What's New in Recreation
Investing in our community
The Town of Tillsonburg is continuing to upgrade its parks, trails and recreation facilities to serve you better.
Kinsmen Pedestrian Bridge spans Participark/Stoney Creek and connects Veterans Walkway to the downtown core. The bridge typically carries 500-750 pedestrians a day and is a convenient link to residential areas on Tillsonburg's west side, including Hickory Hills, Trottier and Baldwin Place.
The existing bridge, originally constructed as a railway bridge in 1888, is being removed. It will be replaced with a new bridge engineered for pedestrian use. Some of the existing piers will be reused, and others retained for their heritage value.
Learn more about this project
*See the Town of Tillsonburg Facebook page for the most recent photos
The existing Kinsmen Bridge is a nine-span wood deck on steel plate girder structure. The substructure features cut stone masonry block piers and abutments. The bridge was constructed in 1888 to carry GWR CAL railway over Stoney Creek. The bridge was converted for pedestrian use when the rail line was abandoned in the 1990s.
The bridge was slated for replacement following a detailed structural assessment that revealed safety issues including extensive corrosion and falling bolts etc.
- OPS 19-44 - Kinsmen Bridge Enhanced Inspection (October 28, 2019)
- OPS 19-44 - Kinsmen Bridge Evaluation Report (September 2019)
- OPS 19-43 - OSIM Inspection Summary(October 15, 2019)
- OPD 21-46 - Kinsmen Pedestrian Bridge (November 23, 2021)
- OPD 21-10 - Kinsmen Pedestrian Bridge (March 22, 2021)
- OPD 23-32 - Kinsmen Pedestrian Bridge Detailed Design (August 14, 2023)
- OPD 25-032 - Award of Tender RFT2025-005 (June 16, 2025)
- OPD 25-037 - TGO Complimentary Service during Kinsmen Bridge Construction (August 11, 2025)
A new prefabricated bridge:
- constructed with weathering steel, galvanized grating, and new steel piers
- existing masonry piers will be retained and upgraded with new concrete caps
- LED lighting fixtures will be installed along the bridge deck.
- All disturbed natural areas will be restored
Projected cost: $2,790,405
August 2025
- Project begins - removal of existing bridge
December 2025
- New bridge installed and project complete
*All dates are tentative and subject to change at any time.
Fall 2025
- Existing bridge is being removed
