The County’s application to the Connecting Links Program to fund improvements to the Picton Town Hill intersection has been successful.
Connecting Links, a provincial funding program, helps municipalities repair designated municipal roadways and bridges that connect two ends of a provincial highway through a community or to a border crossing. The province has awarded the County $266,848 to improve the intersection of Bridge Street, County Road 49, and Picton Main Street, which is a designated Connected Link highway.
“The County is pleased to receive this funding from the Government of Ontario. With Connecting Links funding secured, we look forward to moving ahead with the improvements at this intersection and addressing the longstanding safety concerns for both pedestrian and vehicle traffic,” Mayor Steve Ferguson says.
A County delegation met with Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney and her staff at the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association (ROMA) conference in 2020. The delegation explained concerns with the intersection. Since that meeting, County staff have sought the advice of the local OPP and worked closely with the Ministry of Transportation to identify the issues and possible solutions.
The project includes updated signage, signage infrastructure, traffic control infrastructure, pedestrian crossings and line painting. The project would also include the replacement of two retaining walls located on Bridge Street and Picton Main Street that currently obstruct proper lines of site at this busy intersection, for both vehicles and pedestrians.
County staff are finalizing the plan for the intersection improvements, with the work expected to take place through the summer and fall.