The first of four bridges that will be used in Toronto’s Port Lands Flood Protection project arrived in the city on November 7.

Over the seven days prior, the 57-metre long, 340-tonne Cherry Street bridge made its way south and east down the St. Lawrence Seaway from its place of assembly in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The bridge arrived at the Toronto Harbour to a warm welcome from officials from the federal and provincial governments and Waterfront Toronto, as well as Toronto Mayor John Tory.

“These bridges will be a connection for the public to access the new island we are building, and bridges that will connect us to Toronto’s future,” said Waterfront Toronto CEO George Zegarac. “The bridges are another piece Waterfront Toronto is adding to make our city’s waterfront world class.”

The $1.25-billion Port Lands Flood Protection project will see Waterfront Toronto install four bridges across the city’s downtown. Two—including the newly arrived Cherry Street bridge—will cross the Keating Channel south of Lake Shore Boulevard at the location of New Cherry Street, which will be built west of the existing Cherry Street.

The others will span the new river valley north of the Ship Channel, and span the new river valley west of Don Roadway. The existing Lake Shore Bridge, meanwhile, will be lengthened to accommodate widening of the Don River.

Toronto’s Port Lands, which are bounded by the Keating Channel/Don River and Lake Shore Boulevard in the north, the Toronto Inner Harbour in the west, Ashbridges Bay in the east and Lake Ontario and Tommy Thompson Park in the south, were created by decades of infilling what was once one of the largest wetlands on Lake Ontario.

The 715-acre area today sits within a designated floodplain—an area that is anticipated to experience flooding in the event of a regional storm. One of Waterfront Toronto’s primary priorities is to protect those lands from flooding.

The organization’s plan is to create a new mouth for the Don River in the middle of the Port Lands between the Ship Channel and the Keating Channel, as well as the foundations of a new urban island neighbourhood called Villiers Island. Doing so is expected to provide the necessary flood protection and unlock the development potential of a premier waterfront area.

“The Port Lands Flood Protection project is one of the largest waterfront revitalization projects in the world and one of the most ambitious and significant infrastructure projects in Toronto’s history,” said Tory.

“Work has been continuing all year on the Port Lands project, excavating the new path for the Don River, and creating Villiers Island,” added Zegarac. “Beyond providing critical flood protection, this project is going to deliver a stunning new destination steps from downtown for people to live, work, and enjoy nature, as well as helping to drive Toronto’s economic recovery.”

Construction work on the full Port Lands Flood Protection project began in July 2018, and is expected to create more than 10,000 person years of employment.

Work to date includes installation of on-site soil management and water treatment facilities, completion of dock walls in the Keating Channel, extensive marine landscaping, site preparation at the location of future parks and roads, bridge foundations at three locations, site preparation north of Lake Shore Boulevard and ongoing deep excavation of the river valley and Don Greenway.

The project is forecasted to be complete by 2024.