Stantec selected to lead next stage of Toronto’s iconic Rail Deck Park

Stantec has been selected to provide the Technical Consulting and Costing Services to CreateTO for the next stage of planning for Toronto’s iconic Rail Deck Park, an urban oasis in the heart of the city. Stantec’s work will form the basis for the design of the park by integrating transit corridors and transit station construction, while connecting adjacent neighborhoods. The $1.7 billion project is the first of its kind in Canada and represents an exciting and creative solution to the challenges of city-building in the twenty-first century.

“New York’s Central Park. Chicago’s Millennium Park. If you think of iconic urban public spaces, these likely come to mind,” says Janine Turner, Stantec’s vice president for project delivery. “Soon, we expect that you’ll add Toronto’s Rail Deck Park to that list.”

Rail Deck Park will transform 21 acres of unused air space above the rail corridor into one of the largest structure-topped parks in the world, and Toronto’s next great gathering space for recreation, culture, and celebration. It will be engineered to support all the elements of a vibrant and dynamic urban park, including lawns, gather and play spaces, shade trees, water features, public art, and more.

“This is the first step toward turning a concept into a physical, tangible park,” says Michael Whelan, Vice President, Major Projects with CreateTO. “We’re hopeful that this will lead to the detailed design and the construction. Rail Deck Park will bridge the gap between Toronto neighbourhoods and the waterfront, which have been historically divided by the rail corridor, and provide necessary park space for the downtown core of the city.”

Stantec’s owner’s engineer team will draw on its experience on similar projects, including Hudson Yards in Manhattan, Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, the Fort York Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge in Toronto, and the Highway 401/409 rail tunnel in the Greater Toronto Area. Stantec’s role in this phase of Rail Deck Park is to prepare a reference concept design and outline specifications that ensure constructability, and fits within the city’s funding model. Stantec will put forward a design that integrates with the new GO Regional Express Rail (RER) station that will be constructed in the rail corridor below Rail Deck Park at Front Street and Spadina Avenue.

This phase of Rail Deck Park will be a collaborative effort between Stantec’s program and business solutions, structural, mechanical, electrical, transportation and rail, civil, geotechnical, environmental, and landscape architecture teams. Stantec is working in partnership with Peter McMillan of McMillan Associates Architects. This phase of the project is scheduled for completion in Spring 2019.

About Stantec
Communities are fundamental. Whether around the corner or across the globe, they provide a foundation, a sense of place and of belonging. That's why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind.

We care about the communities we serve—because they're our communities too. This allows us to assess what's needed and connect our expertise, to appreciate nuances and envision what's never been considered, to bring together diverse perspectives so we can collaborate toward a shared success.

We're designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe.

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Stantec Media Contacts                                            

Rachel Sa                                                       
Ph: 416-598-5699
C: 416-902-0930                       
rachel.sa@stantec.com                                   

Colin Nekolaichuk
Ph: 416-542-6049         
C: 437-225-6384
colin.nekolaichuk@stantec.com