The Humber Bay Arch Bridge (also known as the Humber River Arch Bridge, the Humber River Pedestrian Bridge, or the Gateway Bridge) is a pedestrian and bicycle through arch bridge south of Lake Shore Boulevard West in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Canada. Completed in the mid-1990s, the bridge is 139 metres (456 ft) in length, with a clear span of 100 metres (328.1 ft) over the mouth of the Humber River to protect the environmental integrity of the waterway.

Design

The bridge is constructed of two 1200 millimetres (47.2 in) diameter high-strength steel pipes, bent into twin arches that rise 21.3 metres (69.9 ft) above grade, and suspend the deck by way of 44 stainless-steel hangers, each 50 millimetres (2 in) in diameter. The foundation consists of concrete-filled caissons which go down 30 metres (98.4 ft) below grade to the bedrock.

Designed in 1994 by Montgomery and Sisam Architects of Toronto and Delcan Corporation (bridge engineers), it was constructed by Sonterland Construction, and is the recipient of numerous local architectural, design and engineering awards.
The bridge connects the former municipalities of "Old Toronto"

Old Toronto, Ontario

Old Toronto is the retronym of the original portion of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was first incorporated as a city in 1834, after being known as the Town of York and became part of the region what was then known as York County. In 1954, it became part of Metropolitan Toronto. It expanded in size...

 and Etobicoke

Etobicoke, Ontario

Etobicoke is a dissolved municipality located within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the western section of the current city, it had an official population of 338,117 as measured by the 2001 Census and 334,491 people as of the 2006 Census. While it only contains 13% of...

 (both now part of the amalgamated City of Toronto) along an ancient aboriginal trading route along the shore of Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

, and thus features design elements and decorations such as carved turtles and canoes that evoke this native heritage.

The bridge forms an important pedestrian and recreational link, and carries the Waterfront Trail

Waterfront Trail

The Waterfront Trail refers to an interconnected series of trails along the shores of Lake Ontario in Canada, currently beginning in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario and extending to Brockville, Ontario, with an extension along Former Highway 2, to the Quebec provincial border...

, a multi-use pathway that will eventually parallel the entire north shore of Lake Ontario. The Toronto section is known as the Martin Goodman Trail, and is one of the most popular pedestrian and cycling routes in the city.