January 24, 2025
The Province of Ontario announced today that the County of Prince Edward would receive nearly $20 million from the Housing-Enabling Core Servicing Fund to support the rehabilitation of County Road 49.
“We are one step closer to fixing one of the worst roads in the province thanks to the outstanding support of the Government of Ontario,” Mayor Steve Ferguson says. “It is vital that the federal government join with us and financially support this project that is essential for the continued economic growth, safety, and well-being of our community.”
The rehabilitation project will enable more than 2,000 housing units on the east side of Picton over the next 10 to 15 years. The road also serves as a reliable 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, with heavy trucks accounting for about 5% of the total traffic.
The total cost to rehabilitate County Road 49, including the urban portion also known as phase 3 reconstruction of Picton Main Street, is $52.3 million. This total includes a 25 per cent contingency ($10.4 million) that the province required the municipality to include when it applied to the Housing-Enabling Core Servicing Fund.
- Provincial portion (38.2%):
— $19,993,424.94 from the Housing-Enabling Core Services Fund - Municipal portion (14.9%):
— $7.8 million, which was approved in the 2024 budget, for reconstructing the road surface of the urban portion of County Road 49 (phase 3 Picton Main Street reconstruction)
- Unfunded portion (46.9%):
— $24.5 million, which the municipality needs to fund through federal government sources and/or private sector partners
Mayor Ferguson and the County Road 49 Working Group will continue to advocate at the federal government level for additional funding to bridge the gap.
“The municipality is currently carrying the heavy financial burden of maintaining, upgrading, and replacing aging infrastructure,” Mayor Ferguson says. “The taxpayers cannot afford to shoulder anymore of the cost for rehabilitating County Road 49. That’s why it’s critical the federal government step up and support this project.”
The Housing-Enabling Core Servicing Stream is a $400 million provincial fund available to municipalities to fund the construction, maintenance or repair of road and bridge infrastructure. Staff identified County Road 49 as a suitable project to submit for funding consideration because it meets several of the eligibility requirements. The project is a rehabilitation, construction has not started, and it would enable new housing development.
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. The Province of Ontario downloaded the roadway to the County in 1998. County Road 49 has reached the end of its natural lifespan. It consistently ranks as one of the worst roads in Ontario by CAA.
Earlier this year, the municipality secured $18.3 million through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF). That provincial funding will support a regional water plant and a new raw water intake in Wellington. Learn more.