Waaban Crossing

The Waaban Crossing is a transformative infrastructure project connecting our city across the Cataraqui River. The new two-lane crossing, including a walking and biking path, cost $180 million with equal contributions from the City, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada. 

What the name means

Waaban is an Anishnaabemowin (Ojibwe) word that has several meanings and interpretations. It represents the eastern direction where the sun comes up, the dawn of a new day and the natural environment that the bridge crosses. It is a hopeful metaphor as Indigenous Peoples and all Canadians work together toward a better world for future generations.

The logo

The logo was created using feedback from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. It represents a sense of place, movement, history and the environment.  

It is inspired by the shapes of the Waaban Crossing arches and its relationship to the water, the land and the people who use the bridge. The swooping shapes look like two birds flying together and light reflecting off water. The colours mimic a sunrise over water, the green representing the green wall on the west side of the bridge. 

Reflect, Connect, Flow: The story behind the tagline 

The Waaban Crossing visual identity includes a tagline, ‘Reflect. Connect. Flow.’, that helps to tell the story of the bridge, the history of the land around us, the people and animals that are here now, those who have come before and those who will come after us. Here’s a closer look at what it means:  

• Reflect: As we move along the crossing and take in its natural setting, whether on foot, by bike, by bus or by car, we are reminded that many people share this land. We must also acknowledge our collective responsibility to care for it.   
• Connect: The crossing helps us come together on a deeper level as we learn a more complete version of our area’s history. It opens the door to understanding, respect, and stronger relationships – between communities, individuals and the environment.   
• Flow: Just as the water flows under the bridge and through our region, the crossing encourages us to move together. When we work together, we are powerful and healing. We can build a better, more sustainable future for everyone. 

Community benefits 

Throughout construction, the project had a positive impact on our local labour market and on community partners. Local project benefits during construction included over 320,000 hours in local contracts and labour from Kingston and surrounding area, 93 contracts secured with local businesses, over $10,000 in charitable donations given by the contractors and over 80 community service hours offered by the contractors. 

Awards and recognition 

The project has been recognized with several awards for its contributions to community development and the engineering profession. This recognition would not have been possible without the support of Council, City staff, project partners and the community. 

• 2023 Livable City Design Awards 
• 2023 Canadian Consulting Engineer Award of Excellence 
• 2023 Transportation Association of Canada Infrastructure Achievement Award 
• 2023 Ontario Concrete Awards Infrastructure Award 
• 2023 Ontario Engineering Project Awards 
• 2023 Ontario Road Builders’ Association Community Leadership Award 

Project partners 

The Waaban Crossing is the result of many years of preparation including environmental assessments, transportation planning, population growth projections, public engagement, information sharing with Indigenous Nations and partnerships with local, provincial and federal organizations and agencies. 

We had J.L. Richards & Associates and Associated Engineering leading the environmental assessment phase, J.L. Richards & Associates and Parsons Inc. leading the preliminary design phase, Collins Barrow leading the business plan, Dillon Consulting assisting with the transportation modelling, and Peter Kiewit Sons ULC, Hatch Ltd. and SYSTRA International Bridge Technologies, along with trade partners Bauer Foundations Canada and Walters Steel to design and build the Waaban Crossing.

Integrated project delivery model 

To deliver the project on time and on budget, we chose an integrated project delivery model and overall IPD team. In this model the budget was set and the contractor and designer worked together with us to deliver the project within that budget. Together, the IPD team shared the risk and reward to deliver the best possible project that opened on time and on budget. The Waaban Crossing Project is the first in North America to use an integrated project delivery model for building a bridge.