County Road 49 Rehabilitation
The County of Prince Edwawrd is undertaking a major structural rehabilitation of County Road 49, between County Road 15 (Northport Road) and Civic Address 684 County Road 49.
Project Overview
County Road 49 serves as a transportation route for the municipality’s tourism, hospitality, and employment sectors. The road experiences average daily traffic volumes of approximately 6,000 vehicles, with peak traffic occurring during morning and evening rush hours. This includes commercial and industrial traffic.
Opened in 1966, County Road 49 spans 18.4 kilometres, of which 17.3 kilometres is concrete pavement. The road connects Picton, the municipality’s largest settlement area, with the Bay of Quinte Skyway Bridge, one of the largest entry-points into the municipality from Highway 401. County Road 49 has reached the end of its natural lifespan. It consistently ranks as one of the worst roads in Ontario by CAA.
The municipality is proceeding with the Council-approved preferred rehabilitation option of rubblizing the existing concrete pavement and placing a new asphalt overlay. Rubblizing is a construction technique that fractures old, deteriorated concrete pavement into small, interlocking pieces to serve as a strong, flexible base for the new roadway.
Project Details
Typical works associated with this project include:
- Rubblizing of the existing concrete roadway surface
- Excavation and grading
- Granular road base placement
- Fiber reinforced hot mix asphalt paving
- Pavement markings
- Removal, disposal, and replacement of various-sized
drainage culverts - Removal and replacement of roadside guiderail systems
- Site restorations
Project Status
Council awarded the tender for construction to R.W. Tomlinson Ltd. on May 26, 2026 in the amount of $18,679,000 plus applicable taxes.
A public information centre (PIC) will take place on Wednesday, June 10 at 5 pm at the Prince Edward Community Centre (375 Picton Main Street).
Environmental Assessment
- Complete
Design
- Complete
Procurement
- Complete
Pre-construction
Construction
- In Progress
- Not yet Started
Timeline
Budget and Funding
The municipality’s 2025 Capital Budget included an allocation of $44,533,100 for the rehabilitation of County Road 49, an amount approved by Council to be carried over to 2026.
The low tender submission of $18,679,000 plus applicable taxes, when combined with non-construction costs, including detailed design, geotechnical investigation, materials testing, contract administration and inspection services, County project management costs, non-recoverable taxes, and a construction contingency, remains well within the approved budget.
Provincial funding:
On March 19, 2026, the Province of Ontario announced funding in the amount of up to $44,500,000 for the rehabilitation of County Road 49. This funding includes a municipal contribution of $7,805,700 for the 1.1 km urban section of the corridor, which is being constructed as part of the Picton Main Street Phase 3 project.
As a result of this announcement, the municipality must enter into a new transfer payment agreement with the Ministry of Transportation, pending receipt of the agreement from the province.
Public Consultation
During the multi-year design phase, the project design team engaged with select adjacent property owners to address and discuss indemnification-related concerns associated with the project design.
As part of its duty to consult, the municipality also provided written notice in November 2021 to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) and the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs regarding the rehabilitation of County Road 49. Staff have reached out to the MBQ again given the recent and quick developments related to County Road 49.
Municipal staff will undertake a comprehensive public engagement and communication program throughout the project to ensure that residents, businesses, stakeholders, and the broader community are well informed throughout the project. Staff will coordinate with the Special Projects Oversight Team (SPOT), a new corporate-wide municipal initiative, to provide major project oversight and ensure collaboration and consistent communication across all departments
Resources & Updates
Documents
Council Reports
County Road 49 Rehabilitation Tender Award
County Road 49 Working Group Update
Preferred Rehabilitation Option
Design Services for Rehabilitation
County Road 49 Rehabilitation Strategy
Public Presentations
Public presentations will be added as they become available.
News Coverage
Provincial Funding Announcement
Recent Updates
- March 19, 2026: Provincial government funding rehabilitation of County Road 49. >> Read more
- November 25, 2025: Public shares impact of County Road 49. >> Read more
- May 17, 2023: “Enough is enough” on County Road 49. >> Read more