County Road 49 Rehabilitation

Hundreds of people recently took the opportunity to share how the poor condition of County Road 49 impacts them.

"Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate. This feedback will help strengthen our request for funding from the federal government so that the rehabilitation of this road can move ahead as soon as possible," Mayor Steve Ferguson says.

The short survey asked respondents to indicate the ways that County Road 49 affects them. Of the 347 respondents, impact to their vehicle was the top choice (309) followed by commute to appointments (200) and commute to work (83). Thirty-six respondents said the road impacts their business. Just 10 respondents said they were not impacted by the road condition.

Many respondents also shared more details about the impact through the open-ended survey question. People described damage to their vehicles, the lengths they go to avoid County Road 49, their safety concerns, and the reputational damage to the municipality. Some examples include:

• "I will NOT drive it unless there is literally no other choice given how hard it is on vehicles with potholes and debris, never mind how much more dangerous it has become in winter due to the same issues."
• "Ottawa resident who frequently vacations in the area with my travel trailer towed behind my SUV. Shockingly unsafe road for tourists towing RVs."
• "The highway is in such poor shape; it is beyond embarrassing."

The survey results and the anonymized comments will be shared with the federal government as Mayor Ferguson continues to lobby for support.

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.

Municipal and provincial funding is supporting work on the urban portion of County Road 49 in Picton, also known as phase 3 reconstruction of Picton Main Street. That work from Spencer Street to 100 metres north of Folkard Lane is currently underway and will continue through 2026.

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.

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.

The Province of Ontario announced on January 24, 2025 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.

County demands upper-level government support for County Road 49 rehabilitation

The County of Prince Edward is calling on the federal and provincial governments to step up and support the rehabilitation of County Road 49.

“The deterioration of this critical road has gone on for too long; enough is enough. The condition of the road has been an election issue during multiple campaigns and people want it fixed,” Mayor Steve Ferguson says. “The County has done everything it can to move this project forward and it is “shovel-ready.” Now is the time for the upper-levels of government to join us at the table.”

Opened in 1966, County Road 49 spans 18.6 kilometres, 17.5 kilometres of which 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 County. The Province of Ontario downloaded the roadway to the County in 1998.

County Road 49 serves commercial and industrial traffic, allows County residents to travel for work and appointments, and facilitates The County’s tourism and hospitality sector. The road sees average daily traffic volumes of approximately 6,000 vehicles, and 5% of that total is heavy truck traffic. The County expects that traffic will increase significantly in the next decade with new development and the completion of the Bay of Quinte Skyway Bridge rehabilitation.

The County is seeking an equal cost-sharing agreement with the upper levels of government similar to other large-scale infrastructure projects. To strategize and advocate for the rehabilitation, County Council created the County Road 49 Working Group based on a motion put forward by Councillor Chris Braney during the 2023 budget deliberations. Mayor Ferguson and councillors Braney, David Harrison, Brad Nieman, and Phil St-Jean sit on the working group.

Among the ideas being considered by the working group is a community benefit fund to support the rehabilitation of County Road 49. Through the fund, the municipality would seek financial partners to demonstrate leadership and join in financing the community share of this $29.5 million project.

“We want to send a clear message to the federal and provincial governments that this community is serious about fixing County Road 49 as quickly as possible,” Councillor Braney says. “This road is too important to the economic well-being and future of our community for it to go to waste any longer.”

County Road 49 is experiencing severe joint and slab failures, cracking, and polishing of the surface. The average weekly cost of patch repairs, including material, equipment/vehicles, and staffing is approximately $3,500 or $182,000 annually. The road frequently makes CAA’s annual Worst Roads list, receiving the dubious distinction as the worst road in Ontario in 2016.