Billy Bishop airport pedestrian tunnel to open July 30

The new $82.5-million pedestrian tunnel to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is scheduled to open July 30.

Ports Toronto has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. The tunnel will connect the airport terminal to the Toronto mainland at Eireann Quay, at the foot of Bathurst Street.

Work began on the 100-foot underwater tunnel in March 2012. It will feature six elevators on the mainland side and four moving sidewalks.

Island airport pedestrian tunnel construction. Image courtesy of PortsToronto

The ferry will continue to run approximately every 15 minutes, Ports Toronto said, for vehicles and for those who prefer it over the tunnel. The boat trip travels 121 metres, taking just 90 seconds.

In a media advisory, Ports Toronto said the tunnel was built at no cost to taxpayers, instead using an public-private partnership agreement between Ports Toronto, Forum Equity Partners and PCL, the lead contractor.

A tunnel to the island airport was first proposed in 1935, and a tunnel was started but cancelled. Since 1938, a car ferry has shuttled passengers to and from the airport.

In 1997, Toronto City Council approved a bridge to the island airport, but the bridge was cancelled when David Miller was elected as Toronto’s mayor in 2003.

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