Essex County is developing an updated Transportation Master Plan that will evaluate current traffic conditions and forecast the region’s future transportation requirements. The Essex County Transportation Master Plan will be a visionary road map designed to ensure safe and efficient movement of people and goods across the region. It will serve as a guide for responsible management and enhancement of the county's transportation infrastructure over the next three decades.
Community Survey
Your input is important! We want your ideas and feedback to help identify transportation related opportunities, issues and improvements. This survey is meant to be completed by County residents, members or any individuals who travel to/from Essex County for work, school, recreation and leisure.
The Community Survey will be available until February 2025. It has 19 questions and will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. To request the survey in an alternate accessible format, please contact at Sumaiya Habiba at SHabiba@countyofessex.ca or 519-776-6441 ext. 1385.
Dec. 5, 2024, Event: Possibilities and Potential
On Dec. 5, 2024, we assembled an expert panel to describe how we can develop a visionary County of Essex Transportation Master Plan to build, enhance and maintain sustainable connections that will help our communities and economic potential flourish.
Event: Transportation Master Plan: Possibilities and Potential
Date: Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024
Time: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Location: Ciociaro Club, 3745 North Talbot Road, Tecumseh
Expert panel members
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Alvaro Almuina, Project Manager, R.J. Burnside and Associates Ltd. |
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Alvaro Almuina is the consultant project manager for the County of Essex Transportation Master Plan. He is a Vice President, Municipal Transportation Planning at R.J. Burnside and Associates Ltd. and has over 36 years of experience in transportation planning and traffic engineering in Ontario and across the globe. Alvaro is widely recognized for his services to public sector clients in the areas of community planning, environmental assessments, project management and institutional strengthening. Alvaro is a graduate of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto and holds a master of engineering with a specialty in transportation. He is a registered professional engineer in the Province of Ontario and a project management professional. Alvaro has completed over 20 transportation master plans for small and large communities, locally and internationally. |
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Jerry Behl, Manager of Transportation Planning and Development, County of Essex |
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Jerry Behl heads the planning and development section of the County of Essex Infrastructure and Planning Services department. |
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Nadine Ibrahim, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo |
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Nadine Ibrahim, P.Eng, PhD, is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream and Turkstra Chair in Urban Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She holds a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in civil engineering, and a Certificate of Preventive Engineering and Social Development from the University of Toronto. She leverages her academic and industry experience in engineering consulting and international development to lead new approaches in urban infrastructure and sustainable cities. In Canada, she worked with municipalities in Southwestern Ontario on asset management, risk assessment, infrastructure planning and capital budgeting. Abroad, in the Middle East and North Africa, she worked in international development on high profile and large-scale projects for clients including the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility. Her research focuses on urban infrastructure, sustainable cities, climate change mitigation in global cities, energy and material flows in megacities, and sustainability assessments in megaregions. She is an advocate for engineers as municipal leaders that are equipped to address the challenges of rapid urbanization. She is currently the president of the Canadian Engineering Education Association and chairs the special interest group on the Engineer of 2050. She is an ambassador to How to Change the World and is on the Pan-Canadian advisory committee on the Canadian Engineering Grand Challenges. |
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Justin Jones, Active Transportation Section Lead, HDR |
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Justin Jones has been working to expand mobility choice for people in Ontario for over a decade, bringing his knowledge of best practice to over 100 municipalities in Ontario over the course of his career. He currently leads HDR’s Active Transportation practice in Canada, where he channels his passion for implementing more people-centric public spaces to create more connected, compassionate and thriving communities across Canada and beyond. He lives in Collingwood, where you can often find him on the trails with his bike, his two daughters and his two golden retrievers. |
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Lori Newton, Executive Director, Bike Windsor Essex |
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As Bike Windsor Essex executive director, Lori is the leading voice for cycling advocacy in Essex County, Canada’s southernmost and, arguably, flattest region. She vigorously campaigns for social justice on our streets, for complete streets policies in our communities and believes our public spaces should be designed for everyone from 8 to 80 years old. |
Key Objectives of the Plan
- Efficient traffic flow: The Transportation Master Plan will prioritize the seamless movement of people and goods among communities and significant destinations within the County, ensuring safety and efficiency.
