Class EA
This Planning, Preliminary Design and Class Environmental Assessment Study will follow the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Class Environmental Assessment (EA) for Provincial Transportation Facilities and Municipal Expressways (2024) and is being undertaken as a Group ‘A’ project which includes extensions to existing highways and major realignments of highways that do not follow the existing right-of-way. The MTO Class EA provides a decision-making process to make sure that all relevant engineering and environmental factors are considered in the planning and design of transportation facilities.
During the Planning, Preliminary Design Study, a Study Design Report (SDR) will be prepared to document the following:
- Need and Justification
- Alternatives to the Undertaking
- Class EA process
- Consultation program
- Route alternatives, evaluation of route alternatives and the preferred route alternative
The SDR will be placed on the Public Record for a comment period of 30 calendar days to provide the opportunity for stakeholders to review and comment on the document. The SDR will be made available on the project website.
Upon completion of the project, a Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) will be prepared to document the following:
- The preliminary design of the Recommended Plan, the alternatives and evaluation of alternatives;
- A full description of the consultation program;
- Identification of all project approvals, licenses and permits that have been or must be obtained;
- Environmental impacts, mitigation, and protection measures that will be implemented; and
- Commitments to future work.
The TESR will be placed on the Public Record for a comment period of 30 calendar days to provide the opportunity for stakeholders to review and comment on the document. The TESR will also be made available on the project website.
Detailed information regarding the MTO Class EA and Ontario EA Act is available via the Documentation section of this website.