The purpose of the Environmental Assessment study (EA) was  to  evaluate  the  need for  and  the  feasibility  of  implementing  additional transportation  capacity  across  the  Cataraqui  River  in  the  City. The study was published on April 16, 2012 and approved by the province in June 2013.

The EA studied included but was not limited to:

• Project location
• Mitigation measures
• Study area
• Study area conditions
• Alternative solutions and the preferred solution
• Alternative designs and the preferred design
• Public and First Nations consultation
• Project monitoring