A new temporary public space in Toronto, called the Bentway Staging Grounds, will soon transform the vacant land under the Gardiner Expressway into a site that explores new ways to leverage stormwater. 

The immersive installation will be unveiled in September 2023 under the Gardiner Expressway at Dan Leckie Way and was designed by Agency—Agency (NYC) and SHEEEP (Toronto). 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Bentway 📍Toronto (@thebentway)

Once open, you can travel through a series of elevated walkways to observe the experimental gardens in the public space, which will use the Gardiner's water runoff system to divert rain and melted snow to support the growth of flowering native plants like milkweed and yarrow. 

Along the walkways, you can also discover strategies for filtration and flood mitigation that could one day be applied across the length of the highway. 

The interim intervention will remain in place until the City of Toronto's Gardiner Expressway Rehabilitation work commences in the area, which is currently scheduled for late 2025. 

Over the project's two-year duration, The Bentway is also set to commission artists to present original, rotating artworks on a series of scaffolding towers that will line the site facing Lake Shore Boulevard. 

The temporary public space will be viewable 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will be completely free to visit.