The major structural rehabilitation of County Road 49 reached another milestone this week with the award of the construction tender to R.W. Tomlinson Ltd.
“For years, Councils of the day have heard from residents, businesses, and visitors about the dire need to fix one of the worst roads in Ontario. Now, we are getting it done, and I couldn’t be happier,” Mayor Steve Ferugson says.
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.
Work is tentatively scheduled to begin during the 2026 construction season. A minimum of one lane of traffic, operating under alternating directions, will be maintained at all times throughout construction. During this construction season, the contractor anticipates completing the following work:
- Rubblizing County Road 49 between County Road 15 (Northport Road) and Civic Address 684 County Road 49.
- Placement of granular material followed by the first and second overlay of asphalt
- Subdrain installation
- Culvert replacements
- Box culvert waterproofing
A more detailed construction schedule is currently under development. Substantial completion date for this project is November 1, 2028.
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).
The municipality will provide updates to the public throughout the project. Click here to sign up for the email notices.
Learn more about the project on the County website.
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, with heavy trucks accounting for about 5 per cent of the total 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. 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.
For more information, contact the County of Prince Edward at 613.476.2148 extension 1023, 613.962.9108 extension 1023, or info@pecounty.on.ca.