Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), in conjunction with the City of Toronto, is undertaking a shoreline repair and long-term erosion mitigation project along a portion of Waterfront Trail between East Point Park and Port Union Waterfront Park.
The goal of this project is to develop long-term protection to protect the shoreline and Waterfront Trail from erosion.
The project will address immediate safety hazards due to erosion and ensure public safety along the Waterfront Trail in two phases:
- Phase 1 focused on addressing immediate safety concerns by providing protection to the most critically eroded section of Waterfront Trail (Implementation: January 2023 – June 2023)
- Phase 2 is implementing long-term protection for the remainder of the impacted trail by integrating into the existing shoreline protection to the east and west. (Implementation: October 2023 – Spring 2024)
Project Location
The project area connects East Point Park and Port Union Waterfront Park along the north Lake Ontario shoreline in Scarborough, as seen below in Figure 2. It is located just east of the FJ Horgan Water Treatment Plant and is bounded by the Metrolinx rail corridor to the north and Lake Ontario to the south.
The site includes approximately 200 meters of the Waterfront Trail and is mainly comprised of beach shoreline and riparian area. The interim work focused on 75 meters of unprotected shoreline where the trail has been badly damaged, while the long-term work will focus on enhancing and extending from that critical area to provide long-term protection.
The approximate footprint of the interim work and the long-term work are shown in Figure 3.
Scope of Work
TRCA has been working with a coastal engineer to complete long-term protection measure designs. These protection measures will aim to balance the need for erosion protection with maintaining public access to naturalized beaches.
Phase 1: Interim Work (Complete)
The interim work designs were completed in 2022 and work was implemented on site starting in January 2023. Interim work aimed to provide immediate protection to the shoreline from further erosion by raising the Waterfront Trail above the high-water mark. A stepped armourstone beach curb was placed along the raised portion of trail to provide a buffer from any wave or storm activity. Work was completed in May 2023 with a single day repaving occurring in June.
Phase 2: Long-term Work
Phase 2 will build on Phase 1 by installing permanent protection along the entire Project area shoreline. This work includes expanding the armourstone wall currently in place from Phase 1 work along the shoreline to protect the Waterfront Trail from erosion damage. In order to further bolster structural protection of the interim works, more stone will also be added in front of the south side of the wall installed during Phase 1.
Additionally, the existing trail in the project area will be removed and raised above the high-water mark to match the stretch of trail raised in Phase 1. After the trail is raised and the protective armourstone wall is installed on the south side, the north side of the trail will be filled in with topsoil and seeded to match the Phase 1 area. Suitable material excavated during Phase 2 will be used to bury base structural stone or placed in front of the trail to supplement the beach.
In order to complete this work, the Waterfront Trail between East Point Park and the Highland Creek bridge will be closed. Work is underway, and the Waterfront Trail will remain closed until work concludes in spring 2024. Signage updating trail users on the closures will be posted, as well as updates on this site to inform the public on project progress.
Construction Information
Construction for the interim repair work was completed in late May 2023. Long-term protection work began in October 2023 and will conclude in spring 2024.
PLEASE NOTE: During the time of construction, the section of the Waterfront Trail from Beechgrove Drive to Highland Creek Bridge will be temporarily closed for construction and public safety. Due to the constraints north and south of the trail, no temporary route can be accommodated at this site. Access to East Point Park is still available from Beechgrove Drive, and access to Port Union Waterfront Park is still available from the Highland Creek trail system.
Progress Updates
Phase 1: Interim Work
- Detailed Designs (Complete)
- Permits and Approvals (Complete)
- Implementation (Complete)
Phase 2: Long Term Work
- Detailed Designs (Complete)
- Permits and Approvals (Complete)
- Implementation (In Progress)
March 25, 2024
Construction of the wall has been completed with the placement of the western stepped access formation. As the next step, the crew will focus on trail restoration.
March 14, 2024
Crews have begun placement of the final sections of the wall, which include the western limit and a stepped access formation.
February 21, 2024
Placement of the wall continues along the shoreline, with approximately 30 m remaining.
January 25, 2024
Placement of the wall continues, with approximately half of the Phase 2 component being completed.
January 10, 2024
Construction continues with placement of the base layer of armourstone in an excavated pit to anchor the structure.
December 11, 2023
Placement of armourstone continues to extend the wall along the shoreline.
November 10, 2023
A stepped access point has been installed at the eastern limit of the structure. A similar access point will be constructed at the western limit once that portion of the wall has been completed.
November 1, 2023
Site setup has been completed, including preparation of the staging area and tree removals. Armourstone has begun to be stockpiled at the shoreline to construct the stacked wall.
Contact Us
For more information regarding this project, please contact the Project Manager:
Whitney Brennan
Project Manager, Erosion Risk Management
Restoration & Infrastructure Division
whitney.brennan@trca.ca
(365) 566-3255