Everything to know about the new bridges transforming Toronto’s waterfront (PHOTOS)

If you haven’t heard about the major development project happening in Toronto’s Port Lands, we’re about to blow your mind. The eastern waterfront area of the city is on its way to a major glow up thanks to the creation of Villiers Island. The development of the island itself could have us talking for days, but today we’re going to focus on the four new bridges connecting it to the rest of the city.

That’s right, Toronto’s skyline to about to experience some crazy new additions. The first of the four new bridges has already arrived in the city, but three more are on their way in the coming months.

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Okay, first let’s discuss the Cherry St North bridges. This is the location of the newest bridge to arrive and it’s the only area of the Port Lands that’ll have two bridges in one spot. Crossing the Keating Channel, there will be one bridge dedicated to pedestrians, bikes, and cars; and another bridge solely for transit.

The first of the Cherry St North bridges arrived in the fall of 2020 and will open to the public once the Port Lands project is complete.

Of course, there’s also the Cherry St South Bridge. This gorgeous crossing will go over the new river at the Polson Slip. The new river will span more than 1,000 metres and will function as flood protection infrastructure for the city.

Finally, there’s the Commissioners Bridge. This will serve as an east-west crossing over the new river between Commissioners Street and the Don Roadway. The first half of Commissioners Bridge is set to arrive this May, with the second half scheduled for Summer 2021. Once it’s complete, it’ll be the longest of the four new bridges, measuring a whopping 152 metres.

The team behind these incredible new bridges includes engineering firm Entuitive, with Grimshaw and Schlaich Bergermann. As we mentioned, the next new bridge is already en route to Toronto. It’s currently making its way over from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia via the St Lawrence Seaway.

So there you have it! The exciting new bridges are just a fraction of what’s in store when it comes to the Toronto Port Lands development.

If you’d like to learn more about the actual design process behind these crazy cool bridges, you can do so right here.