A newly revitalized 1.3 kilometre portion of the Martin Goodman Trail at Ontario Place officially opened on Sept. 19.
"This is a complex piece of work," said Chair of Waterfront Toronto Mark Wilson at the opening ceremony. "It may look simple when it's done but to actually go through all the process with the public, with the parking, with the roads, with the traffic, with the cyclists it is a complex piece of design.
"We have enhanced the everyday function of this major destination by improving safety which was a key objective for both the users of the Martin Goodman Trail and the vehicular traffic," he said.
The 56 kilometre trail that runs from the Humber Bridge to the Rouge River, is named for former president and editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star, Martin Goodman, who passed away in 1981. It is part of 730 kilometres of waterfront trail that connects 41 communities from Niagara to Quebec along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
"(The province has) been participating in a lot of activity these past several months on our waterfront," said George Smitherman, deputy premier and the provincial minister of energy and infrastructure. "This is one that, as a waterfront user, I am so excited to participate in because we really are correcting a really bad feat of engineering."
This improved portion of the trail is 4.5 metres wide and is framed by 161 newly planted native hardwood trees and was completed by Waterfront Toronto, together with the governments of Canada and Ontario and the City of Toronto.
"It's a chance for all of us in Toronto to connect, to exercise, to walk, to ride, to roller blade, to run," said Toronto Mayor David Miller. "It is a beautiful way to link our city."
A storm-water management system was incorporated to allow run-off rainwater from the trail to irrigate adjacent green space and aid in the support of the growth of mature trees.
Designed by landscaped architects Janet Rosenberg and Associates, the multi-use trail runs parallel to Lake Shore Boulevard from Ontario Place to Coronation Park.
The redesign of the trail has converted 8,000-square metres of Ontario Place parking lots into green space.
Although most of the Martin Goodman Trail is uninterrupted, a portion between Bathurst Street and Yonge Street, along Queens Quay, is considered to be somewhat treacherous by cyclists. Waterfront Toronto plans to include an additional 3,179 metres for the Martin Goodman Trail from Spadina Avenue to Parliament Street as part of the Queens Quay revitalization.
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the waterfront projects in Toronto are a priority for the federal government.
"I can assure you we are going to persist in our efforts as partners with the city, with the Province of Ontario," Flaherty said.