TheBulletin.ca Journal of Downtown Toronto
Mayor John Tory joined Councillor Paula Fletcher (Ward 30 Toronto-Danforth), city staff and representatives from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and CreateTO at Tommy Thompson Park to announce the plans to complete a section of the Martin Goodman Trail along Unwin Avenue this summer.
This section of the Martin Goodman Trail will complete the last link of the 20 km cycling and walking trail along Toronto’s waterfront from the western to the eastern beaches.
The trail will be located along the south side of Unwin Avenue, north of Tommy Thompson Park, in an area known as the Baselands, and will stretch from Outer Harbour Marina Road to Leslie Street.
“The Martin Goodman Trail connects people to vibrant neighbourhoods and parks along our city’s waterfront. This construction will complete the trail giving pedestrians and cyclists a safe option to access our waterfront,” said Mayor Tory.
“Once the missing link is completed, it will move trail users off a dangerous road full of large trucks and onto a beautiful and safe passage from Leslie Street to the Cherry Street beaches area,” said Councillor Fletcher.
The proposed alignment for the trail was chosen to balance trail user safety and the preservation of the significant ecological resources of the Baselands.
The completely separated multi-use and accessible trail will improve pedestrian and cyclist safety along the waterfront. Features will include a resting area, habitat enhancements, low-impact stormwater management features, and native trees and shrubs.
Construction will begin in mid-July and is expected to be completed by November.
The plan for completing the missing link of the Martin Goodman Trail was initiated in 2013 as part of the joint “Quick Starts” initiative between the City, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, and Waterfront Toronto. The program aimed to implement a number of recreational and ecological early works projects in Lake Ontario Park and Tommy Thompson Park.
— Don Peat
