Ontario is about to get a 30-kilometre-long linear park

A massive new linear park and active transportation corridor is slowly but surely taking shape in Durham Region, with more than $3.3 million in new federal funding set to support new and improved trails, pathways, and amenities in the area.

The funding, which was announced last week, will help to advance several projects across the region, including work on the 30-kilometre transportation corridor and linear park, the Durham Meadoway, that will eventually connect neighbourhoods from the Toronto-Pickering boundary to Harmony Road in Oshawa

Once complete, the corridor is envisioned as a "significant east-to-west recreational facility and activity transportation spine," and will also grow to offer ecological enhancements, community amenities, and public art.

The funding is set to support the park's preliminary design study and will also support traffic signal upgrades at several intersections to help improve safety along the route. Along with the Durham Meadoway, several other projects are also receiving funding.

In Ajax, the Crestpoint Lands (formerly known as the Annandale lands) will see approximately 1.5 kilometres of new multi-use path constructed as part of the Trans Canada Trail project.

Elsewhere, in Oshawa, another one-kilometre multi-use path is planned along Townline Road North between Beatrice Street East and Taunton Road East. While the federal government is investing just over $3.3 million in these three projects through the Active Transportation Fund (ATF), Durham, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa will be contributing $1.2 million to the Durham Meadoway project.

Ajax will also be contributing $810,000 to the Annandale project, and Oshawa will be contributing $210,000 for its pedestrian pathway project.

"These investments will help create stronger connections between our communities and provide residents with more opportunities to walk, cycle and enjoy the outdoors," said Jennifer McKelvie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure.

"By improving trails, multi-use pathways and recreational amenities, we are supporting active transportation while creating more accessible and welcoming spaces for residents to enjoy for years to come."

Although the Durham Meadoway project does not yet have an anticipated completion date, its preliminary design phase is expected to run through spring 2028.