- Long-term infrastructure planning: It will facilitate strategic planning for transportation infrastructure improvements and enhancements, considering future growth and evolving needs.
- Accommodating growth: It will identify interventions required to accommodate expected growth while managing the road network effectively.
Sustainability and Environmental Considerations
The preferred network strategy recommended by the Transportation Master Plan will be designed to be operationally, financially and environmentally sustainable. Solutions proposed within the plan are intended to be implemented without imposing significant environmental impacts or prohibitive costs. Acknowledging the environmental challenges posed by Essex County's natural heritage features, the plan anticipates and will seek to mitigate these challenges while assessing alternative solutions.
Open Public Process and Master Plan Study
This study will be conducted transparently through an open public process, operating under the Environmental Assessment Act. It will serve as direct input to potential subsequent environmental assessment studies, ensuring a comprehensive and inclusive approach to developing an implementable master plan for the region's transportation needs.
Creating the Essex County Transportation Master Plan requires taking the following steps:
- Review and Consult: All necessary background documents and data will be reviewed. County and other stakeholders will be consulted.
- Develop the Plan: The draft vision, objectives and policies will be developed to provide clear directions about the needs, opportunities and best practices.
- Evaluate the Options: A range of options will be identified for potential infrastructure projects, policies and services to meet forecasted transportation needs. Concerns from residents, stakeholders and Essex County staff will be addressed prior to developing these options.
- Draft the Plan: Recommended policies, programs, infrastructure improvements, implementation strategies and other recommendations will be outlined in the draft plan.
- Finalize the Plan: After being thoroughly reviewed by stakeholders, residents and county staff, the plan will be finalized. Then it will be implemented.
Throughout the process there will be opportunities for public review and input. New information and updates will be shared on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why does the County of Essex need a Transportation Master Plan? |
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The plan will provide guidance for future investments in transportation to foster community growth for years to come. It will advocate for a comprehensive, multi-modal approach to the planning, design and execution of transportation infrastructure to support and realize the county’s strategic directions and policies. The plan will set out a framework and strategy for effectively managing the growing traffic volume anticipated in the coming years. |
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What will the Transportation Master Plan include? |
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Will the Transportation Master Plan include areas outside of the County of Essex? |
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The primary emphasis of the plan will be on enhancing Essex County's transportation system. However, there will be evaluations to improve transportation options regionally, including traffic to and from the City of Windsor and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. |
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Will the Transportation Master Plan focus on automobiles? |
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No. The plan will comprehensively address the ways people and goods move within Essex County, such as walking, cycling, riding public transit and driving. |
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How will my input be used? |
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Your feedback will help us identify challenges and opportunities that need to be considered in the Essex County Transportation Master Plan. It also help us refine the recommendations in the plan. |
Watch Here for Updates
- Report and presentation to Essex County Council (Nov. 20, 2024)
- Public Information Centre No. 1 summary
- Public Information Centre No. 1 presentation (June 27, 2024)
- Notice of Public Information Centre No. 1 (June 18, 2024)
- Notice of Study Commencement (April 17, 2024)
Contact Us
For more information please contact:
Jerry Behl, P. Eng., PMP, PTOE, RSP1
Manager, Transportation Planning and Development
County of Essex
360 Fairview Avenue West, Suite 315
Essex, ON
N8M 1Y6
519-776-6441 ext. 1316
JBehl@countyofessex.ca
Alvaro L. Almuina, P. Eng., M. Eng., PMP, DCE
Consultant Project Manager
R.J. Burnside and Associates Limited
128 Wellington Street West Suite 301
Barrie, ON
L4N 8J6
1-800-265-9662 ext. 4383
Alvaro.Almuina@rjburnside.com
Contact Us