Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Process
This Planning, Preliminary Design and Class Environmental Assessment Study is being undertaken as a Group ‘B’ project.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) for Provincial Transportation Facilities and Municipal Expressways (2024) 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.
The graphic below depicts the phases of the project that are part of the Class EA process.
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Upon completion of the project, a Transportation Environmental Study Report (TESR) will be prepared to document the following:
- Major features of the proposed work;
- A full description of the consultation program;
- Identification of all project approvals, licenses, and permits that have been or must be obtained;
- Environmental impacts, mitigations, and protection measures that will be implemented; and
- Commitments to future work.
The TESR will be placed on the Public Record for a review period of 30 calendar days to provide the opportunity for the public, Indigenous Communities, and stakeholders to review and comment on the document. The TESR will also be made available on this project website. Detailed information regarding the MTO Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) for Provincial Transportation Facilities and Municipal Expressways (2024) and Ontario EA Act is available in the Study Documentation.
Following the Preliminary Design phase MTO may proceed to the Detail Design phase.