We’re connecting Gatineau Trail with Morningside Park.
New and resurfaced multi-use trails and pedestrian bridges will make the park more accessible for park users.
The Pan Am Path is a multi-use recreational trail network that spans the City of Toronto. Most of Pan Am Path runs through river valleys and along hydro corridors. However, certain sections of the Pan Am Path detour along municipal roads. In the summer of 2014, the City of Toronto and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) began planning a trail connection project within Morningside Park in order to develop an important connection to the Pan Am Path through the Highland Creek Valley Corridor.
The timeline is subject to change.
Morningside Park to The Meadoway connection implementation was completed in October 2023. Highland Creek Trail 3A improvements are under construction and anticipated to be completed by December 2023, weather permitting. Please respect all posted construction signs and stay clear of the work area and equipment. Your cooperation and patience is appreciated.
Construction of the Morningside to Meadoway Connection began fall 2021. Please respect all posted construction signs and stay clear of the work area and equipment. Your cooperation and patience is appreciated.
The work related to the installation of three pedestrian bridges south of Ellesmere Road is now substantially performed. In addition to the installation of three bridges, the work included the creation of a rest area and trail connections.
TRCA representatives attended the Highland Creek Salmon Festival to inform the public of the project plans and answer any questions.
TRCA representatives attended the Highland Creek Salmon Festival to inform the public of the project plans and answer any questions.
Trail features being considered for the project were discussed.
For more information about the project, download a shortened version of the Highland PanAm MultiUse Trail presentation.
The preferred trail connection alternative endorsed by the City and TRCA is shown here.
This alternative was preferred as it employs existing under-developed trail infrastructure that provided additional trail connection opportunities from both Ellesmere Road and Orton Park Road. This option also provides the overall best value, is most technically feasible, and causes the least disturbance to surrounding natural areas.
Other proposals to reduce the number of bridges were also considered. These options were eliminated from further consideration due to concerns that certain slope sections were steep and potentially unstable.
With the detailed designs for the first stage of construction complete and most necessary permits and approvals obtained, the trail connection works will now be implemented over the next several years with capital funding allocated to the project in phases.
The focus of this phase was inventory and analysis. The project team completed various tasks including reviewing existing planning policies, conducting archaeological assessments, carrying out tree inventories and topographic surveying, and completing an Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol Monitoring report. Phase 1 has concluded with a clear picture of the opportunities and constraints for the proposed Pan Am Path Connection and set the stage for conceptual design work in Phase 2.
Phase 2 consists of securing all necessary permits and approvals and creating an implementation schedule with preliminary cost estimates. Consultations provided important feedback to help determine priorities.
Phase 3 has been divided into three stages of work to provide a focus for each of the projects making up the final trail connections.
The first stage consisted of the installation of three pedestrian bridges over Highland Creek south of Ellesmere Road to enable connectivity throughout Morningside Park.
The Morningside to Meadoway Connection work is underway this fall and includes the creation of a paved connection node linking the newly installed north pedestrian bridge with the trail from Botany Hill Park and the planned Meadoway Trail.
The Highland Creek Trail 3A Improvements are planned for future implementation and will connect the south pedestrian bridge to the Morningside Park parking lot.
Trail users should anticipate that while these works are planned and underway, some trail surfaces may be unpaved and uneven, and may require that cyclists dismount. Paving along the Highland Creek Trail 3A Improvements work area is anticipated once connecting works proposed by Toronto Water are completed. These works will protect Toronto Water infrastructure and will be designed to consider climate resiliency in the design of the creek bed and side slopes.
This project was funded in part by a grant from Trans Canada Trail.