Artwork completes facelift at downtown Simcoe Street transit terminal
The public-art installation at the Peterborough Transit Terminal on Simcoe Street has been completed and buses have returned to their regular pickup and drop-off bays, city staff confirmed this week. The project, which began in July as part of a broader rehabilitation of the facility, adds a new visual element to a busy downtown public space used daily by commuters and pedestrians.
Crews worked through the summer installing the artwork in sections along the exterior of the terminal. To accommodate the work, the city implemented temporary changes that closed as many as two bus bays at a time while crews progressed through the site. Those temporary adjustments have now ended and all bays are open.
- Project start: July (installation begun)
- Completion: Installation now finished; buses returned to regular bays
- Budget: $100,000
- Funding: Municipal funds and the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program
- Next steps: City to formally recognise the artist and design at a celebration later this month
“bringing art into a place used by thousands of transit riders,”
The city says the installation is intended to do more than beautify the terminal. Officials describe the work as part of a placemaking effort to enhance the user experience, promote creative expression and reflect community storytelling in a high‑traffic civic setting. The terminal is a focal point for people travelling into and across Peterborough, linking neighbourhoods and acting as a gateway to the downtown core.
Funding for the public art component — listed at $100,000 — was drawn from municipal resources and the federal Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, which supported the broader terminal rehabilitation. The rehabilitation project has touched both functional and aesthetic elements of the facility; the artwork was integrated into the exterior as crews completed infrastructure upgrades.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Peterborough Transit Terminal, Simcoe Street |
| Work begun | July (installation started) |
| Temporary impacts | Closures of up to two bus bays at a time during installation |
| Budget | $100,000 |
| Funding sources | Municipal investment and the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program |
The artwork’s designer and final concept will be recognised formally at a city event scheduled for later this month, offering residents a chance to hear about the creative intent and the stories behind the piece. The city has said the celebration will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about the artist and the vision behind the installation.
For downtown businesses and residents, the completion of the project marks another step in ongoing efforts to renew public infrastructure and enliven core streetscapes. Transit terminals are not only functional nodes for movement but also visible anchors of the urban environment; integrating art into those spaces is a growing municipal strategy to improve user experience and support local cultural expression.
Transit riders who used the terminal during the installation described occasional inconvenience from the temporary bay closures, but most noted the work’s visible progress and welcomed the return to regular routing. With the installation now finished, the terminal presents a refreshed face to the city centre as Peterborough heads into the fall season.
City staff have not yet released a date for the recognition event beyond indicating it will occur later this month. In the meantime, the artwork is in place for transit users and passersby to see as they come and go through the downtown terminal.
