spadina Ave) is already in design, led by landscape architects Field Operations and Brook McIlroy.
The westward extension recently announced is another exciting step in continuing to reimagine how the highway can connect, perform, and inspire.
stay in the loop
Watch this space for announcements and updates regarding this extension project. Join The Bentway’s mailing list to receive updates directly to your inbox.
supporters
City of Toronto
Balsam Foundation
Waltons Trust
Manulife
RBC Foundation
and The Bentway’s growing family of supporters