County residents and visitors have endured decades of rough rides down County Road 49.
They have spent years and years asking the County and upper levels of government to “just fix the road!”
While the wait for a new road is nearly over, Mayor Steve Ferguson is asking residents and visitors for a little more patience over the next several months as the County gets down to business on this once-in-a-generation project.
“I get it: no one likes to sit in traffic, especially in the summer. You have places to go and people to see. However, with some small sacrifices from drivers, we are going to end up with a massive gain for Prince Edward County,” Mayor Ferguson says.
In a few weeks time, the County’s contractor, R.W. Tomlinson Ltd., will begin “rubblization” on County Road 49. Crews will break down the existing concrete road into small pieces and leave them in place, creating a strong foundation for the new asphalt road. Click here to learn more about that process.
Before rubblization gets underway, crews are currently replacing culverts along County Road 49. During culvert replacement, there may be single-lane closures in the vicinity of the work.
What does this mean for drivers?
Drivers on County Road 49 can expect delays of between five to 10 minutes during rubblization as the contractor works to rehabilitate 2 kilometres of road at a time. A minimum of one lane of traffic, operating under alternating directions, will be maintained at all times.
Municipal staff explored breaking the project into smaller sections to shorten wait times. However, drivers would only save a little time, while the project would take longer and could prevent the entire 18.6 km road from receiving new asphalt in 2026.
“We know it’s an aggressive timeline, but we owe to the people of Prince Edward County to get as much of the road done as possible during this construction season. Like everyone else, I am tired of dodging potholes on County Road 49. Let’s make them disappear in 2026,” Mayor Ferguson says.
Through or around?
With a 5- to 10-minute wait expected during the major rehabilitation work, using the alternate route instead of staying on County Road 49 may provide little to no advantage for commuters.
However, the municipality recognizes that some drivers may use or continue to use County Roads 5 and 15 as an alternate. Drivers are reminded to follow all posted speed limits along these roads. Staff have notified the OPP about the possibility of increased traffic on these roads, and the local police have agreed to provide additional traffic law enforcement during rehabilitation.
The municipality understands concerns about the potential for increased traffic and speeding on County Roads 5 and 15. Staff have been monitoring traffic volumes, heavy truck movements, and speeds over the past several months to track current conditions and identify any changes during construction. If safety issues arise, the County will take appropriate action to help keep residents and road users safe.
Stay up to date
The municipality will provide updates to the public throughout the project. Click here to sign up for the email notices.
Click here to learn more about the project on the County website.
For more information, contact Garrett Osborne, Project Manager, at 613.476.2148 ext. 2002 or gosborne@pecounty.on.ca.
Please note: The County of Prince Edward provides this information as a service to the general public. While we do our best to provide accurate information, construction projects and associated service disruptions are subject to change based on weather, road, traffic, and other uncontrollable conditions.