Louth Street Environmental Assessment

Niagara Region is undertaking a Schedule C Municipal Class Environmental Assessment and Detailed Transportation Assessment of Louth Street (Regional Road 72) and the West St. Catharines Grade Separation in the City of St. Catharines.

The study is split into two components:

• Determining the need for additional north / south transportation capacity by way of a potential new roadway / railway grade separation in west St. Catharines
• Redesigning Louth Street using a complete streets approach to balance the various needs of the corridor, while providing dedicated pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure that is safe, attractive and connected

The section of Louth Street between Benfield Road and St. Paul Street West is in need of rehabilitation and improvements before the upcoming GO Rail service expansion to the St. Catharines GO Station. The planned introduction of all-day train service will drive more travel demand on the corridor, including trips made by vehicles (cars and buses) and by active transportation modes (walking and cycling).

Niagara Region's Transportation Master Plan (2017) also recognized a potential need for a new roadway / railway grade separation in west St. Catharines, with Louth Street being one of the candidate corridors. This study will incorporate Phase 1 (define the need or opportunity) and Phase 2 (evaluate alternative planning solutions) of the West St. Catharines Grade Separation Environmental Assessment to determine whether a new roadway / railway grade separation is still needed, and if so to find out the preferred corridor for grade separation.

Consultation with the public, Indigenous Nations, regulatory agencies, and stakeholder groups is a key element of a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment study. To facilitate this, three public information centres are planned over the course of the study to gather input on potential alternative solutions and designs, and provide an opportunity to discuss concerns and issues with the project team. Public notices will be distributed in advance of each public information centre, the first of which is tentatively scheduled for November 2022.