The County of Prince Edward is asking the community to send a clear message to the federal government that the rehabilitation of County Road 49 needs to move ahead as soon as possible.
“We have met with ministerial staff in Ottawa and our local Member of Parliament to stress the importance of this project. Now, they need to hear directly from the residents, business owners, and visitors who are impacted by the poor quality of this road every day,” Mayor Steve Ferguson says.
The municipality has launched a page on its online engagement platform, Have Your Say. The public can share how the condition of the road impacts them by completing a short survey or by leaving a comment on the page. The aggregated results will be shared with the federal government; no personal information will be provided.
Approximately half of the $52.3 million rehabilitation project remains unfunded. Earlier this year, the Province of Ontario allocated nearly $20 million from the Housing-Enabling Core Servicing Fund to support the rehabilitation of County Road 49. County Council approved $7.8 million in the 2024 municipal budget for the project.
The municipality is asking the federal government to step up and provide funding to make the project a reality. While in Ottawa for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in August, Mayor Ferguson and Interim CAO Adam Goheen met with staff from Transport Canada and Chris Malette, Member of Parliament for the Bay of Quinte, to discuss the rehabilitation of County Road 49. The Mayor has also shared letters of support for the project from community members, organizations, and businesses. Those letters and background material are posted on the Have Your Say page.
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.
Click here to view the Have Your Say page and provide your input.