Garrison Crossing

New pedestrian and cycle bridges at Fort York

Garrison Crossing provides an important new multi-use trail that connects Wellington Street in the north with Fort York’s Garrison Common in the south, establishing a stronger link between the City’s neighbourhoods and the waterfront. Inspired by the meandering alignment of the original Garrison Creek, the crossing is highlighted by two landmark tilted-arch bridges over the existing railway lines. DTAH was responsible for bridge architecture and landscape design, an integral part of the winning team led by Dufferin Construction and Pedelta in the innovative competitive design-build process.

Location

Toronto, Ontario

Client

  • City of Toronto
  • CreateTO

Images

  • Construction photographs courtesy of CreateTO
  • Perspective renderings by Pedelta/DTAH

Awards

  • Toronto Urban Design Awards, Award of Merit, Large Open Spaces and/or Neighbourhood Designs, 2021
  • Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards, Award of Excellence, 2020
  • Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, Award of Excellence, 2019


A unique stainless steel arch design provides a modern, understated, elegant aesthetic.

Completed in Fall 2019, Garrison Crossing includes the first bridges in North America that use stainless steel as the primary structural and architectural material. The design palette also includes traditional durable materials with natural finishes such as weathering steel, wood and stone to help ground the new crossing in its important railway and heritage context.

Garrison Crossing represents a key step towards improving connectivity and accessibility in and around Toronto’s fast-growing downtown communities. DTAH has been contributing to the enhancement of the Fort York neighbourhood for many years, having worked previously on projects such as Fort York Heritage Conservation District Study & Plan, Garrison Common Improvements, Fort York Open Space Plan, and the Fort York Neighbourhood Public Realm Plan.